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WRITING MATERIAL

Paragraph Organization

A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develops one main idea and it consists of
three basic parts:

- topic sentence
- supporting sentences
- concluding sentence

A. The Topic Sentence

A topic sentence has two parts: a topic and a controlling idea. The topic part names
the topic; it tells what the paragraph is about. The controlling idea part limits what the
paragraph will say about the topic. It tells the reader: This paragraph will only discuss these
things about this topic.

Example:

1. a. Topic Controlling idea

Violence in American society has several causes.

b.Controlling idea Topic

There are several causes of violence in American society.

2. a. Topic Controlling idea

A good architect is both an artist and a mathematician.

b. Controlling idea Topic

Artistic talent and mathematical ability are two qualities of a good architect.

I. Read the topic sentences below and identify the topics and controlling ideas.

1. Effective leadership requires specific qualities.

2. Participating in class discussions in English is a special problem for international

students

3. An employer looks for employees with certain qualities.

4. People can avoid burglaries by taking certain precautions.

5. There are certain disadvantages to shopping online.

6. People who work abroad face a variety of problems.

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II. The topic sentences below belong to three different paragraphs. Find the correct
topic sentence for each paragraph.
a) Beaches differ in various parts of the world.
b) People of all ages have fun at beaches.
c) Beaches are fun in summer and in winter.

1) ________________ . In summer, you can swim and do many other water sports. If you
don’t like water sports, you can play beach games or relax on the warm sand,. In winter,
beaches are less crowded so they are good places for solitary walks. Also, on a clear
winter night, nothing is more fun than sitting with a group of friends around a big bonfire,
talking, laughing and singing. All year round, a beach is a place to have fun.
2) ________________ . Thailand has miles of empty beaches. They are beautiful, clean,
and uncrowded, even in summer. You can spend the whole afternoon on a beach and not
see another person. In Japan, on the other hand, the beaches are very crowded. You can
hardly find a place to sit down at the more popular Japanese beaches. The beaches in
Northern Europe differ in another way. The water is cold, so most people go to the beach
only to sunbathe. Each type of beach has its own special qualities to enjoy.
3) ________________ . Young children love to splash in the water, jump in the waves, and
play in the sand. They happily dig holes, fill buckets, and build sandcastles all day long.
Teenagers enjoy active water sports such as surfing, jet skiing, and boardsailing. Older
people have a good time at the beach, too. They take long walks along the water’s edge
or simply relax and enjoy the sunshine. Indeed, children, teenagers, and even their
grandparents can have fun at a beach.

III. Write topic sentences for the paragraphs below. Make sure that the topic sentence
reflects the main idea of the paragraph.
1. ______________________________________________ . Before you lie down, it is good
to drink milk to help you relax. Many people find reading a novel a good way to help them
sleep. Others would say that listening to music is a sure way of falling asleep quickly,
Have you tried a hot shower to help you get in the right mood for a good night’s sleep?
What about a late night run? Some people think that this is the best way of ensuring deep
sleep. Maybe we all have different ideas, but one thing is certain, we all need help when
we can’t go to sleep.
2. ______________________________________________ . If a student can work in a job,
they can gain valuable experience to prepare them for the future. Obeying the boss, being
punctual and learning work ethics are just a few of the benefits. The extra money they
earn will be useful for enjoying university activities. Also they will have the personal
satisfaction of having contributed to their own education.
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3. ______________________________________________ . Firsty, there are more

facilities, like hospital, in the city than in the country. Another thing is that education is
often better in the city. Also, in the city you can find lots of entertainment options which are
not available in the country.
4. ______________________________________________ . Before the Internet was
available, it was hard and slow to find information. Now we can find all we need to know
while sitting at home and pressing a few buttons. Unfortunately, it has also changed our
lives in bad ways. For example, we spend too much time at the computer and not enough
with our families. The changes to our lives have been both good and bad.
5. ______________________________________________ . As the world population grows
and we continue to produce vast quantities of packaging, this problem increases. Some
countries still burn their waste, but this pollutes the air. Others put their garbage in huge
landfills. Recycling of glass, paper, plastic and metals must become an issue of vital
importance around the world.
6. ______________________________________________ . The city bus service usually
passes by universities, so students can travel by bus. Many universities also have a
special service bus that is provided for student transportation. Some students travel by
bicycle. This is good exercise, and a bicycle is easier to park than a car. Students who live
on or near campus can walk. All of these are cheaper than traveling by car.
7. ______________________________________________ . The popular pocket calculator
is an example of a tiny computer for everyday use – shopping, banking, or any activity
requiring numerical calculations. A similar device using the alphabet instead of numbers
can be used as a foreign language dictionary. Furthermore, an electronic personal
organizer can be used to store appointments or phone numbers.
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B. Supporting Sentences:

