The Importance of Topic Sentences and Signposts

The essay is a journey the writer organizes for the reader. To properly guide the reader, there needs to be signs and labels along the journey to let the reader discern one part from another. Topic sentences and signposts are put in place by the essay writer for the readers to help navigate through the essay.

Topic Sentences

The topic sentence introduces the claim or an argument to the reader in a couple of sentences. It is important to place the topic sentence first and foremost in the sentence, as it should stand out in the paragraph. Also, by doing so you ensure that the reader knows the topic of the paragraph before reading into it. It connects the paragraph topic to the main thesis, while also showing the reader what to expect in the paragraph. 

Signposts

While topic sentences introduce us to each of the paragraphs, the signposts help us understand the inner workings of the paragraphs. They work on the sentence level and help guide the reader from one thought or information to the next. 

Both signposts and thesis together help the reader comprehend the bigger picture of the essay arguments while also communicating the logical flow within each of the paragraphs. In a way, topic sentences and signposts conduct the narrative essay structure.

Different types of Topic Sentences 

Topic sentences vary with each different discipline. They can just be a single sentence or can extend to two to three sentences. The first sentence tells the reader what is the claim that you are discussing and the subsequent sentences answer the questions of ‘how’ and ‘why’.

There are many different types of topic sentences that you can choose from. It is better to have a variety in your writing, especially whilst writing the topic sentences. They are the first thing the reader reads, and if the format for the topic sentence is the same throughout then the essay risk feeling like a list. 

Following are the types of topic sentences:

Transitioning

The topic sentence will take the form of a complex sentence with a dependent clause stating the main giveaway from the previous paragraph, and the independent clause introducing the claim for the paragraph. If essay writing is not you thing, you can take help from an essay writing service to complete your writing tasks.

Although the Civil War was fought as a direct effect of the election, a growing sectional 

identity between the northern and the southern states, which was ever-widening,

contributed to its onset too.

Bridges

The bridge sentence like transitioning works with the main idea of the previous paragraph while presenting the new claim. Unlike it, it doesn’t stick to the form of complex sentences. It can be a simple sentence or a compound one. 

Questions

Questions can serve as excellent topic sentences when done right. They can fulfill the role of transitioning, introducing the claim, and engaging the reader all at the same time.

But was the change in the political landscape and transfer of power 

the only cause for civil unrest?

Signposts

Signposts can come anywhere in the paragraph. They are used to indicate a change in the direction in the argument, exploring a secondary idea, indicating the evidence’s support to the claim, and introducing the counterargument. 

For longer essays that have various paragraphs for a single claim, the signposting will can come at the start of the paragraphs, With signposts, you can add a logical flow to your paragraphs indicating each section and connecting it with concurrent ideas. Coordinating conjunctions and subordinate conjunctions are normally used as signposts between different parts and changing arguments. Though an overuse of such signposts tends to give the exemplification essay a bad outlook, so they should be used sparsely.