A Paragraph Format

MODEL

Marciela Perez
English 001
April 2, 2020

Introducing Myself
Hello! I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is Marciela Perez. I am a
student from the country of El Salvador. I was born in a little town near San Salvador, the
capital of our country. I graduated from high school there. I came to the United States two
years ago with my mother and two sisters. We went to New York, where my Uncle Eduardo
lives. We lived with him and family in their house in Brooklyn for six months. He helped my
sisters and me get jobs. I work in a sweater company. The factory is near the City College,
where all of us take classes to learn English. Now we have our own apartment. My sisters and
I work during the day and go to school at night. I want to quit my job in the factory and go to
school fulltime. I hope to go to college and become a nurse-practitioner. I speak Spanish
fluently. I don’t think I have any other special talents. My hobby is making jewellery. I like to
go to movies. That’s all.
 CAPITALIZATION RULES
These are the most important rules for capitalization in English. Capitalize the following.
Rule Example
1. The first word in a sentence My best friend is my dog.
2. The pronoun I He and I never argue.
3. Abbreviations and acronyms formed USA UN IBM AIDS VW CBS
from the first letters of words.
4. All proper nouns. Proper nouns include:
a. Names of deities God Allah Shiva
b. Names of people and their titles Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
President George Washington
BUT NOT a title without a name my math professor, the former prime minister
c. Name of specific groups of people Asian Japanese Muslim Caucasian.
(nationalities, races, and ethnic Indian Hispanic
groups), languages and religions.
d. Names of specific places on a map New York City Indian Ocean
North Pole Main Street
e. Names of specific geographic areas The Middle East Eastern Europe
f. Names of days, months, and special Monday January Ramadan
days Independence Day

g. Names of specific structures such as Golden Gate Bridge Aswan High Dam
buildings, bridges, dams, monuments The White House Taj Mahal
h. Names of specific organizations State Department Bank of Canada
(government agencies, businesses, Harvard University New York Yankees
schools, clubs, teams) French Students Club Red Cross
i. Names of school subjects with course Chemistry 101 English 118
numbers
j. First, last, and all-important words in War and Peace The Three Little Pigs
the titles of books, magazines, Toronto Star. Paris Match
newspapers, plays, films, stories, Jingle Bells
songs, paintings, statues, television Indiana Jones and The
programs Temple of Doom
BRAINSTORMING/LISTING
TOPIC:SUPERSTITIONS
my sister is very superstitious
Breaking a mirror.
Look for four-leaf clover
Superstitions in different countries
Sit in the front seat for exams
Origin of superstitions
Friday the 13th
Always wear pearl necklace for tests
Don’t stay on the 13th floor in a hotel
Wear lucky t-shirts for games
Wedding superstitions
Eat scrambled eggs for breakfast on day of a game
Don’t walk under ladders
Animal superstitions
Wear green when I fly
Use luck shoelaces in tennis shoes
Never start a trip on Friday
Switch watch to right wrist for tests
After making the list and reading it over, you delete the items on the list which are not related
to your focus because these broad items can be used to write another paragraph on
superstitions.
TOPIC:SUPERSTITIONS
my sister is very superstitious
Breaking a mirror.
Look for four-leaf clover
Superstitions in different countries
Sit in the front seat for exams
Origin of superstitions
Friday the 13th
Always wear pearl necklace for tests
Don’t stay on the 13th floor in a hotel
Wear lucky t-shirts for games
Wedding superstitions
Eat scrambled eggs for breakfast on day of a game
Don’t walk under ladders
Animal superstitions
Wear green when I fly
Use lucky shoelaces in tennis shoes
Never start a trip on Friday
Switch watch to right wrist for tests
Then you organize your ideas into three categories of your personal superstitions: tests, travel,
and sports
TESTS
 Always wear pearl necklace for tests
 Sit in the front seat for exams
 Switch watch to right wrist for tests
TRAVEL
 Don’t stay on the 13th floor in a hotel
 Never start a trip on Friday
 Wear green when I fly
SPORTS
 Wear lucky t-shirts for games
 Use lucky shoelaces in tennis shoes
 Eat scrambled eggs for breakfast on day of a game

