When Will I Ever Use This?
When you want to convince someone of something through writing, whether it's to agree with you on a position or to take an action, you will want to be sure that your topic sentence clearly states what you want to the reader to know and do and that the rest of your paragraph supports that idea.
In this example, Cecilia is writing a statement to present at the next city council meeting. Help identify her topic sentence.
My name is Cecilia Barnes, and I have lived in Shelby County for over 35 years. I strongly urge the city council to reconsider eliminating the #71 bus line. I, along with many people in Shelby County, rely on the #71 to commute to work or school. Without it, we will have to leave our homes 60 minutes earlier and arrive home that much later. There are also many residents who are single parents or seniors living on a fixed income that cannot afford a car—they rely on the affordability and convenience of this route. I know times are tough, but cutting the #71 would make our lives even tougher. Might running smaller, more cost-efficient busses during off-peak hours be possible rather than cutting service? If you care about the people in this community, please keep the #71 bus line running.
