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Diploma in Higher Education Studies

Building a paragraph: the topic sentence

HES 101 · English for Academic Purposes — Week 6 of 16

CourseHES 101
Week6 of 16
SemesterI
TutorOnline in the course chat

This week’s topics

Building a paragraph: the topic sentence

  1. One main idea per paragraph
  2. Writing a clear topic sentence

What you will be able to do

  • 2.1 Construct a topic sentence and supporting paragraph.

Activity

Write topic sentences for five paragraphs that have lost theirs.

Study materials

Further resources

  • Writing for Success, ch. 6.2: Effective means for writing a paragraph · PDF · Saylor (2012), topic sentences; pp. 232–248 · for registered students
  • Writing Guide with Handbook, Handbook H2: Paragraphs and transitions · PDF · OpenStax (2021), one main idea per paragraph; pp. 689–691 · for registered students
  • Say more and be more coherent: text elaboration, cohesion and writing quality · Open-access article · Crossley & McNamara (2016), Journal of Writing Research. Paragraphs scored higher when each developed one clear idea with connected sentences. · for registered students
Materials marked “for registered students” open in the student portal, which is set up as soon as you receive final acceptance.
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Course plan
  • Week 1: How a non-fiction article is organised
  • Week 2: Reading for the main idea: skimming
  • Week 3: Finding information fast: scanning
  • Week 4: The parts of an academic article
  • Week 5: Formal and informal English
  • Week 6: Building a paragraph: the topic sentence
  • Week 7: Supporting your point with evidence and examples
  • Midterm: Midterm evaluation
  • Week 9: Linking ideas with connectives
  • Week 10: Listening to a short lecture
  • Week 11: Taking notes that work
  • Week 12: Summarising in your own words
  • Week 13: From lecture notes to a summary
  • Week 14: Checking and improving your writing
  • Week 15: Review and coursework completion
  • Final: Final assessment and submission
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