How to write?
...es show how a topic sentence states both the topic and the controlling idea in a complete sentence: Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness. Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. Registering for college classes can be a frustrating experience for new students. 3. The topic sentence is the most general statement in the paragraph because it gives only the main idea. It does not give any special details. The following is an example of a general statement that could serve as a topic sentence: The Arabic origin of many English words is not always obvious. The following sentence, on the other hand, is too specific: The slang expression so long (meaning "goodbye") is probably a corruption of the Arabic salaam. Sentences such as the following may be too general: English is a difficult language to learn. Position of Topic Sentences The topic sentence may be the first or last sentence in a paragraph. The topic sen¬tence may also be the first and last sentence of the paragraph— "sandwich-style." A sandwich-style paragraph is especially helpful to your reader if the paragraph is very long. The second topic sentence in the sandwich-style paragraph also serves as a con¬cluding sentence. Study the following three paragraphs. Notice the different positions for the topic sentence in each. The topic sentences are underlined. Hurricanes Hurricanes, which are also called cyclones, exert tremendous power. These violent storms are often a hundred miles in diameter, and their winds can reach velocities of seventy-five miles per hour or more. Furthermore, the strong winds and heavy rainfall that accompany them can completely destroy a small town in a couple of hours. The energy that is released by a hurricane in one day exceeds the total energy consumed by humankind throughout the world in one year. Medical Miracles to Come By the year 2009, a vaccine against the common cold will have been developed. By the same year, the first human will have been successfully cloned. By the year 2014, parents will be able to create designer children. Genetic therapy will be able to manipulate genes for abilities, intelligence, and hair, eye, and skin colour. By 2020, most diseases will be able to be diagnosed and treated at home, and by 2030, cancer and heart disease will have been wiped out. These are just a few examples of medical miracles that are expected in the next few decades. Synonyms Synonyms, words that have the same basic meaning, do not always have the same emotional meaning. For example, the words stingy and frugal both mean "careful with money" However, to call a person stingy is an insult, while the word frugal has a much more positive connotation. Similarly, a person wants to be slender but not skinny, and assertive but not pushy. Therefore, you should be careful in choosing words because many so-called synonyms are not really synonymous at all. Practice 1: Recognising Topic Sentences Remember, the topic sentence indicates the main idea of a paragraph and is the most general statement in the paragraph. STEP 1 Decide which of the following sentences is the topic sentence of the paragraph. STEP 2 Write TS on the line next to that sentence. STEP 3 Decide the order of the supporting sentences and number them SS1, SS2, SS3, and so on. Paragraph I ______ a. It enables customers to do several banking transactions twenty-four hours a day. ______ b. In addition, a customer can transfer funds between accounts or get cash advance on a credit card. ______ c. An automated teller machine (ATM) is a convenient miniature bank. ______ d. For example, a customer can use an ATM to deposit money and withdraw a limited amount of cash. Paragraph 2 _____ a. After an attack by a great white, 463 stitches were required to sew up an Australian scuba diver. _____ b. With their razor-sharp teeth and strong jaws, great white sharks are very dangerous. _____ c. Nevertheless, one did just that near a public beach in Australia In 1985. _____ d. Even when they attack humans, however, great whites do not usually eat them. _____ e. It bit in half and totally devoured a young female swimmer. _____ f. Great whites do not usually attack humans, but when they do, they always cause serious injury and even death. Paragraph 3 ______ a. Another important change was that people had the freedom to live and work wherever they wanted. ______ b. The earliest significant change was for farming families, who were no longer isolated. ______ c. The final major change brought by the automobile was the building of superhighways, suburbs, huge shopping centres, and many theme parks such as Disney World in Florida. ______ d. The automobile revolutionised the American way of life. ______ e. The automobile enabled them to drive to towns and cities comfortably and conveniently. ______ f. In fact, people could work in a busy metropolitan city and drive home to the quiet suburbs. Paragraph 4 ______ a. In time, this melted part rises as a magma. ______ b. The formation of a volcanic eruption is a dramatic series of events. ______ c. As the plate sinks, friction and the earth's heat cause part of it to melt. ______ d. The magma produces heat, steam, and pressure. ______ e. First of all, most volcanoes are formed where two plates collide. ______ f. Then one of the plates is forced under the other and sinks. ______ g. When the heat, steam, and pressure