SIDI

 MOHAMED  BEN  ABDALLAH  UNIVERSITY                            

FACULTY  OF  LETTERS  DHAR  EL  MEHRAZ-­‐FES                                            S1/WRITING  PARAGRAPHS  
DEPARTMENT  OF  ENGLISH                                                                                                                    Academic  year  :  2020-­‐2021                                                                    
 
TOPIC SENTENCE: IDENTIFYING/WRITING TOPIC SENTENCES- Practice

1. Choose the best topic sentence for each group of supporting sentences. Write it on the
line provided.
Example: ___________b_____________. I usually go skiing every weekend in the winter
even though it is expensive. I love the feeling of flying down a mountain. The views are
beautiful from the top of a mountain and along the trails. Even the danger of falling and
getting hurt can’t keep me away from the slopes on a winter day.
a) Skiing is expensive.
b) Skiing is my favourite sport.
c) Skiing is dangerous.
1.) _________________________________________________. North Americans send cards
for many occasions. They send cards to family and friends on birthdays and holidays. They
also send thank-you cards, get well cards, graduation cards, and congratulation cards. It is
very common to buy cards in stores and send them through the mail, but turning on the
computer and sending cards over the Internet is also popular.
a) Sending cards is very popular in North America.
b) Birthday cards are the most popular kind of card.
c)It is important to send thank-you cards.
2.) _____________________________________________ . I enjoy summer sports like water
skiing and baseball. The weather is usually sunny and hot, so I can go to the beach almost
every day. Gardening is my hobby and I spend many summer days working in my garden.
Unfortunately, the days pass too quickly in summer.
a) I like to garden in summer.
b) Summer is my favourite season.
c) Summer is to short.
3.) ________________________________________ . First of all, we need money to repair
old roads and build new roads. We also need more to pay teachers’ salaries and to pay for
services such as trash collection. Finally, more tax money is needed to give financial help to
the poor citizens of the city. It is clear that the city will have serious problems if taxes are not
raised soon.
a) We should raise city taxes.
b) City taxes are too high.
c) City taxes pay for new roads.
4.) _________________________________________ . For example, a person can have
breakfast in New York, board an airplane, and have dinner in Paris. A businesswoman in
London can instantly place an order with a factory in Hong Kong by sending a fax.
Furthermore, a schoolboy in Tokyo can turn on a TV and watch a baseball game being played
in Los Angeles.
a) Airplanes have changed our lives.
b) Advances in technology have made the world seem smaller.
c) The fax machine was an important invention.
5.) ___________________________________________ . One thing you must consider is the
quality of the university’s educational program. You also need to think about the school’s size
and location. Finally, you must be sure to consider the university’s tuition to make sure you
can afford to go to school there.
a) It is expensive to attend a university in the United States.

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SIDI  MOHAMED  BEN  ABDALLAH  UNIVERSITY                            
FACULTY  OF  LETTERS  DHAR  EL  MEHRAZ-­‐FES                                            S1/WRITING  PARAGRAPHS  
DEPARTMENT  OF  ENGLISH                                                                                                                    Academic  year  :  2020-­‐2021                                                                    
 
b) There are several factors to consider when you choose a university to attend.
c) You should consider getting a good education.

