IXL | Choose topic sentences for narrative paragraphs

Read the paragraph. Then, add the better topic sentence.

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The ride was full of stops, starts, and new sights. We ate in a special dining car, and our room was called a sleeper. Our little space was tiny, but it had a couch that turned into a bed. It took three days for the train to take us from Washington to Rhode Island. Along the way, we saw the small towns and big cities of several states.

Taking our pets on the train was a great idea.

It was an adventure to travel across the country on a train.

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question

Read the paragraph. Then, add the better topic sentence.

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Taking our pets on the train was a great idea.

It was an adventure to travel across the country on a train.

key idea

Many paragraphs begin with a topic sentence. A topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about.

For example, maybe your paragraph is about the first time you went skating. This would be a good topic sentence:

green checkmark, My first time skating was scary but fun.

Your topic sentence should not be too broad. "Too broad" means that the sentence doesn't tell you exactly what the paragraph is about. It doesn't give enough detail.

red X symbol, Skating is a fun sport.

Your topic sentence should not be too narrow. "Too narrow" means that the sentence tells only about a detail.

red X symbol, I needed help getting my skates on.

Your topic sentence should not be off topic. "Off topic" means that the sentence doesn't match the paragraph well. It tells about something else.

red X symbol, A lot of my friends like to go skating.

solution

The paragraph is about traveling across the country in a train. So, this is the better topic sentence:

green checkmark, It was an adventure to travel across the country on a train.

This sentence is off topic:

red X symbol, Taking our pets on the train was a great idea.

The paragraph does not talk about taking pets on the train.

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Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

X.1Select the detail that does not support the topic sentence

FF.2Choose topic sentences for narrative paragraphs

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