While it is most common for topic sentences to begin the paragraph, they do not always do so. Consider the following sign, seen in the window of a beauty salon: Please, No exceptions. Unless they are booked for service, No Children In this situation, No exceptions is clearly not the topic of the sign, and No Children clearly is. Yet the subject, No Children, is placed in the end rather than the head position. When this idea is extended to the paragraph, the topic sentence, placed last, serves to summarize the previous details. Paragraphs written in this way can be diagrammed as an upright triangle, with the broad base representing the topic sentence:
Topic Sentence at the End of the Paragraph While it is most common for topic sentences to begin the paragraph, they do not always do so. Consider the following sign, seen in the window of a beauty salon: Please, No exceptions. Unless they are booked for service, No Children In this situation, No exceptions is clearly not the topic of the sign, and No Children clearly is. Yet the subject, No Children, is placed in the end rather than the head position. When this idea is extended to the paragraph, the topic sentence, placed last, serves to summarize the previous details. Paragraphs written in this way can be diagrammed as an upright triangle, with the broad base representing the topic sentence:
Paragraphs are written in this form primarily for one of two reasons: (1) to create suspense or (2) to bring up a controversial topic only after sufficient groundwork has been laid. In the case of the sign in the beauty salon, the message is made gentler by stating the only situation in which children are allowed before stating the more controversial behest, No Children, in the final position. The act of providing convincing data or groundwork leads the reader to the topic sentence, which then also serves as the conclusion. The following sample paragraph is an example of one in which the topic sentence and controlling idea appear in the final position: People do it everyday. They log on to their favorite website and browse for hours, checking out bargains. They dump every possible wish into their shopping carts, knowing they can cast each one aside before they finalize their purchases. On the way, they may enter a sweepstakes in the hopes of winning a trip to Cabo San Lucas, or maybe even a new SUV. And then, when they have decided on their purchases, they enter private information without giving it a thought. With a keystroke, they release their personal data into what may or may not be a secure zone. Despite what much of the public believes, internet shopping is not safe. In this paragraph, the idea that internet shopping may not be safe could be considered controversial. For this reason, groundwork is laid before the final, topic sentence is stated.
