Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Additional UNIT 2
Additional UNIT 2
Lesson focuses:
Definition of the topic sentence
Positions of the topic sentence in a paragraph
Parts of the topic sentence
Features of an effective topic sentence
Activity 1: Choose the best topic sentence for each of the following short
paragraphs. Circle the letter in front of the sentence you chose.
(1 )
Many buses need repair work. City officials say there is not enough money to fix
them. They will borrow money from the state.
(2)
(3)
a. Shopping is difficult.
It will be more difficult for you if you wait until just before Christmas. Many stores
run out of the more popular items, so it will be harder for you to find what you want. The
stores are also more crowded and the lines are much longer.
(4)
a. Skiing is expensive.
Many people enjoy it even though it is expensive and dangerous. A lot of people
spend every winter weekend skiing, and many families go on winter ski vacations.
Neither the high cost of equipment nor the severe cold keeps skiers away from the slopes.
(5)
First of all, you must consider the quality of the university’s academic program. The
university’s size and location should also be given careful thought. Finally, you must
always be sure to consider the tuition before you decide which university to attend.
Activity 2: Find the topic sentence in each of the following paragraphs and state its
position.
My Uncle
Patricio is an elderly man now, with white hair sticking up all over his head.
Beneath his messy hair, he has a wrinkled brown face and powerful dark eyes that show
many emotions. Patricio is tall and skinny. He wears baggy pants and a plaid shirt. He
has a tattoo of a heart on his arm. The heart has the word Rosa written across it in red and
black letters, but he has never told me who she is. Actually, my uncle has a rather
interesting appearance that can easily catch the other attention at the first sight.
An embarrassing incident
One day, an American friend invited me to her birthday party. I was very excited,
but at the same time very nervous. I wanted her family to like me, and I wanted to use my
best manners. Slowly, I walked up to the house and rang the bell. My friend ran out with
a big smile, telling me she was happy that I came. Then she let me in and introduced me
to her parents. They smiled and said hello. Later she said,” Come here! I want you to
meet my grandfather.” I followed her into the living room where her grandfather was
sitting. She introduced us, and he reached out his hand. He was going to shake hands, but
I thought he was expecting me to kiss his hand, so I did. He pulled his hand away and
looked at me in a strange way as if he did not like what I had done. Everyone else in the
room looked at me, and my friend started laughing. I was very confused. I sat down and
tried to figure out what had happened. Just then, a little boy ran to my friend’s
grandfather and jumped into his lap. The little boy started to hug and kiss the grandfather.
When I saw this, I got up and took the little boy by hand and said, ”No.” I guess I said it
pretty loudly because the room became very silent and all eyes were on me.
Hurricanes
Hurricanes, which are also called cyclones, exert tremendous power. These violent
storms are often a hundred miles in diameter, and their winds can reach velocities
(speeds) of seventy-five miles per hour or more. Furthermore, the strong winds and heavy
rain fall that accompany them can completely destroy a small town in a couple of hours.
The energy that is released by a hurricane in one day exceeds the total energy consumed
by humankind throughout the world in one year.
Synonyms
Synonyms, words that have the same basic meaning, do not always have the same
emotional meaning. For example, the words stingy and frugal both mean” careful with
money.” However, to call a person stingy is an insult, while the word frugal has a much
more positive connotation. Similarly, a person wants to be slender but not skinny, and
aggressive but not pushy. Therefore, you should be careful in choosing words because
many so-called synonyms are not really synonyms at all.
Activity 3: Identify the topic and controlling idea in the sentences below.
2.1.4. Tips for writing effective topic sentences([4], p.40 &[5], pp.14-16)
Should and shouldn’t:
- Choose a manageable topic- neither too general nor too specific
- Do not include unrelated ideas
- Avoid announcing the topic
- Make sure the statement is a complete thought
Activity 4: In the following pairs, circle the number of the best topic sentence. Then
explain your choice to a partner. Use one or more of these reasons:
It is too broad. Nó quá rng.
It is too narrow. Nó quá hp.
There is no main idea or opinion. Không có ý tng hoc quan im chính.
There is more than one main idea. Có nhiu hn mt ý tng chính
1.
a. Many people in England and the United States have cats.
b. Cats are good company for their owners.
2.
a. Studying English at secondary school helps you get a better job.
b. We study English at secondary school.
3.
a. My grandfather has helped me in many ways.
b. My grandfather is 86 years old.
4.
a. The food and people in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea are very interesting and
different and so are the buildings.
b. Traditional Japanese food is different from Korean food.
5.
a. I really like sports.
b. Rugby has taught me many things about life.
6.
a. There are many environmental problems around the world.
b. It is important to save the rainforests in South America.
Activity 5: Write the topic sentence for each of the following paragraphs
1.…………………………………………………………………………………………
It is always sunny and warm. The beaches are gorgeous with soft, white sand and
beautiful, and blue water. There are many fine restaurants in the Miami area, and most of
the big hotels offer terrific entertainment nightly. Traveling in Miami is great
2……………………………………………………………………………………………
He has collected stamps and coins ever since he was a child. He is very proud of his
valuable collections. He also enjoys painting and drawing. Recently he has become
interested in gardening. Out of all his hobbies, Paul’s favorite one is reading. He tries to
read at least one book very week.
3……………………………………………………………………………………………
First of all, the plumbing does work properly and the landlord refused to fix it. I also have
noisy neighbors who keep me up every night. Furthermore, there are so many bugs in my
apartment that I could start an insect collection.
4……………………………………………………………………………………………
First of all, the work is very interesting. I learn new things every day, and I get to travel a
lot. Secondly, my boss is very nice. He is always willing to help me when I have a
problem. I have also made many new friends at my job. And last but not least, the salary
is fantastic.
5……………………………………………………………………………………………
My plane was six hours late. The hotel was horrible. On the third day my wallet was
stolen, so I lost all my credit cards. It rained every day I was gone except for one day, and
on that day I got terrible sunburn.
My trip was terrible
1. What does the topic sentence function in the paragraph?
2. How many parts does the topic sentence have? Name them.
3. How are the parts of the topic sentence different from each other?
Exercise 2: The following topic sentences are not effective. State the reasons for their
ineffectiveness.
1. The way our society treats elderly people is unbelievable.
2. The first car that I owned was a Ford.
3. Computers have changed our society.
4. People who eat a lot of red meat are almost three times more likely to get colon
cancer than people who eat mostly fish and chicken.
5. Action must be taken against drugs.
6. My last car was dependable, but many American cars are poorly made.
7. The subject of this essay is daily prayer in our public schools.
8. Soap operas show many stereotyped characters although they also portray real
problems in American life.
9. I am going to write on my ideas concerning “F” grade.
10. The strangest teacher I ever had taught me a lesson I will never forget.
Exercise 5: For each of the following topics, write a topic sentence with the
controlling idea.
1. Pets
2. A first date
3. A teacher
4. A favorite food/ fruit/ or drink
5. A favorite entertainment
Example: Pets are good companions for older people
1) ………………………………………………………………………………………
2) ………………………………………………………………………………………
3) ………………………………………………………………………………………
4) ………………………………………………………………………………………
5) ………………………………………………………………………………………
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