3 Topic Sentences

Young boys play basketball after school

in Havana, Cuba.

OBJECTIVES • Analyze a paragraph FREEWRITE Look at the photo and write a story about one or all of the boys. Use your
• Study and write effective topic sentences imagination. Begin Every day after school,... Write five to ten sentences.
• Use commas correctly in sentences
• Identify and write complex sentences
• Write a paragraph

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 ELEMENTS OF GREAT WRITING 1. What is the topic sentence? Write it here.

What Is a Topic Sentence?

A topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph. It is usually found at the beginning of a 2. What do you expect to read about based on the topic sentence?
paragraph. A topic sentence has several important jobs. It:

• introduces the main idea

• limits or focuses the topic
• often tells the reader how the information will be organized in the paragraph
3. These words or expressions are very important to the organization of the paragraph.
Number them in the same order that they are in the paragraph.
ACTIVITY 1 | Analyzing a paragraph
finally first in addition for these reasons
Discuss the questions. Then read the paragraph and answer the questions that follow.

1. Can you name three benefits of exercising regularly?

4. Read the last sentence carefully. What do you think the purpose of this sentence is? Begin
2. What are three reasons that people do not exercise regularly? your answer with The purpose of this sentence is to . . .
WORDS TO KNOW Paragraph 3.1
climb: (v) to go up in good shape: (idiom) having good physical condition
improve: (v) to make better reduce: (v) to make less

ACTIVITY 2 | Recognizing good topic sentences

Read each set of sentences. Write the general topic that the sentences share. Then check (✓) the
PARAGRAPH 3.1
sentence you think is the best topic sentence. Discuss your reasons with the class.

Reasons for Exercise Winter is a good season.

There are many excellent reasons for exercising several times each week. First,
1. General topic: Winter weather is cold, and it snows.
people who exercise look better. Exercise is important to keep our bodies in good
shape. In addition, people who exercise have more energy. For example, a person who winter ✓
The best season for children is winter.
exercises can walk up stairs or climb hills more easily. People who exercise have a
healthier heart, too. Finally, exercise reduces stress and helps you have a clear mind. Too Soccer is popular for many reasons.
much stress can cause you to worry a lot, and that is not good for your health. For these 2. General topic: For a soccer game, players need a special leather ball.
reasons, if you want to improve your health, you should exercise regularly.
Soccer is a nice game.
There are many people in Los Angeles.

3. General topic: People from many different cultures live in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is a big city in California.

 onolingual dictionaries have only one language, but
M
bilingual dictionaries have two languages.


Many language students prefer bilingual dictionaries to
4. General topic:
monolingual dictionaries.

 ictionaries that have two languages, such as French and

D
An “anti-gravity” yoga class, where English, are called bilingual dictionaries.
students use silk hammocks to lift
46 UNIT 3 • Topic Sentences themselves off the floor 2
Features of a Topic Sentence 3. Crossword puzzles are not only educational and fun, but also addictive.

A topic sentence has these important features. Expectation:

1. It has a controlling idea that limits the topic and guides the flow of the paragraph. The
controlling idea tells the reader what you will say about your topic. Here are two topic
sentences. The topic is circled and the controlling idea is underlined.
4. Recent research has shown once again that eating dark green, leafy vegetables such as
• Soccer is popular for many reasons. broccoli and cabbage may reduce the risk of some types of cancer.
Explanation: The reader expects the paragraph to explain why soccer is popular.
Expectation:
• Many language students prefer bilingual dictionaries to monolingual dictionaries.
Explanation: The reader expects the paragraph to explain why this statement is true.

