2. TOPIC SENTENCE
-also known as key sentence.
-because it contains the
central idea of the paragraph.
-It often -but not always-
comes at the beginning of the
paragraph.
3. TOPIC SENTENCE
It tells the MAIN IDEA/CENTRAL
of the paragraph.
It also tells what the author
wants to SAY ABOUT the topic.
5. Throwing a clay pot, the age old art of making
pottery on a wheel, is a process that requires
many steps. Assuming the potter does not have to
make his own clay, the first step toward the finished
product is wedging the clay. Here, the potter kneads
the clay to prepare it for throwing. Wedging cannot
be rushed. A minimum of fifty turns is required to
rid the clay of air pockets and align its molecules.
Once wedged and formed into a ball, the clay is
thrown onto the center of a potter's wheel. Now the
material must be centered. Centering not only takes
strength but time as well. The clay must be coerced
into a perfectly symmetrical shape, dead center on
the spinning wheel.
6. To proceed with poorly centered clay is to court
certain disaster in the form of tilting, uneven
pots, or worse, the total collapse of the piece.
When correctly centered, the clay is ready to be
opened. To do this, the potter finds the center of
the clay and slowly sinks a rigid finger into the
still-spinning clay. Only now can the clay be
shaped. With a steady but gentle hand, the
potter pulls up the sides of the pot until the
desired height is reached. Now the shaping is
completed and the pot is ready to be dried, fired,
and glazed. Thus, even though a clay pot may
appear simple to make, fashioning one by
hand is a long and sometimes tedious process.
8. Constructing a wedding cake is a complicated
process. Before any baking takes place, the size of the
cake and the decorative design to be used must be
determined. Then the layers are baked. On a large cake
the bottom layers may be as much as sixteen inches in
diameter. Because of their size, these layers must be
baked one at a time, a process which may actually take
an entire day. Once the layers are cooled, same-size
pairs are matched and frosted. Since large wedding
cakes are surprisingly heavy, half-inch dowel rods
must be measured, cut, and carefully driven into the
bottom layers. These wooden posts provide hidden
support for the weighty upper layers. When all the
layers are set in place, flowers, garlands and leaves of
frosting are added. These delicate touches
individualize the wedding cake and transform it from
merely a cake into a culinary work of art.
9. •(1) to create
suspense or (2) to
bring up a
controversial
topic only after
sufficient
groundwork has
been laid.
10. People do it everyday. They log on to their favorite
website and browse for hours, checking out
bargains. They dump every possible wish into
their shopping carts, knowing they can cast each
one aside before they finalize their purchases. On
the way, they may enter a sweepstakes in the
hopes of winning a trip to Cabo San Lucas, or
maybe even a new SUV. And then, when they
have decided on their purchases, they enter
private information without giving it a thought.
With a keystroke, they release their personal data
into what may or may not be a secure
zone. Despite what much of the public believes,
internet shopping is not safe.
12. When a camera flash is used in a low-light
environment, the subject's eyes may appear red
in the finished photograph. What is known as
"red-eye" is the result of light from the flash
reflecting off the pupils of the eyes. The
phenomenon of red-eye can be lessened by
using the red-eye reduction feature found on
many SLR cameras. This feature activates a
lamp which shines a small light directly into the
subject's eyes. When this happens, the diameter
of the pupil is reduced, thus tightening the
opening in the iris. Since a smaller pupil means a
smaller host for the reflection, the chances of
red-eye occurring are greatly reduced.
13. The supporting sentences
What are supporting sentences?
- They come after the topic sentence,
making up the body of a paragraph.
What do they do?
- They give details to develop and
support the main idea of the
paragraph.
How do I write them?
- You should give supporting facts,
14. The concluding sentence
The concluding or ending
sentence closes or finishes the
paragraph and should be related
to the topic sentence.
Ending sentences can:
a) Repeat the topic sentence in a
different way
b) Summarize the information.
15. Pre-test
PARAGRAPH 1
a. The most popular of these states that the Moon
formed when an object roughly the size of Mars
impacted the Earth.
b. It is believed to have formed 4.5 billion years
ago at the same time that the Earth was forming.
c. The resulting debris thrown up into space
formed the Moon.
d. Several theories explain the formation of the
Moon.
e. The Moon is a celestial object that is
approximately one-quarter the size of the Earth.
16. Paragraph 2
a. The energy travels though the Earth in
seismic waves. When seismic waves reach
the Earth’s surface, they move the ground
and cause earthquake.
b. An earthquake is caused by a natural
rapid shaking of the ground, which is the
result of displaced rocks.
c. These forces cause strain to build up in
the rigid rocks that form the Earth’s crust.
d. Eventually the rocks can no longer take
the strain, and they break, much like
bending a wooden ruler.
17. a. The most popular of these states
that the Moon formed when an
object roughly the size of Mars
impacted the Earth.
c. The resulting debris thrown up
into space formed the Moon.
18. e. Displaced rocks are rocks that
have been moved by tectonic
forces.
f. One of the most destructive forces
on Earth is the earthquake.
g. When this occurs in rock, it causes
energy to dissipate outward from
where the rock mass has fractured.
19. Paragraph 2
f. One of the most destructive forces on
Earth is the earthquake.
b. An earthquake is caused by a natural
rapid shaking of the ground, which is
the result of displaced rocks.
e. Displaced rocks are rocks that have
been moved by tectonic forces.
c. These forces cause strain to build up in
the rigid rocks that form the Earth’s
crust.
20. d. Eventually the rocks can no longer
take the strain, and they break, much
like bending a wooden ruler.
g. When this occurs in rock, it causes
energy to dissipate outward from
where the rock mass has fractured.
a. The energy travels though the Earth
in seismic waves. When seismic waves
reach the Earth’s surface, they move
the ground and cause earthquake.
21. ANSWER:
Paragraph 1:
e. The Moon is a celestial object that is
approximately one-quarter the size of
the Earth.
b. It is believed to have formed 4.5
billion years ago at the same time
that the Earth was forming.
d. Several theories explain the
formation of the Moon.
22. Exercise
____ a. We could also limit the number of
copies that teachers and students are allowed
to make on the photocopier machine.
____b. I don't understand, for example, why
we cannot use metal cutlery instead of plastic
ones that just get thrown away after the
meal.
____c. The school could do much more to
protect the environment.
____d. We could also have different trashcans
to recycle paper and cola cans.
23. ____a. Of course, it is vital also not to start
addictive habits such as smoking or the taking
of other drugs.
____b. If you want to live a long and healthy
life, you have to get into good habits when you
are young.
____c. Furthermore, it is essential that you give
your body the right nutrition like fruit and
vegetables.
____d. It is important to get some fresh air and
exercise every day.
____e. Too much junk food is certainly not
advisable.
