Words in Transition

A paragraph is unified when all its sentences develop, or expand on, the central idea in some way. No sentence is off the topic.

Notice how every sentence in the following paragraph develops the topic sentence; it is a unified paragraph.

My husband and I often joke that the reason we have stayed married for so long is that we continually mystify each other with responses and attitudes that are plainly due to our different backgrounds. For years I frustrated him with unpredictable silences and accusing looks. I felt a great reluctance to tell him what I wanted or what needed to be done in the home. I was inwardly furious that I was being put into the position of having to tell him what to do. I felt my femaleness, in the Japanese sense, was being degraded. I did not want to be the authority. That would be humiliating for him and for me. He, on the other hand, considering the home to be under my dominion, in the North American sense, did not dare to impose on me what he wanted. He wanted me to tell him or make a list, like his parents did in his home. - Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, “Living in Two Cultures”

The plan of the paragraph is clear: Houston’s first sentence states her belief that culture shapes our attitudes and our responses. Then she gives reasons:

1. She could not tell her husband what she wanted, so she remained silent and gave accusing looks.
2. She did not want the authority of having to tell him what to do.
3. Her femaleness, in the Japanese sense, was threatened by his attitude.
4. He considered, in the North American sense, that the woman ran the house.
5. He did not want to impinge on her role.
6. He wanted to be told what to do or be given a list.

WPTips

Testing for Unity

If you think that there are sentences in any of your paragraphs that may be unnecessary and might be eliminated, block them off, move them out of the paragraph, and read the new paragraph. If the paragraph is tight, with no gaps in logic, eliminate the sentences permanently.

No matter where you finally decide to place your topic sentence, begin with one in mind. Then, as you write, you will zero in on what you want to say in this portion of your paper. Usually, the topic sentence is at or near the beginning of the paragraph; this way, the writer lets the reader know the direction of thought and function of the other sentences in the paragraph. The topic sentence may, however, come anywhere in the paragraph, particularly if you want to create a special effect.

In the following paragraph the topic sentence (shown in italics) comes first, and the anecdote that follows illustrates how bees astonish us.

Bees are filled with astonishments, confounding anyone who studies them, producing volumes of anecdotes. A lady of our acquaintance visited her sister, who raised honeybees. They left their car on a side road, suited up in protective gear, and walked across the fields to have a look at the hives. For reasons unknown, the bees were in a furious mood that afternoon, attacking in platoons, settling on them from all sides. Let us walk away slowly, advised the beekeeper sister, they’ll give it up sooner or later. They walked until beefree, then circled the fields and went back to the car, and found bees there, waiting for them. - Lewis Thomas, “Clever Animals”

The topic sentence may be most effective at the end of the paragraph when the writer wishes to create a sense of drama or suspense, or when, as in the following paragraph, the main idea is introduced by a convincing example.

Consider, for a moment, the variety of Canada’s forests. This country is home to 31 species of coniferous trees, including the pine, hemlock, cedar and the majestic Douglas Fir of the west coast. In addition, we have over 100 species of deciduous trees, among which are numbered 10 varieties of maple in our vast forests, four of oak, and five of hickory. If these forests aren’t preserved, future generations will know the grandeur of our forests as nothing more than cold statistics.

Often the topic sentence is preceded by a transitional sentence or contains a transitional clause referring to the previous paragraph, as here:

Soon after suffering her greatest disappointment in the pool, Sylvie Frechette decided to take on the world of synchronized swimming. She created a sensation by swimming to French songs, something unheard of in the mid-1980s. She made herself, as well as her routine, conspicuous when she wore bright, colourful swimsuits in competition. And she began to win.

The first part of the topic sentence looks back: soon after suffering her greatest disappointment in the pool; the clause Sylvie Frechette decided to take on the world of synchronized swimming shapes and controls what follows. By providing this transition, the line of thought in the paragraph is easily developed. Sylvie Frechette came back from disappointment, took control of her swimming routine, and after swimming to French songs and wearing bright, colourful swimsuits, she began to win, telling the reader exactly how she decided to take on the world of synchronized swimming.

Topic sentences are explicitly stated in most paragraphs, but on occasion, particularly in narrative or descriptive paragraphs, a writer may merely imply a controlling idea. In the following paragraph, the writer carefully chooses details that will lead the reader to arrive at the main idea without the writer having to state it specifically. Leading the reader along until the point dawns on him or her can often have a much greater impact than a straightforward statement.

You are standing on the threshold of time in as sacred a place as any in the world. It’s where the life of the land and the life of the water converge in biological blur. These are the wetlands-the swamps and the mudflats that sometimes smell like rotten eggs. These are the marshes, clogged with weeds, swarming with bugs, teeming with beautiful life. This is where the moon moves the water in shallow ebbs and floods; where the sun pierces down to the ooze and the nutrients flow in a strange and marvelous way. Nowhere else except here in these sopping grounds is there so much life in so much concentration. But the life is dwindling. And as these lands start to go-you do, too. - Sierra Club, “Threshold of Time”

Through cumulative detail that strongly appeals to the senses, this writer conveys the controlling idea that marshes and wetlands are fascinating and ecologically important, and people ought to be concerned about them. The controlling idea is conveyed even though it is not explicitly stated.

WPTips

Boldfacing Topic Sentences

If you are having trouble with unity or coherence while drafting your paragraphs, boldface or underline the topic sentence in each of your paragraphs. By calling special attention to each topic sentence you see how the other sentences in the paragraph relate to the topic sentence and to each other.