GE105 Examples of Topic Sentences 1

GE105 Writing I: Academic Literacies

Spring Semester 2013

Week 3

Instructor: Sophia Katsochi

Examples of Topic Sentences

Topic Sentences

1. Public officials have done a poor job of solving our city’s traffic problems. The city’s

main highway is operating at four times its intended capacity. Rush hour lasts from 6:45 am

to 8:30 am and from 4:45 pm to 6:30 pm. Traffic accidents, according to the highway patrol,

have more than doubled in the past five years.

2. Julia Roberts is a versatile actress. In Pretty Woman she plays a likeable

prostitute. In The Pelican Brief she plays a serious law student. In Steel Magnolias she plays

an energetic young mother stricken with a fatal illness. In Sleeping with the Enemy she plays

an abused wife.

3. This winter we lived through a terrible storm. Two feet of snow fell during one evening.

Winds along the coast raged at sixty miles an hour. Tides of twelve feet caused flooding in

some areas. Several towns had to be evacuated.

4. There are many reasons why students might choose one campus over another. First of

all, most students would much rather attend classes within a convenient, short distance from

home, thus saving time and money. Money can also be saved by living at home rather than

GE105 Examples of Topic Sentences 2

renting a flat away from one’s family in order to be closer to campus. In addition, students

also consider the programs and services offered by a university prior to enrollment.

Material taken from:

Kanar, C. (n.d.). The confident writer (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.