topic

Everyday

1. A topic is the subject that people talk, write or learn about. tree →
2. In school, a topic is a theme the class studies for some weeks, such as «Space» or «The Romans». tree →

In the lessons

In English lessons a topic sentence tells the main idea of a paragraph. In school, a class «topic» links work in many subjects. In everyday talk, «change the topic» means start talking about something else; «off topic» means not about the main subject. Phrases: «topic sentence», «change the topic», «on topic», «off topic», «a hot topic».

Examples

• Our topic this term is the rainforest. tree →
• Choose a topic for your speech. tree →
• The first sentence of a paragraph is often the topic sentence. tree →
• Dinosaurs are my favourite topic. tree →
• When I asked about my report card, Dad changed the topic. tree →
• Please stay on topic during the discussion. tree →
• Climate is a hot topic on the news. tree →
• "Oh no," replied the counsellor; "I can only discourse on topics which every one should understand." tree →

Note

Countable noun: a topic, topics. «Topic» means the subject, not the whole text. Do not confuse with «tropic» (a line on the globe) or «topical» (connected with what is happening now).