ELEMENTS TO MAKE A WRITER GREAT part 1

Often overlooked in writing, the topic sentence is a foundational ingredient that no paper should lack. Failing to properly introduce a subject in writing is like forgetting the butter in a cake recipe. Normally this ingredient goes unnoticed mixed with sugar and flour and vanilla, but when it is missing, the cake will simply not taste right. To achieve a smooth, moist, and cohesive texture, butter must be added and blended well. Likewise a topic sentence must introduce the gist of a concept and then flow easily into the material at hand. Generally, it is found at the beginning of a paragraph and tells the reader what the following sentences will be about. In some cases--usually in the middle or end of a paper--a transitional sentence needs to preface the topic sentence to help the audience segue to the next issue. The subsequent sentences should support the proposed topic by explaining the position taken or giving background, logical arguments, and examples which will lead the reader to come to the same conclusion as the writer. Again using the analogy of a cake, the body of a paragraph is similar to the other ingredients which are necessary to complete the dessert. Once mixed, the batter must be baked, definitively binding the elements together. So, finally, the concluding sentence should wrap up the concepts discussed and touch again on the same point as the opening sentence, bringing the paragraph back to the place it started and informing the reader through the process.