Supporting Sentences

Supporting sentences add information about the topic and the controlling idea. Supporting sentences can include definitions, explanations, and examples. Read the topic sentence below. Then study the types of supporting sentences that might follow it.

      topic                                    controlling idea

Young people are too dependent on computer.

The Topic Sentence

                The topic sentence is usually the first or second sentence in a paragraph. It introduces a new idea. It presents the topic and explains what the writer will say about the topic. This explanation is called the controlling idea.