WRITING WORKSHOP # 2

David Santiago Abril Bernal

Watch the Class Preparation Session Videos (Topic sentence) - (Effect Essay) and answer the following questions.
Complete ALL the points before class.

Activity 1: Answer the following question?

What is a topic sentence?

 A topic sentence explains the main idea of a paragraph.

 Is usually in the beginning of the paragraph
 Helps you understand the whole paragraph

Activity 2: Complete the statements with the words in the box.

Whole - main - group - beginning

 A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea.

 The topic sentence explains the main idea of the paragraph.
 Usually the topic sentence is in the beginning of a paragraph.
 A topic sentence helps you understand the whole paragraph.

*TIP: A closing sentence (body paragraphs 1 and 2) is similar to a topic sentence; use some synonyms and write it a bit different.

Activity 3: Below, you will find a full version of an essay. In class, you will also write your final version: a refined version, based on the
comments and symbols done by your teacher. Pay close attention to the structure of the essay and the language it is used.

 Identify the 3 elements of each paragraph in the following essay sample. Use colors.
EFFECTS OF OFFSHORING
Have you ever thought on what you would do if the company you have worked for during years asked you to Hook
move abroad? Offshoring consists in relocating factories from costly developed countries to cheap developing Background
economies. It is a trend which started around the early 1970s with General Electric and other companies, and Thesis
it has become a common practice that businesses are adopting these days. Nowadays, offshoring results in
economy efficiency, on the one hand, but also in environmental degradation, on the other hand.

Firstly, there is an increase in economy efficiency as a result of the implementation offshoring by companies.
Since the 70s, big enterprises have made adjustments to their headquarters locations, and this fact has
allowed them to increase their production capacity more than twice, on average. For example, General Topic sentence effect
Electronics (GI) decided to focus on India, and in 2010 it invested around 130 million dollars in creating a
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Suporting idea
developing center. Since then, the company has had a lot of profits and has increased its productivity
Closing sentence
considerably (Smith, 2017). In sum, offshoring improves enterprises’ numbers worldwide.

However, substantial damage to the environment is also a consequence of offshoring. Companies have
realized that it has been cheaper to make products abroad because manufacturers in those countries often cut
Topic sentence effect
costs by simply dumping their toxic chemicals. As a result, rivers such as the Buriganga in Bangladesh have
2
been victims of unregulated textile industries that work for H&M and other fast-fashion companies. The
Suporting idea
damage is irreparable. In brief, river pollution is a terrible effect of the relocation of some companies.
Closing sentence

Overall, the relocation of businesses results in economic benefits but also in environmental pollution. If these

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 organizations do not take strict control measures, the future generations will probably be condemned to water
shortages, illnesses and lack of biodiversity. Restatement of thesis
Concluding sentence

Activity 4: Identify the components of the Thesis Statement in the previous introduction paragraph:
Topic: effects of offshoring
Focus: economy and environment
Effect 1: increase in economy efficiency
Effect 2: substantial damage to the environment

Activity 5: Make a list of the connectors that are used in the previous essay (there are 8):
 Firstly, Since Since then However In brief Overall as a result of In sum

Activity 7 – Study the transition words and phrases in order to apply some to your paragraphs, in class.

To indicate more information: To indicate an example: To summarize:

* Besides, Furthermore, In addition, Indeed, In
fact, Moreover
* Second...Third..., etc.
Furthermore, entrepreneurs have created 10%
of the jobs in various countries.
*For example, For instance, In particular,
Particularly, Specifically, To demonstrate, To
illustrate.
Particularly, the amazon rainforest has lost
around 15% of its area, only in Brazil.
*Briefly, In brief, Overall, Summing up, To
put it briefly, To sum up, To summarize.
In brief, globalization has generated a big
demand of situated learning approaches.

To indicate a result or an effect: To conclude:

*Accordingly, Consequently, Hence, So, *Given these facts, All in all, On the whole, In
Therefore, Thus. conclusion, To conclude.
Consequently, the growth rate of music On the whole, the two main causes of
studios has decreased dramatically. unemployment are...

When you finish, copy, and paste this workshop on your Portfolio.