After a topic sentence introduces what the paragraph is about, it needs supporting sentences to expand the idea.
This means a paragraph goes:
1. topic sentence
2. supporting sentence
* linking sentences may also be used
Supporting sentences should be evidence, facts, and examples, and not be conjecture (a personal opinion without facts) unless the writing asks for opinions.
Examples of Adding Supporting Sentences to Topic Sentences
- My English teacher is an awful man, possibly the meanest person I have ever met. Last Tuesday afternoon, for example, he gave the entire class detention because a girl had forgotten to bring her homework; the week before, to punish Dave for talking, he threw his schoolbag out the window. This sadistic teacher has also been seen putting puppies into trash cans, and screaming at mothers pushing baby carriages because they walk too slow.
- There are many important things to consider when writing. For one, it is important to remember for whom one is writing: selecting the wrong level of language can result in the writing looking childish, or pretentious. The writer should also be sure to make his or her point clearly, as well as in an interesting form. Finally, writing should make the reader think, whether in agreement, or consideration, because it is not only a form for communication, but a method to transmit ideas.
- The 01-02 season was one of the worst the team had ever suffered. Things began to go wrong early, when the star player broke his leg in pre-season, and defeat in its first 8 games left the supporters shouting for the manager to be fired. A 6-0 loss against their city rivals followed and, even under a new coach, January saw them 15 points adrift at the bottom of the table. More misery arrived in February, when their goalkeeper was arrested for drunk driving and suspended by the team for 2 months, ensuring the team headed towards relegation. The manner of relegation – going down with a whimper, rather than a fight – saw ticket sales drop dramatically and the team went into the summer not only going down a division, but with record debts.