2015-09-02 Writing: topic sentences

Greg Malivuk
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http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk
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Homework: read the paragraph on p. 38 and answer the four questions
1 good flight attendants
2 they have three important characteristics
3 three - friendly, self-confident, (physically) strong
4 the three characteristics
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Intensifiers: adverbs that make adjectives stronger or weaker

She is fairly strong. (least strong)
She is quite strong.
She is very strong.
She is exceptionally strong. (strongest)
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p. 40 - Topic Sentence: tells us the topic, and the “controlling idea” = what will the paragraph say about the topic
“English is necessary for many different jobs.”
(What supporting ideas do you expect after this topic sentence? What details could support this topic sentence?)
- Three (more or less) jobs that English is necessary for (and details about why it’s necessary)

“English is constantly adding new words.”
- Examples of new words English has added.

“English borrows words from other languages.”
- Examples of words borrowed from other languages.

The controlling idea tells readers what types of supporting details to expect in the paragraph.
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p. 41 - the topic can come before or after the controlling idea
“English is necessary for many different jobs.” = “Many different jobs require English.”
In both sentences, “English” is the topic, and the controlling idea is about jobs that require it.
Group 1 - identify the topics in each topic sentence
2 “College students” is the topic
3 “Living with your parents” is the topic
4 “Successful student athletes” is the topic
5 “Small colleges” is the topic
Group 2
1 Successful managers
2 New teachers
3 Living with your parents
4 Good test-takers
5 Big universities

All of these have the topic first, but many could have the topic last or in the middle:
There are several characteristics shared by successful managers.
Several skills are necessary for new teachers to master.
There are certain disadvantages to living with your parents.
There are several characteristics shared by good test-takers.
There are three reasons why big universities are better than small ones.
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Homework: p. 42-47
42-43 - circle the topic and underline the controlling idea
44-45 - choose the best topic sentence and write it in the paragraph
46-47 - write your own topic sentence for each paragraph (remember that conclusion sentences often give the same information as the topic sentence)