3.7 Implied Topic Sentences
Rachel Cox-Vineiz, MA
Say What?
Some well-organized paragraphs do not contain a topic sentence at all, a technique often used in descriptive and narrative writing. Instead of being directly stated, the main idea is implied in the content of the paragraph, as in the following narrative paragraph.
Heaving herself up the stairs, Luella had to pause for breath several times. She let out a wheeze as she sat down heavily in the wooden rocking chair. Tao approached her cautiously, as if she might crumble at the slightest touch. He studied her face, like parchment, stretched across the bones so finely he could almost see right through the skin to the decaying muscle underneath. Luella smiled a toothless grin.
Although no single sentence in this paragraph states the main idea, the entire paragraph focuses on one concept—that Luella is extremely old. All the details in the paragraph work together to convey the dominant impression of Luella’s age. In a paragraph such as this one, an explicit topic sentence such as “Luella was very old” would seem awkward and heavy-handed. Implied topic sentences work well if the writer has a firm idea of what he or she intends to say in the paragraph and sticks to it. One risk is that an implied topic sentence may be too subtle for the reader to catch. [1]
Instructions
Assignment 1
Objective: Practice identifying implied topic sentences in descriptive or narrative writing by analyzing a passage from A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
- Read the text below and practice following the clues to find the implied topic sentence.
- After reading the excerpt, consider the following questions:
- What is the paragraph mostly about? Write a sentence that sums up the main idea of this passage in your own words.
- Is that idea directly stated, or implied?
- Which clues help you infer the topic? List 2–3 details from the text that helped you figure out the paragraph’s main idea.
- Based on your answer, what could be an appropriate topic sentence? Write one topic sentence that could be added to the beginning of this paragraph to clearly state its main idea.
Sherlock Holmes Excerpt
He was at work again. He had a sheet of paper stretched out in front of him upon the blotting-pad, and a pen in his hand. His brow was contracted and his face expressive of the keenest interest. He was dipping rapidly into a book, jotting down figures and making calculations. Then he plunged into another volume, then made a note or two, returning to the first book. His features were set, his lips compressed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. The swing of his nature was always quick and complete. When he was in one of his queer humours, I have no idea what he would not do.
Assignment 2
Objective: Continue developing skills in identifying and analyzing implied main ideas by comparing descriptive passages.
- Compare the following paragraphs below.
- After reading the excerpt, consider the following questions:
- What is the implied main idea of Passage 1?
- What is the implied main idea of Passage 2?
- Which specific words or phrases in each paragraph helped you figure that out?
- Are either of these passages more explicit than implied? How can you tell?
- How do these passages add to or contrast with your understanding of Sherlock Holmes as a character?
Passage 1 from A Study in Scarlet Chapter 2
His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy, and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he asked who he was and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the solar system. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to me to be such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.
Passage 2 from A Study in Scarlet Chapter 1
Holmes was not a difficult man to live with. He was quiet in his ways, and his habits were regular. It was rare for him to be out of bed after ten at night, and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose in the morning. During the day he was very often in the laboratories, or engaged in chemical experiments of an obscure nature. He would hardly reply to my questions and was lost in his own thoughts and research. His manner was not effusive; it seldom extended beyond a quiet smile. But he was always ready to listen and showed me many little kindnesses.
Attributions: Some sections of the above are original content by Anna Mills and others are adapted from the following sources: Writing for Success, created by an author and publisher who prefer to remain anonymous, adapted and presented by the Saylor Foundation and licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Successful College Composition, also licensed CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, which was itself adapted from Writing for Success. 12.2: Topic Sentences is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.
- Mills, A. (2025, May 13). 12.2: Topic Sentences. Humanities LibreTexts. Retrieved August 9, 2025, from https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Composition/Advanced_Composition/How_Arguments_Work_-_A_Guide_to_Writing_and_Analyzing_Texts_in_College_(Mills)/12%3A_Essay_Organization/12.02%3A_Topic_Sentences ↵