from the magna finally reach the surface of the earth, a volcanic eruption occurs. The two parts of a Topic Sentence A topic sentence has two essential parts: the topic and the controlling idea. The topic names the subject, or main idea, of the paragraph. The controlling idea makes a spe¬cific comment about the topic, which indicates what the rest of the paragraph will say about the topic. It limits or controls the topic to a specific aspect of the topic to be dis¬cussed in the space of a single paragraph. TOPIC CONTROLLING IDEA (Convenience foods) are easy to prepare. In this example, the topic is named: convenience foods. A specific comment is then made about the topic: They are easy to prepare. From this sentence, the reader immediately knows that the supporting sentences in the remainder of the paragraph will explain or prove how quick and easy it is to prepare convenience foods and per¬haps give some examples (frozen dinners, canned soups, etc.). CONTROLLING IDEA TOPIC The native foods of America's immigrant population are reflected in (American cooking). In this example, the topic is American food. The controlling idea of this topic sen¬tence is that Americans eat many foods from other countries. Therefore, the reader should expect the paragraph to give examples of popular ethnic foods such as fried rice (Chinese), tacos (Mexican), sauerbraten (German), sukiyaki (Japanese), spaghet¬ti (Italian), and so on. TOPIC CONTROLLING IDEA (The average American teenager) consumes enormous quantities of junk food. In this example, the topic is the average American teenager. The controlling idea about the topic states that the American teenager eats junk food. Thus, the rest of the paragraph should discuss the quantities and types of junk food that American teenagers cat (soft drinks, potato chips, candy bars, etc.). Practice 2: Identifying the parts of a Topic Sentence Put the topic between brackets and underline the controlling idea in each of the following sentences. Example (Driving on freeways) requires skill and alertness. 1. Driving on freeways requires nerves of steel.' 2. Driving on freeways requires an aggressive attitude. 3. The Caribbean island of Trinidad attracts tourists because of its calypso music. 4. Spectacular beaches make Puerto Rico a tourist paradise. 5. Living in an American college dormitory can be a stressful experience for newly arrived international students. 6. Many religious rules developed from the health needs of ancient times. 7. The spread of AIDS can be slowed by educating the public. 8. A major problem for international students is taking essay examinations. 9. Participating in class discussions in English is a problem for international students. 10. In my opinion, many television commercials for cosmetics lie to women. 11. Owning an automobile is a necessity for me. 12. It is an expensive luxury to own an automobile in a large city. Writing Topic sentences When you write a sentence, remember these two points: I A topic sentence should be neither too general nor too specific. If it is too general, the reader cannot tell exactly what the paragraph is going to discuss. If it is too specific, the writer may not have anything left to write about in the rest of the paragraph. Think of a topic sentence as being like the name of a particular course on a restaurant menu. When you order food in a restaurant, you want to know more about a particular course than just "meat" or "soup" or "salad." You want to know generally what kind of salad it is. Potato salad? Mixed green salad? Fruit salad? However, you do not necessarily want to know all of its ingredients. Similarly, the reader of a paragraph wants to know generally what to expect in a paragraph, but he/she does not want to learn all of the specific details in the first sentence. Too general: American food is terrible. Too Specific: American food is tasteless and greasy because Americans use too many canned, frozen, and pre-packaged foods and because everything is fried in oil or butter. Good: American food is tasteless and greasy. 2. Do not include too many unrelated ideas in your topic sentence; if you do, your paragraph will not be unified. Too many ideas: San Francisco is famous for its temperate climate, its many tourist attractions, and its cosmopolitan atmosphere. The three parts of this controlling idea are too unrelated for a single paragraph. They would require three separate paragraphs. Good: San Francisco is famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere. Practice 3: Writing Topic Sentences Write good topic sentences for the following paragraphs in the spaces provided. Remember to include both a topic and a controlling idea. When you have finished compare your answer to another student's answer. Paragraph 1 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Americans relaxing at home, for example, may put on kimonos, which is a Japanese word. Americans who live in a warm climate may take an afternoon siesta on an outdoor patio without even realizing that these are Spanish words. In their gardens, they may enjoy the fragrance of jasmine flower, a word that came into English from Persian. They may even relax on a chaise longue while sipping a drink mad with vodka, words of French and Russian origin, respectively. Paragraph 2 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In European universities, students ...