• ELEM ENTS OF PARA GRAP H

uNI T 3 ·
TOPIC SENTENCE·
., .,
., ,---- ------- -
introdJces yelli
paragraph, rdated Of
connecte d to e,ıay
detail

SUPPORTING SENTENCE
,,,,,,
,,,,,--- ------ -
oneoıt.Yogood
sentences that
Sl.ppoıtyellltopic
senterıce

SUPPORTING SENTENCE
one or two good sentences that
Sl.ppoıt yelli topic senterıce

' , ... SUPPORTING SENTENCE

one or two good
sentences that
Sl.ppoıt yelli topic
senterıce

CONalJDING SENTENCE
restates the topic el yelli
~ looks / souıds sl@1tly
cfflerent ttıan the topic sentence

TOPIC SENTENCE
readers what to
The first sentence is called a 'topic sentence'. it orients the reader. it tells
ex~ in the remaining part of the paragraph. fhe a"tomic idea confaıned
in the topic sentence
is to be mentioned
includes the main idea. Topic sentence is like an umbrella: everything that
anô ~ as to -
should fall under the id~1°contained in the topic sentence. İt alsô offers hints
what to come. Naturally, the topic sentence should ınvotve some interes
ting facts and projections.
to read on!
The reader should be captivated in such a way that s/he should feel urged
form ~ : = ~ e ,
Sen~~nces that come after the topic sentence offer more information in the
d ---~
proposı~o~, examples, classification and so on. Topic sentence contains ~ n
~ıs ıs done in an orderly fashion. Let us examine one suggestion step by step:

Topic: Hiking

Toplc Senten ce: Hiking is an activity.

A Good Topic Senten ce: Hiking is a djfflcult activity.

s meticulous
A ~ery Good Toplc Senten ce: Hiking is a djfflcult a c t i v i ~ t require
1
P annıng, physical streng th and endurance.
but we think it
. As student writers, we decide to write on a sports activity, which is less known
1
ısctint~resting: Hiklng. To answer the question in our minds, we ask 'What Is hiking?' We\\, it is an
:eti v,:= This Is the second step. As tor the thlrd step, we ask 'What klnd of activity?' lt
is a difficu\t
supp\y unkno wn or ıess
kno: • Thls Is a Qood startıng point: we not only lntroduce hlklng but also
n aspects of hlklng. As we write on and on, we expect to draw the attenti
on of the reader.

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 Hildng ıs cı dJfflc;ult actlvlty t,ecause it requires physlcal strength,
in the example a ~ plannlng and it ıs a very good toplc sentence, as the controlling idea ıs
endurance and metıcu I terestlng.
Thls sentence has now determlned what to write about
aıso present a sou ~very :graph will open up meticulous planning, physical strength and
nd nd
and what not to. Each WY pa roc"e't!Yel~ because we need to follow the order in whlch we
enc:turance, respectıvely. e say Uiİl,lıılıliıill~ıOıılııl----..
ıısted the difficulty features.
ic sentences: topic + controlling idea.
Here are some examp1es Of top
· When you can't play outside it's a great idea to read a book.
• Toplc Sentence:
• llıe topic ıs "When you can't play outslde" and the controlllng idea is "it is a great ld~a to
read a book".
• Toplc Sentence: Dogs make wonderful pets because they help you to live longer. ~

• nıe toplc ıs "'dogs make wonderful pets" and the controlling idea is "because they help
you to live longer".
• Toplc Sentence: When the first day of school gets doser, it is okay to be a little bit nervous'~

• nıe toplc is "the first: day of school gets doser" and the controlling idea is "it.is okay to be
a rıttıe bit nervous~
Exerdse A: Choose the best topic sentence for each group of supporting sentences.
Wrlte it on the llne provided.

1) ................................................... 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 ofa mountain and along the trails. Even the danger of falling and getting hurt cannot keep
me away from the slopes on a winter day.

a} Skfıng is expensive.

b} Skiing is my favourite sport.

c} Skiing is dangerous.

2) .................................................... 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 tuming on the computer and sending cards over the Intemet
ls~ lso popular.

'
a-) Sending cards is very popular in North America

b) Birthday cards are the most: popular klnd of card.

.
c} it is important to send thank-you cards.
3) ................................................... I enjoy summer sports ilke water sklin d b b ıı
The weather Is usually sun nd hot, 9 an ase a •
h bby and I spend , ny a so I can go to the beach almost every day. Gardenlng Is my
0
_ . many summer days working in my garden. Unfortunately, the days pass too
quiddy ın summet \

16 / JUST WRJTE
 a) 1 ilke to garden in summer.
b) summer ıs my favourite season.

c) summer ıs too short.

...... ....... ....•. .... .... .. ..••. .• ... .•.. Flrst of all, we need money to repair old roads and build
4) ··d~"we also need more to pay teachers' salaries and to pay for services such as trash
new;an. ·Finally, more tax money is needed to give financial help to the poor cltizens of the city. it
0
coll that the clty will have serious problems if taxes are not raised soon.
ıs dear

a) we should raise city taxes.

b) City taxes are too high.

c) City taxes pay for new roads.

S) .......................... ......................... For example, a person can have breakfast in New York,
ooard an airplane, and have dinner in Paris. A businessperson in london can instantly place an
der with a tactory in Hong Kong by sending a fax. Furthermore, a schoolboy in Tokyo can tum on
~rTV 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.

6) ................................................... One thing you must consider İS 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 tultion to make sure you can afford to go to
school there.

a) it is expensive to attend a university in the United States.

b) There are several factors to consider when you choose a university to attend.

c) You should consider getting a good education.