The second part of the paragraph is the body which consists of supporting sentences. They
come after the topic sentence. They give more information about the topic and develop and
support the main idea of the paragraph. They are not as general as the topic sentence. In
order to find supporting sentences to support the topic sentence, it is a good way to
rephrase it as a question. After we write the topic sentence, we ask the Who, What, Why,
How, When, etc. questions to ourselves. These questions help to find ideas and details
which support the main idea in the topic sentence.

Example:
Topic sentence

There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best

countries.

in the are
What world.
these reasons?

Health care Education Cities

system

How is it? How is it? How is it?

Excellent High standard Clean/ Managable

Cheap What makes it high standard? What do they have?/

Well-trained teachers Can you give examples?

How do the teachers affect students? Parks and lots of space

Encourage university education

Example:
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Topic Sentence: A university professor has many duties.
If you turn the statement into a question, it will say:
What are the duties of a university professor?
The supporting sentences in the paragraph must answer this question by explaining what a
professor’s duties are.
Examples of supporting sentence:
1. Lectures to the students.
2. Conducts laboratory experiments.
3. Writes academic papers for professional journals.
4. Writes a book.

I. Read the topic sentences below. Then, ask a question about the topic. Finally, add
one or more supporting sentences to each list.

Ex:
Topic Sentence: Istanbul is the most crowded city in Turkey.
Question: Why is Istanbul the most crowded city in Turkey?

Supporting Sentences: a. People migrate from other parts of Turkey.

b. Students from all over the country come to study.
c. It is visited by lots of tourists all the time.

1. Topic sentence: Smoking in restaurants should be prohibited for several reasons.

Question: - ________________________________ ?
Supporting sentences: a. It pollutes the air.
b. It can affect people’s appetites.
c. ______________________ .
2. Topic sentence: Watching television is a good way of improving your English.
Question: - ________________________________ ?
Supporting sentences: a. It helps remember new words.
b. It contributes to pronunciation.
c. ______________________ .
3. Topic sentence: Prep school students have difficulty writing paragraphs in English.
Question: - ________________________________ ?
Supporting sentences: a. They find it difficult to organize the paragraph.
b. ______________________ .
c. ______________________ .

II. Write details and complete the paragraph “Reasons for Watching Television” by
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answering the questions in brackets.
Reasons for Watching Television
There are certain reasons why people watch television. To start with, humans
want to learn about the latest news since they are always in need of information about what
is happening around them. ___________________________________________________ .
(What kind of television programmes help people to receive information about what is going
on? How often can they watch such programmes? Do they learn about only their home
countries?) Another reason for watching television is educational. Documentaries, discussion
programmes, and quiz shows enable people to greatly enrich their knowledge.
__________________________________________________________________________

(Which television programmes can you name as examples? What can people learn if they
view such programmes?)The final reason is related to financial factors. It is known that
television is the cheapest form of entertainment. Therefore, many people tend to have fun by
watcing television. ______________________________________________________
(What kind of television programmes can you give as examples? Can you name some of
them? How does watching television help people in this sense?) All in all, people watch
television to get information about current events, to broaden their general knowledge and to
entertain themselves cheaply.

C. The Concluding Sentence

The concluding sentence is the last sentence in a paragraph. It restates the main idea of
your paragraph and comes after a conclusion signal (All in all,…./ In brief,…./ To conclude,
…./ In conclusion,…../ To sum up, …./ To summarize, …./ In short, ….) You can write a
good one by
a. rewriting the idea in the topic sentence in different words.
b. summarizing the supporting points.

I.Now look at the concluding sentences of the paragraphs in exercise D and identify
which method (a or b) is used.

1. In brief, news has a variety of purposes. _____

2. In conclusion, reading is an activity which is worth spending time. _____

3. To conclude, it seems that music is beneficial to children’s learning and sense of

well-being._____

4. All in all, Canada is a desirable place to live in with its superb health care system, high

standard of education, and well-organized cities._____

EXERCISES
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I. Each of the following paragraphs is missing a topic sentence and a title.

a. Circle the letter of the topic sentence that best fits the paragraph.

b. Complete the outline form.

c. Write an appropriate title.