2. Write a topic sentence for each paragraph. Make sure your topic sentence expresses
the main idea of the paragraph.
Example: Miami is the perfect place to take a vacation. It is always sunny and warm. The
beaches are gorgeous, with soft white sand and beautiful water. There are many fine
restaurants in the Miami area, and most of the hotels offer terrific entertainment nightly. It’s
no wonder that Miami is my first choice for a vacation destination.
1.) ___________________________________________________ . He has collected stamps
and coins ever since he was a child. He is very proud of his valuable collections. Paul also
enjoys painting and drawing. Recently he has become interested in gardening. Out of all his
hobbies, Paul’s favourite one is reading. He usually reads at least one book every week. Paul
keeps busy with all of his hobbies.
2.) _________________________________________________ . I can’t wait to come home
from school and eat the delicious meals she has prepared. She is famous for her desserts like
peach pie and chocolate soufflé. She is always experimenting with new recipes and trying
different ingredients. No one in the world can cook the way my mother does.
3.) _________________________________________________ . It never starts in cold
weather. The horn and the left turn signal don’t work properly. Worst of all, the radio only
gets one station and the CD player is completely broken. I wish I could get a new car.
4.) __________________________________________________ . First and most
importantly, the work is very interesting. I learn new things every day and I get to travel a lot.
In addition, my boss is very nice. She is always willing to help me when I have a problem. I
have also made many new friends at my job. Last, but not least, the salary is fantastic.
5.) ____________________________________________________ . To start things off, my
plane was six hours late. When I finally got to my hotel, I was very disappointed. It was small
and dirty. On the third day, my wallet was
3stolen, and I lost all my credit cards. It rained very day except one, and on that day I got a
terrible sunburn. All in all, it wasn’t a vacation to remember.
3. Write a topic sentence for the group of sentences provided.
1. Crocodiles are grayish green.
Crocodiles have triangular snout.
Alligators like fresh water.
Alligators have a rounded snout.
The fourth tooth is exposed on a crocodile when their mouth is closed.
Topic sentence:
___________________________________________________________________________
___
2. You need to exercise daily.
You need to eat variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Water is important
Calcium is found in a variety of foods other than milk.
Topic sentence:
___________________________________________________________________________
___
3. Clarion angel fish live in reef waters.

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SIDI  MOHAMED  BEN  ABDALLAH  UNIVERSITY                            
FACULTY  OF  LETTERS  DHAR  EL  MEHRAZ-­‐FES                                            S1/WRITING  PARAGRAPHS  
DEPARTMENT  OF  ENGLISH                                                                                                                    Academic  year  :  2020-­‐2021                                                                    
 
Its thin body helps it slip in and around rocky reefs.
A large Clarion angelfish is eight inches long.
They eat sponges, sea grasses, and algae. Topic sentence:
___________________________________________________________________________
___
4. Butterflies lay their eggs on leaves.
Then, the eggs hatch into small larvae.
The larvae grow and turn into caterpillars.
The caterpillars spin a chrysalis or cocoon.
Topic sentence:
___________________________________________________________________________
___
5. The judge sat with a grim look on her face.
The room was thick with anticipation.
I wish I had that day to do over again.
I will never drink and drive again.
Topic sentence:
___________________________________________________________________________
___

4. Choose the right topic sentence for the the paragraphs below
First, cities are the best places for women to find jobs. A very high percentage of the nation’s
farmers and miners are men. Office jobs are usually in urban areas and are dominated by
women. The second reason is the high death rate for young men in cities. The Bronx, New
York, for example, has only about 47 men for every 53 women in the young-adult age group.
These two reasons help explain the difference between the number of women and men in the
cities.
1. Women are more likely than men to live in cities.
2. There at least two important reasons why women outnumber men in the cities
3. Cities are not good places for men to live.

When Ken wanted to enter a good university, he studied hard to pass the examination. The
first time he took the exam, he did not do well, and he felt very discouraged; however, he
knew he wanted to study at that university, so he studied more. The next year, he tried taking
the exam again. The second time, he did very well, and now he is studying engineering. I
believe Ken is a good role model for me, and he has taught me that never giving up is the best
way to succeed.
1. One of my closest friends, named Ken, is a person I can trust
2. My friend Ken is a very successful student.
3. I admire my friend Ken because he does not give up

5. Read the paragraph, and answer the questions:

If you dream of traveling to a country with beautiful mountains, rich culture, wonderful places
to go sightseeing and polite people, you should go visit Switzerland. If you look at the map,
the first thing you notice is that Switzerland has many mountains, including some of the
highest in Europe. Climbing or skiing down the mountains is great fun. Another thing you

