Common Errors to Avoid When Writing a Topic Sentence

Announcements
- These kind of topic sentences tend to not raise a question. You can often identify this error by looking for words that refer to writing within the topic sentence – words such as: "essay," "paper," "about," and "writing" can be clues that you are making an announcement instead of writing a proper topic sentence.
  
  For example:
  I am going to write about my college experience.
  or
  This essay will be on the topic of starting college.
Statements that are too broad
- These kind of topic sentences are previewing something that is too big and broad to fit into a paragraph. It is always important to keep the length of an assignment in mind when choosing a topic and message.
  
  For example:
  Education has been important in my life.
  or
  Many people enjoy college.
Statements that are too narrow
- These kind of topic sentences are generally just a statement of fact – they do not raise a question and leave the paragraph author nowhere to go.
  
  For example:
  I just completed my first week of college.
  or
  I am taking five courses this semester.
Statements that contain more than one message or opinion
- These kind of topic sentences are trying to say more than what can adequately be supported in a paragraph.
  
  For example:
  Starting college has been both exciting and stressful.
  or
  I had really awesome experiences in my senior year math class, but there were some things I didn't like.