2. It is not a fact. For example, “Libraries have books” is not a good topic sentence. The 5. Although buying a house may seem like a good idea, renting an apartment has many advantages.
information in this sentence is true, but it is a fact and there is little to say about it.
Expectation:
3. It is specific. “Tea is delicious” is not a good topic sentence because the information in the
sentence is too general. If you want to write a paragraph about tea, make your topic sentence
more specific, such as “Green tea has many health benefits.”
ACTIVITY 4 | Recognizing good topic sentences and
4. It is not too specific. “This dictionary contains more than 42,000 words” limits the topic too
much. There is nothing else for the writer to say, so the paragraph cannot continue.
controlling ideas
Read the three sentences. Check (✓) the best topic sentence. Underline the controlling idea in
that sentence. Be prepared to explain your selections.
ACTIVITY 3 | Recognizing controlling ideas in topic sentences
Read each topic sentence. The topic is circled. Underline the controlling idea. What WORDS TO KNOW Activity 4
information do you expect to find in the paragraph? Share your answers with a partner.
contribution: (n) what someone does to help immigrant: (n) someone who comes to live in a
make something successful different country
WORDS TO KNOW Activity 3 recognize: (v) to give attention or notice to
addictive: (adj) having qualities that make you educational: (adj) describes something that
want to do something again and again teaches or involves learning
advantage: (n) a good or desirable quality or investigator: (n) a person who tries to learn 1. I n an English class, most of the female students receive higher grades than
feature how something happened the males.
confuse: (v) to mix up mentally so one cannot Research has shown female students like learning languages more than males do.
understand
Many students like languages very much.

1. The new test has three sections dealing with three important skills. 2. Cats are better pets than goldfish for many reasons.
Expectation: Cats and goldfish are both animals.
Cats cannot swim very well, but goldfish can.

2. The shocking crash of the airplane off the coast of Florida confused investigators. 3. The people in my office eat lunch from 11:30 to 12:30.
Expectation: Yesterday I went to work late, and my boss was of course very angry.
Yesterday was the worst day of my life.

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 4. Paul Cézanne was born in France in the last century. Paragraph 1
 aul Cézanne, the father of modern art, made important contributions to the
P
history of art. Reasons for Playing Instruments
Many of the museum visitors recognized Paul Cézanne's work immediately.

5. Many Canadians speak French, and some of them speak Chinese. Some people learn to play a musical instrument because they want to have fun. They want
The current population of Canada includes immigrants from all over the world. to play it with their friends or maybe in a band. Other people learn to play an instrument
 large number of new immigrants live in British Columbia, Canada, but not many
A because it is part of their culture. Certain instruments are popular in some cultures, such
of them speak German. as the guitar in Spain or the oud1 in the Middle East. Sometimes, people even learn to play
an instrument because they think it will make them smarter. They want to keep their mind
busy, and music is different from the work they think about all day long. In sum, there is
ACTIVITY 5 | Adding controlling ideas
clearly not just one main reason that people play a musical instrument.
These topic sentences are too general. Using the same topic, write a topic sentence with a clear
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controlling idea. Then compare your sentences with a partner’s. oud: a stringed instrument that is popular in the Middle East

1. Flowers are beautiful.

Paragraph 2
Flowers are the best gift to receive when you are feeling down.

OR Only four kinds of flowers grow during the short summers in Alaska. Differences between Modern Reptiles and Dinosaurs
2. Cats are nice.

One is size. Most modern reptiles are small. Dinosaurs were much larger than any reptile on
3. Paris is the capital of France. Earth now. Second, the legs of most reptiles today are on the sides of their body. However,
dinosaurs’ legs were on the bottom of their body. In this way, dinosaurs could stand up
on their back legs. Third, today’s reptiles use the environment to control their body
temperature. In contrast, dinosaurs controlled their own body temperature. They did not
4. Reading blogs is interesting.
depend on what was around them. While reptiles and dinosaurs may seem very similar,
they are actually very different.

5. Running is a hobby.

ACTIVITY 6 Writing topic sentences in paragraphs

Read the paragraphs and write a topic sentence for each to indent the first line.
A saltwater crocodile, the world’s
WORDS TO KNOW Paragraphs 1 to 2 largest reptile
connection: (n) an association effective: (adj) useful
control: (v) to manage imagine: (v) to make a picture in your head
culture: (n) the beliefs and actions of a group in sum: (connector) in conclusion
depend (on): (v) to need

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