TOPIC SENTENCES
A.Look at the following topic sentences.
Nuclear power is our greatest hope for solving the energy crisis.
1. What is the topic of this state? ______________________
2. What is the focus? _____________________
Nuclear power is a huge threat to life on the planet.
 1. What is the topic of this sentence? ___________________
2. What is the focus? ____________________
A. Read the topic sentences below. Underline the topic and draw a circle around the
focus.
1. Mahatma Gandhi was an influential leader.
2. E-mail is a great way to stay in touch with your family and friends.
3. The clothes we wear often reflect a lot about our personality.
4. The Japanese subway system is very efficient.
5. Television commercials are very often insulting to women.
6. My older brother is perfectionist.
7. The laws on child abuse should be strictly enforced.
8. Being a twin has both advantages and disadvantages.
9. The new shopping mall has brought many economic benefits to our community.
10. Golf is a difficult sport to master.
A. Read the sentences below. Write OK by the sentences that are effective topic
sentence. Write S by those that are too specific topic sentence. Write G by those
that are too general topic sentence.
1.____ My round-trip plane ticket to Ankara, turkey, cost more than $1000.
2. ____ Many people have hobbies.
3. ____ American music reflects the native music of its immigrant groups.
4. ____Music is important to society.
5. ____ Genetically altered food is unacceptable for several reasons.
6. ____ Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook.
7. ____ Vacations are expensive.
8. ____ Learning to read and write in Chinese is difficult for students from other countries.
9. ____Talking on cell phones in public places is rude.
10. ____ The Chinese language has more than 50.000 characters.
11. ____ Zebras have stripes.
12. ____ Cutting your children’s hair is easy and can save you a lot of time.
13. ____ Learning to write in a foreign language can be frustrating.
14. ____ There are many programs on television.
15. ____ My new car is a Toyota Prius.
B. Recognizing topic sentences. Read the sentences in each group and decide which sentence
is the best topic sentence. Write Best TS on the line next to it. They may also be too
specific or too general or they may be incomplete. Write too general, too specific, or
incomplete on the lines next to them.
Group 1
__________ a. A lunar eclipse is an omen of coming disaster.
__________ b. Superstitions have been around forever.
__________ c. People hold many superstitious beliefs about the moon.
__________ d.Is made of green cheese.
Group 2
__________ a. The history of astronomy is interesting.
__________ b. Ice people age recorded the appearance of new moons by making
scratches in animal bones.
__________ c. For example, Stonehenge in Britain, built 3500 years ago to track the
movement of the sun.
__________ d. Ancient people observed and recorded lunar and solar events in different
ways.
Group 3
__________ a. Hybrid automobiles more economical to operate than gasoline-powered
cars.
__________ b. The new hybrid automobiles are very popular.
__________ c. Hybrid cars have good fuel economy because a computer under the hood
decides to run the electric motor, the small gasoline, or the two together.
__________ d. The new hybrid automobiles are popular because of their fuel economy.

Writing Topic Sentences

2. _________________________________________________________________________.
The most important factor is a student's past experience of study. If a student has already
developed good study habits, study at university should not be difficult. Good study habits
need to be complemented by interest and motivation, factors which are important when
competition gets tough. We should however not underestimate the distracting effects of
financial and personal difficulties. All students have to grapple with these at some stage of
their university life. Beyond the personal factors it has to be said that there is also a certain
element of luck involved in success: this includes finding excellent teachers and the subject
matter that inspires one to give one's best.
3._________________________________________________________________________.
Most often, people keep pets for companionship. In fact, many people consider their pet to be
part of the family. They may also serve as emotional outlets for the elderly or the childless. In
addition to their value as loving companions, pets serve practical purposes, such as protecting
homes, destroying insects, and even providing transportation . Recently, the benefit of using
pets in therapy has been demonstrated. Finally, some people keep pets for their beauty, or in
the case of birds, for their songs.
4._________________________________________________________________________.
For instance, climate affects the kinds of clothes we wear and even the colours we choose to
wear. Since climate affects the kinds of crops we can grow, it influences our eating habits.
Architecture is also affected by climate. Engineers and architects must think about climate
when they make decisions about the construction, materials, and design of buildings. Even
our choices in transportation are determined by the climate in which we live. Climate plays a
big part in economic development, too. A climate that is too hot, too cold, or too dry makes
farming, industry, and transportation difficult and slow down economic development.

5. _______________________________________________________________.
Symptoms may last for one day or several days and vary greatly in severity. One factor is the
number of time zones you crossed. Your jet lag will probably be worse if you crossed several
time zones. Another factor is whether you flew east to west or west to east. It is easier to
adjust after an east-to-west flight. Personality factors also affect how easily you adapt to the
new time. For example, “night” people adapt more easily than” morning people”. Extroverts
adjust more easily than introverts. Flexible people who don’t mind changes have fewer
problems than inflexible people who are rigid and don’t like change. Younger people suffer
less than older people. Finally, healthier people usually get over jet lag more easily than
people who are sick.