5.1 The first sentence of a paragraph should be the topic sentence
The topic sentence identifies and introduces the topic to be discussed. The topic sentence must be comprehensive enough to cover the entire contents of the paragraph, and the paragraph should not stray beyond this thematic statement.
Moreover, in most analytical writing, the topic sentence should be conclusive, following the idea of bottom-line-on-top (BLOT). Thus, in most business reports or analyses, writers should lead with conclusions then back them up, not work up to conclusions. In such writing, reports of data are never effective topic sentences.
The middle sentences of the paragraph should back up, develop, or elaborate on the topic statement; they should, for instance, supply the details proving the statement of the theme. The last sentence of the paragraph should either decisively end the theme or form a transition to the next theme.
==>Guidelines ==>Paragraphing