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Teks Inggris 5

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15 views3 pages

Teks Inggris 5

Uploaded by

crypstock01
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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UNIT 7

PARAGRAPH WRITING:
THE TOPIC SENTENCE AND PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT

Objectives :
By the end of the unit, you are expected to be able to:
1. write a topic sentence
2. develop a topic sentence into a paragraph,
3. write a paragraph based on a certain type of text organization.

A. The Topic Sentence


When you write a paragraph, first of all you have to have a topic. Then ask yourself what you want
to write about the topic. This becomes the controlling idea of your topic sentence. The function of
the controlling idea is to control your writing, so that you will stick to the points. A topic sentence
consists of two main parts: the topic (T) and the controlling idea (CI).

Examples of a topic sentence:


1. Living in a new place requires you to adapt to new things.
T CI
2. Living in a new place is not easy.
T CI
3. The circulatory system consists of three main parts.
T CI
4. Discovery and invention are sometimes confusing.
T CI
5. There are several reasons why I want to study at IPB University.
CI T

The topic sentence can be a statement of intent (I) and opinion (O) or both. This can be seen from
its controlling ideas. Topic sentences number 1, 2 and 4 are statements of opinion. When the topic
sentence is a statement of opinion, you have to describe it in a subjective way. Some people might
agree or disagree with your opinion. Topic sentences number 3 and 5 are statements of intent. The
description is presented in an objective way. Thus, a statement of opinion is described subjectively,
while a statement of intent is described objectively. The followings are examples of statements of
opinion and intent.

1. Learning English is good for several reasons.


T CI (O) CI (I)

2. There are many ways of making your business successful.


CI (I) T CI (O)

3. A lot of people from different countries come to Indonesia because this country is beautiful.
CI (I) T CI (O )
Exercise 1
Find the topic and its controlling ideas in each topic sentence below.

1. The deforestation of the Amazon Basin leads to the creation of short-term and long-term
problems.
2. There are two kinds of interpreters: simultaneous and consecutive.
3. Developed in 1939, DDT was the most powerful pesticide the world had ever known.
4. Situational shyness is a momentary feeling of awkwardness that you might get on a blind date,
or when asked to perform in public.
5. Jean Henry Dunant’s ideas were considered controversial.
6. Chronic shyness carries a range of negative effects.
7. Silent Spring, one of the landmark books of the 20th century, still speaks to us today, many years
after its publication.
8. A traditional role of French schools is to prepare children of immigrants to become French
citizens.
9. There are several reasons why cities have grown so large.
10. The human heart is divided into four chambers, each of which serves its own function in the
cycle of pumping blood.

Exercise 2
Choose the best topic sentence for each paragraph below.
A. Molt of the flight feathers is the most highly organized part of the process.
B. But far from being random, molt is controlled by strong evolutionary forces that have
established an optimal time and duration.
C. Two distinct processes are involved in molting.
D. There are some reasons why songbirds molt in the late summer.

1. Molting is one of the most involved processes of a bird’s annual life cycle. All adult birds molt
their feathers at least once a year. __________________. The first step is when the old, worn
feather is dropped, or shed. The second is when a new feather grows in its place. When each
feather has been shed and replaced, then the molt can be said to be complete. This, however, is
an abstraction that often does not happen; incomplete, overlapping, and arrested molts are
quite common.

2. Molt requires that a bird finds and processes enough protein to rebuild approximately one-
third of its body weight. It is not surprising that a bird in heavy molt often seems listless and
unwell. ______________________. Generally, molt occurs at the time of least stress on the bird.
Many songbirds, for instance, molt in late summer, when the hard work of breeding is done
but the weather is still warm and food is still plentiful. This is why the woods in late summer
often seem so quiet, when compared with the exuberant choruses of spring.

3. ____________________________. Some species, for example, begin by dropping the outermost


primary feathers on each side (to retain balance in the air) and wait until the replacement
feathers are about one-third grown before shedding the next outermost, and so on. Others
always start with the innermost primary feathers and work outward. Yet, other species begin
in the middle and work outward on both weeks while the replacement feathers grow.
Exercise 3
Write a topic sentence for each topic below.

1. Living in Jakarta
2. My home town
3. IPB University
4. Studying in a university
5. How to conduct a Zoom meeting

B. Paragraph Development

You can develop your topic sentence into a paragraph by asking questions about the controlling
ideas. If your topic sentence says: ‘Living in a new place is not easy.’, you have to ask yourself
‘Why?’ The answer to the question will help you develop the topic sentence. If your topic sentence
says: ‘There are several reasons why I want to study at IPB University.’, you have to ask how many
reasons and then what they are. Again, your answers will help you develop the topic sentence into
a paragraph.

Example:
The topic sentence: ‘Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.’
Paragraph development:

Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a very
shiny beauty that is resistant to corrosion. For example, the Macedonian coin remains having the
same color today as the day it was made twenty-three centuries ago. Another important
characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. The most recent use of gold is in
astronauts’ suits. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.

Exercise 4
Choose one of the topic sentences you have made in exercise 3 and develop it into a good paragraph.

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