Birmingham plays host to some of the most pleasant places to live in the UK. In 2015, Mosely in southeast Birmingham was named the best place to live in the country by the Sunday Times. However, some areas suffer from concentrated crime.

ou can see from this example how a topic is introduced, supported, and then brought to its natural conclusion. Yet, not all writing is academic, and once you have learned the concept behind good paragraph constructionâwhich is really the art of focused writing in disguiseâyou should know that there are times when paragraph ârulesâ can, and should, be broken.

A well-organized paragraph supports or develops a single controlling idea, which is expressed in a sentence called the topic sentence. A topic sentence has several important functions: it substantiates or supports an essayâs thesis statement; it unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the sentences; and it advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it. Readers generally look to the first few sentences in a paragraph to determine the subject and perspective of the paragraph. Thatâs why itâs often best to put the topic sentence at the very beginning of the paragraph. In some cases, however, itâs more effective to place another sentence before the topic sentenceâfor example, a sentence linking the current paragraph to the previous one, or one providing background information.

A well-organized paragraph supports or develops a single controlling idea, which is expressed in a sentence called the topic sentence. A topic sentence has several important functions: it substantiates or supports an essayâs thesis statement; it unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the sentences; and it advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it. Readers generally look to the first few sentences in a paragraph to determine the subject and perspective of the paragraph. Thatâs why itâs often best to put the topic sentence at the very beginning of the paragraph. In some cases, however, itâs more effective to place another sentence before the topic sentenceâfor example, a sentence linking the current paragraph to the previous one, or one providing background information.

ragraph to determine the subject and perspective of the paragraph. Thatâs why itâs often best to put the topic sentence at the very beginning of the paragraph. In some cases, however, itâs more effective to place another sentence before the topic sentenceâfor example, a sentence linking the current paragraph to the previous one, or one providing background information.

Although most paragraphs should have a topic sentence, there are a few situations when a paragraph might not need a topic sentence. For example, you might be able to omit a topic sentence in a paragraph that narrates a series of events, if a paragraph continues developing an idea that you introduced (with a topic sentence) in the previous paragraph, or if all the sentences and details in a paragraph clearly referâperhaps indirectlyâto a main point. The vast majority of your paragraphs, however, should have a topic sentence.