What makes a good topic sentence? 
      (Or, thesis statement, controlling idea, main idea, etc.)
    Your topic sentence is your promise to the reader. It focuses and 
    controls the essay (or in this case, the paragraph). 
    ABCs of an Effective Topic Sentence
    A- The topic sentence ASSERTS. It makes a point.
    B- The writer of the topic sentence must BE an insider. Writers 
    should make a point about an aspect of the topic that they have 
    personal insight on.
    C- The topic sentence must be CLEAR. Strong topic sentences are 
    usually simple and straightforward.
    A strong topic sentence includes: 
    your topic and the point you want to make about your topic. 
  1. Cold breath, white snow, huddling together: these 
    things make winter my favorite time of the year. 
  2. Spending time outside, exploring nature, and 
    enjoying the beautiful weather make summer 
    awesome. In summertime, it’s hot and people can 
    swim all the time. 
  3. Summer is a hot, enjoyable time of the year. 
  4. Warm, leisurely and fun, summertime is the 
    greatest season of them all. 
  5. Cold, fun and frosty, winter is my favorite season. 
  6. Fall, with its colorful, aromatic leaves and perfect 
    temperature, is the best season there is. 
   If/then statements
   If I look forward to visiting my cousins every 
    year, then I dread the annual trip to see 
    Great-Aunt Snarky. 
   If unicorns are the most wonderful creatures, 
    then vampires are the monsters that bring 
    fear to my heart. 
   If soccer practice is the joy of my life, then 
    doing chores is the bane of my existence. 
  1. If summertime is the end of a glorious life, 
   then winter is the dreaded middle-school 
   years. 
  2. If wintertime is the beautiful, elegant snow, 
   then spring is the rain that lasts for what feels 
   like an eternity. 
  3. If winter is as cozy as a cushion, then spring is 
   as rough as a rock. 
  4. If fall is the apple of my eye, then summer is 
   the rotten core.
  5. If winter is the perfect season, spring is the 
   perfect mess. 
   6. If winter is a breath of fresh air, then spring is an 
     frightening attack of asthma. 
   7. If winter is what brings up the spirit to my soul, then 
     fall is the gloomy days that I fear. 
   8. If fall is the season of my dreams, then winter is the 
     stuff of my nightmares. 
   9. If winter is my favorite because of the warm hot 
     chocolate and coffee from Starbucks, then summer 
     is my second-favorite because of the warm, hot sun.