PARAGRAPH WRITING

There are three main reasons why students drop out of school. To start with, poverty can usually push students to quit
school. Parents with limited resources can’t afford to buy school materials for their children. As a result, children usually
miss school to have part-time jobs in order to help their families. If it is always the case, the working school children may
find it difficult to cope with the school assignments, and are consequently forced to drop out of school. Moreover, family
dysfunction causes children to drop out of school. For instance, children whose parents are divorced are likely to have some
psychological problems and can’t focus on their studies well. Last but not least, befriending careless students can also lead
to dropping out of school. Be careful! You may start skipping classes once you have irresponsible friends at school. You may
even start smoking or taking drugs, and someday you will certainly find yourself out of school. To conclude, it’s true that
there are many causes of dropping out of school, but the aforementioned factors remain the most common ones

- Read and pick up from the text the sentences that respond to the following elements:
1. Which sentence introduce or present the main idea of the paragraph?
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2. What do we call this sentence?
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3. Identify the sentences that support the main idea of the paragraph.
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S2: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
S3: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. Name these sentences.
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5. Which sentence summarizes the main idea of the paragraph?
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6. What do we call this sentence?
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We deduce that a good paragraph should…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

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I TOPIC SENTENCES.
A/ Read the following paragraphs and choose the best topic sentence.
1. ………………………………………………………………… First of all, public transport produces less pollution than cars, so
it is better for the environment. Secondly, It is cheaper to use public transport than to buy a car and then pay for petrol,
insurance and maintenance. Public transport is also safer, as the drivers are more experienced than most motorists.
A. Public transport is the best way for people to get to work.
B. There are several good reasons for using public transport rather than cars.
C. Public transport is not as comfortable as cars.
2…………………………………………………………………………… 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.
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B/ Read the paragraphs and suggest a suitable topic sentence.
1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… First,It is the best
way to learn another language. It also offers the chance to get to know different cultures and customs. More than that, it
provides an opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and to experience another way of living.

2…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 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.
II SUPPORTING SENTENCES.

Only three ideas logically support the topic sentences. What are they?

1 Topic sentence: Drinking coffee can be bad for people.

A. Some people don’t like the taste of decaffeinated coffees.
B. Coffee in the evening can interfere with sleep at night.
C. As addictions go, coffee is less dangerous than tobacco.
D. Too much coffee can cause the hands to shake.
E. Drinking too much coffee can lead to a faster heartbeat and light-headedness.
F. Most coffees cost under five dollars a pound.
Items that logically support the point: _____ _____ _____

III CONCLUDING SENTENCES

Write a concluding sentence for each paragraph

Credit cards have a lot of advantages. First of all, credit 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 addition,
credit cards are very helpful in emergencies. Finally, you can become a better money manager as you learn to use credit
cards responsibly ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Put these sentences in the right order to write a coherent paragraph

when people smoke you can smell the cigarettes on their clothes all day. To sum up, I don’t smoke because it is
unhealthy, expensive and unattractive. Furthermore, smoking is expensive. There are many reasons why I don’t smoke.
Lastly , Cigarettes smell bad. A pack of cigarettes costs more than 20dhs if I bought one pack of cigarettes every day. I would
spend over 7000dhs each year. To start with, smoking is unhealthy.it can cause lung cancer, and it can lead to death.

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Complete the following paragraph:

There are at least three reasons why more and more young people don’t read books anymore. Initially, ………………
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