1) To start with, through reading, we are exposed to ways of life, ideas, and beliefs about the
world which may be different from ours. Therefore, we can learn about people, places, and
events outside our own experience. This learning is extremely important because it broadens
our interests, gives us the ability to think critically about important issues, and enables us to
participate in interesting conversations. Moreover, reading makes our mind stronger as it
strengthens brain connections. It also develops our imagination. For instance, when we read
a story, our brain translates the descriptions of people, places, and things into pictures, so
while reading, we are also imagining how the characters are feeling and picturing ourselves
in the same situation. Last but not least, reading relaxes the body and calms the mind. The
constant movement, flashing lights, and noise which bombard our senses when we are
watching television, looking at a computer or playing an electronic game are actually quite
tiring for our brains. However, when we read in silence, the black print on a white page is
much less stressful for our eyes and brains. In conclusion, reading is an activity which is
worth spending time on.

a. Reading is a useful activity which has a number of benefits.

b. Reading helps you broaden your interests.

c. Reading plays an important role in building self-confidence.

(Title) _________________

Topic sentence: ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Concluding sentence: ____________________________

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2) For one thing, listening to music can increase verbal, emotional, and spatial
intelligence. It can also improve concentration and stimulate creative thinking.
Some scientists think music can even improve children’s memory. Finally, another
positive effect of music is that it can relax children and make them feel more
comfortable. As a result of this they are usually in a good mood. To conclude, it
seems that music is beneficial to children’s learning and sense of well-being.

a. Listening to music can have certain positive effects on children.

b. Music has good influence and everbody should listen to music.

c. There are several reasons to listen to music.

(Title) _________________

Topic sentence: ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Concluding sentence: ____________________________

3) First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical
services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high standard of education. Students
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are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at university.
Finally, Canada's cities are clean and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks
and lots of space for people to live. All in all, Canada is a desirable place to live in with its
superb health care system, high standard of education, and well-organized cities.
a. Canada is one of the most preferable place to have a holiday and to study.
b. I am going to write about advantages of living in Canada.
c. There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the world.

(Title) _________________

Topic sentence: ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Supporting point: ____________________________

• Supporting detail(s): ____________________________

Concluding sentence: ____________________________

II. The sentences below are not in order. Reorder them by choosing one of them as the
topic sentence and list the others as the supporting sentences.

► A. ___ Perhaps the most important precaution is to avoid people who already have colds.
B. ___ Finally, you could try taking vitamin C supplements, which my prevent your catching a
cold.
C. ___ You should also get plenty of sleep so that your resistance is strong.
D. ___ People can avoid catching a cold by taking certain precautions.
E. ___ Eating nutritious food will ensure that you have the vitamins that can help fight cold
germs.

► A. ___ Also, I can stop along the road.

B. ___ Lastly, I can carry as much luggage as I want, and not worry about missing flights.
C. ___ When I travel by car, I can look at the scenery.
D. ___ Sometimes I meet interesting people from the area I’m travelling through.
E. ___ Although travelling by plane is easy, I prefer travelling by car.

► A. ___ As for women, the mother in the traditional family took care of the children’s needs, just
as the modern mother does.
B. ___ Similarly, the father in the modern family is expected to do so, also.
C. ___ The traditional family of yesterday and the modern family of today have several
similarities.
D. ___ For example, the role of the father in the traditional family was to provide for his family.
E. ___ The traditional family was a nuclear family and the modern family is, too.

III. The sentences below are shuffled. Read and number them in the correct order to
develop a paragraph.
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_______ Also,it gives you the opportunity to strengthen your skills as a reader and listener.
_______ To conclude, you can benefit from paragraph writing by becoming a better thinker,
reader and listener who is good at verbal skills.
_______ Since you are expected to organize your ideas in a logical way to write a fully-
developed paragraph, you learn to think critically while creating your piece of writing.
_______ Benefits of Paragraph Writing
_______ First of all, it leads you to become a stronger thinker.
_______ Last but not the least significant advantage is connected with enlarging your
vocabulary because your choice of words makes your writing more impressive and
interesting.
_______ Mastering how to write a good paragraph has certain advantages.
_______ It is known that you need inspiration to write, and reading and listening contributes
to promoting your imagination.