Exercise B: Write a topic sentence for each paragraph. Make sure your topic
sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph.

. l) .......................... ......................... it is always sunny and warm. The beaches are perfect,
wıttı 50ft White sand and beautiful water. There are many fine restaurants in the Miami area, and
: ~ of the hotels offer wonderful entertainment nightly. it İS no wonder that Miami is my first
oıce fora vacation destination.
2 . sı·nce he w as a ch"ld
He i ) ..........·......·...... ·· •••.. •.............. ... .. He has collected stamps and coıns ı •

~;e~ Proud of his valuable collections. Paul also enjoys painting and drawing. Recently he has
reads ; •tterested in gardenlng. Out of all his hobbies, Paul's favourite one is reading. He usually
east one book every week. Paul keeps busy with all of his hobbles.
· 3 ) ........ fro sch
delicious m ..................•........................ I cannot wait to come ho_me m ool and eat the
soume Sh eaıs she has pt"epared. She is famous for her desserts like peach pie and chocolate
the wo~d e Is always expertmentıng wlth new recipes and tıylng dllferent lngredlents. No one in
can COok the way my moltıer does.
jUST WIUTE 1 17
 never starts in cold weacner. ı ı '"- , ,..,, , • -· ·- _ . _ .

pe•··:;:;·;;;·;,; an, ttıe radlo only gets one statfon and the CD pl;;r ıs
ıt

) ......,.d.......ot ........p..ro
....work ...
4
bJm sıgna on .. ,.
completely broken, ı wish I could get a new car. 1
and ,nost Aıst ımportantfY,
the work Is very lnteresting.
ıs
ıeam tlılngs ı
5) ...................................................
new fNl!rY dav and gel to travel a lot in addltion, ll1Y boSS Is very nice. She always
wıuıng ıo wtıen ı
help me have a problem. ı ııave aıso ınade
manv new frlends at my Job. Last, but

not ıeast, the salary ıs tantastlc.

6) ................................................... To start thinQS off, ll1Y plane was six hours late. When ı
finally got to mv holel, ı was verv dısappointed. it was small and dirty. On the thlrd day, my wallet

wasstolen.
Exerdse c: Wrlte twD posslble tı,plc sentenı::es tor eadı of llıe followlng toplcs. y
0

slıould wri1e twD differellt -trıılllng ıcıeas tııe

tor same toplc. u

Example:
Toplc Television's effectS on children
~ o n is lıannful to ctılldren beeause it ıeactıes ıtıem violence as a way of solving

2. Television can improve a child's general knowledge.

Toplcs

1. Smoking dgarettes

Topic Sentence 1:
Topic Sentence 2: ·

2. Foreign travel

Topic Sentence l:

Topic Sentence 2:

3• Space exploration

Topic Sentence 1:

Topic Sentence 2:
. or rock musldans
4. Rockmusıc

Topic Sentence 1: • ,., ..

- .
Topic Sentence 2.• ı1 • <._

5. studying I foreign language

(
Topic5entence 1. ,. .. J , /

_ To~~~ .., ,

18 f JUSTWRITE
 RTING SENTENCES (DETAILS)
suPP O
rting sentence provldes detaıls and examples for the prevlous sentence, toplc sentence.
, A suppoıude more specific lnformatlon, whlch determines the directlon of the essay.
These ınc
below, Bold sentences are supportiog sentences, Please pay attentlon to how
.ı.ook dnwn
~ ttıeY relate to the topic sentence,
Although swimming isn't a team sport, it can stili be a great social sport! Swimmers usually
com te against each other, but they ali are really on one team! They form a community that ıs
peı·ke a tamilv,. They cheer each other on and encourage others to be the best. they can be.
a lot ı
So tımes the single-person sport can become a team sport when multiple swımmers from the
meteam'swim ona relay team. it doesn't matter lf swimmers aren't playing the game together,
same . 1

they remain a team.

CONCLUDING SENTENCE
Some paragraphs end with a concluding sentence. This sentence states the main idea of ttıe.
paragraph_9gain using different words. it summarizes the main points of the paragraph, or makes
annal drmmen! on thetopic. Concluding sentences are not always necessary. in fact, short
paragifpns that are part of longer pieces of writing often do not have conduding sentences.

Exercise A:Write a concluding sentence for each paragraph.

1) There are many reasons why I like wearing a uniform to school. First of ali, it saves time.
ı do not have to spend time picking out my clothes every moming. Wearing a uniform also saves
money. it is cheaper to purchase a new uniform than to go out and buy lots of school clothes. in
addition, 1 do not have the pressure of keeping up with the latest styles. Mest importantly, wearing
a school urıiform gives me a sense that I belong. 1 really think that it adds to the feeling of school
spirit and community. ...........•.......•...............................

2) There are many reasons why I am against wearing a school uniform. For one thing, 1 do not
ilke the style of the uniform. The navy blazer and plaid skirt are too conservative for me. Secondly,
the uniform is not comfortable. ı prefer to wear baggy pants and a sweater instead of a skirt and a
jacket. Finally, 1 want the freedom to express my individuality through my style of dressing...........
.........................................
3) Credit cards have many advantages. First of all, aedit cards are convenient because you
don't have to carry a lot of cash around. You can buy the products and services you need even
if you do not have cash in your pocket. in additlon, aedit cards are very helpful in emergendes.
Finally, you can become a better money manager as you leam to use aedit cards responsibly. .......
...........................................

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