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SIDI  MOHAMED  BEN  ABDALLAH  UNIVERSITY                            
FACULTY  OF  LETTERS  DHAR  EL  MEHRAZ-­‐FES                                            S1/WRITING  PARAGRAPHS  
DEPARTMENT  OF  ENGLISH                                                                                                                    Academic  year  :  2020-­‐2021                                                                    
 
will notice is that Switzerland shares its borders with five different countries: France, Italy,
Austria and Liechtenstein. In fact, there are four official languages in Switzerland: German,
French, Italian and Romansch. All these groups of people make Swiss culture very
interesting. Finally, Switzerland has many cities and interesting places to visit. Cities such as
Bern have modern buildings like the Paul Klee Zentrum, yet the traditional alpine refuges in
the mountains show that the country’s old traditions are still alive. The culture, the places and
things to see definitely make Switzerland a great place for a holiday.
What is the topic of the paragraph?
What is the main idea about the topic?
What ideas help explain the main idea?
1. Circle the topic sentence, put one line under the supporting sentences, and put two
lines under the concluding sentence

6. Put a tick next to the group of sentences that makes a good paragraph. Why are the
other groups of sentences not good paragraphs?
My best friend has many different hobbies, such as skiing, cooking, and playing, the piano,
and she is very good at all of these activities. For example, she has played the piano for ten
years and has won three piano competitions. She also likes to spend time travelling, and she
has been to many different countries in the world. She grew up speaking Spanish and English,
but now she can also speak French and Italian. I like my best friend very much.
Classes in literature are useful no matter what job you intend to have when you finish
university. Books are about life. People who study literature learn the skill of reading
carefully and understanding characters, situations, and relationships. This kind of
understanding can be useful to teachers and business people alike. Literature classes also
require a lot of writing, so they help students develop the skill of clear communication. Of
course, a professional writer needs to have this skill, but it is an equally important skill for an
engineer. Finally, reading literature helps develop an understanding of many different points
of view. Reading a novel by a Russian author, for example, will help a reader learn more
about Russian culture. For anyone whose job may bring them into contact with Russian
colleagues, this insight can help encourage better cross-cultural understanding. Studying
literature is studying life, so it is relevant to almost any job you can think of.
One good way to learn another language is to live in a country where that language is used.
When you live in another country, the language is around you all the time, so you can learn to
listen to and speak it easily.

7. Write a topic sentence for the following paragraph:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
First, I went to the wrong classroom for math. I was sitting in the class, surrounded by people
taking notes and paying attention to how to do equations, which would have been okay if I
was supposed to be in an algebra class. In reality, I was supposed to be in geometry, and when

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SIDI  MOHAMED  BEN  ABDALLAH  UNIVERSITY                            
FACULTY  OF  LETTERS  DHAR  EL  MEHRAZ-­‐FES                                            S1/WRITING  PARAGRAPHS  
DEPARTMENT  OF  ENGLISH                                                                                                                    Academic  year  :  2020-­‐2021                                                                    
 
I discovered my error, I had already missed the first twenty minutes of a one-hour class.
When I got to the correct class, all twenty-five students turned and looked at me as the teacher
said, “You’re late.” That would have been bad enough, but in my next class my history
teacher spoke so fast I could not follow most of what he said. The only thing I did hear was
that we were having a quiz tomorrow over today’s lecture. My day seemed to be going better
during botany class, that is, until we visited the lab. I had a sneezing fit because of one of the
plants in the lab and had to leave the room. When I finally finished my classes for the day, I
discovered I had locked my keys in the car and had to wait for my brother to bring another
set. My first day of school was so bad that I know the rest will have to be better.

8. Write a specific topic sentence out of these. Include and underline focusing words or
phrases.
-Sports are important
-Computers are wonderful machines.
-Many of today’s movies are bad.
-Owing a pet is a great idea.

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