Paragraph study1ex

Identifying the Topic of a Paragraph

A paragraph is a group of sentences. The first sentence is a paragraph usually begins about
five spaces inside the margin. A paragraph looks like this:

(First sentence)…..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Secondsentence)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………….(Third sentence)……………………………………………………. ……………(Fourth
sentence)…………………………… ……………………………(Fifthsentence)
………………………………..

Paragraph

One sentence gives the main The other sentences gives details about the topic
idea sentence (supporting sentences)
(topic sentence

Tells the reader something that Gives the reader the detail, the information that the
the writer has writer has collected, shows that the conclusion in
learned/believed or the topic sentence is a good one.. It tell “who, what,
conclusion that the writer when, why, how”
made
The information: “important, definite, exact, tell about
the topic sentence, enough details to convince the
reader”.

Read the paragraph. Find the correct topic sentence in the list to the right of the paragraph. Write
the topic sentence on the blank lines.
 Horses are very  People use horses for  Many people dislike horses.
strong animals many purposes
A. As you know, some people use their horses for racing. Youngsters and adults ride horses for
enjoyment and exercise in the fresh air. Horses are also used in the world of entertainment.
You can see these animals perform in parades, rodeos, and circuses. Many proud horse
owners enter their animals in horse shows, hoping to win prices. In Kentucky and other
states, people raise horses to sell. On some ranches in the West, these smart animals help
cowboys round up cattle. ……………………………….
………………………………………………………..

B. Topic Sentence Choices

 Words are really People use special  Horses can speak a special

interesting words to talk about language
horses
…………………………………… Mare is a noun that names a female horse. A male horse is called
a stallion. Foal is the word used for a new born horse. A horse’s mother is known as a dam,
and its father is a sire. A one-year old horse is called a yearling. The word pony describes a
full-grown horse that is less than 58 inches high. If you mean any wild horse, say bronco.
However, use mustang for a wild horse descended from horses that the early Spanish
explorers brought to North America

C. Topic Sentence
Other
 workers have  Most people work for a  People like to work
perilous jobs, too living
Carlos and Teresa do dangerous work. ……………………………………… Police officers face tough
criminals, and fire fighters enter burning buildings. Sailors and fishers must often fight
huge waves in stormy seas. Coal miners work deep underground. Some workers dig tunnels
far under the floor of oceans and rivers. Circus tightrope walkers risk their lives high in the
 Paragraph study1ex

air. Below them,, animal trainers make fierce lions and tigers do tricks. Drivers of race cars
speed around the track at more than 100 miles an hour.

D. Topic Sentence Choices

The X-1 was a very  Chuck Yeager dislike his  Chuck Yeager is a very brave
dangerous plane job a lot man
Charles “Chuck” Yeager loves to fly airplanes. Chuck was a test pilot for many years. He
tried out new planes. He knew that planes were not always safe. He knew that the planes
might be crash and that he might be killed. Still, he continued with his work. On October
14, 1947, he climbed into a new rocket plane called the X-1. Chucked was supposed to fly
the X-1 faster than the speed of sound. No one ever flew a plane that fast before. No one
knew what would happen. The X-1 could blow up. It could fall to the ground in a million
pieces. Chuck Yeager understood all this. But it didn’t stop him. He took the plane up, and
he did fly it faster than the speed of sound. The X-1 shook and rattled, but Chuck kept it
flying, best of all, he landed it safely………………………………………………………………..

E. Do each of the following

 Study the topic sentence below. Notice that it states a conclusion
 Study the supporting sentences. Find the four that you think are most important. Put
check marks in front of it.
 Write the sentences with check marks under the topic sentence. A clue in each
sentence tells you in what order you should write the sentence.
Many ships and planes have been lost in Bermuda Triangle off the coast of Florida.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Supporting sentences:
………. In 1958, a small fishing boat sailed into the area, never return.
………. In 1854, the American warship was vanished completely while sailing through the area.
………. The 350-foot freighter Sandra dropped out of sight in the same area in 1950
………. The sailing yacht Enchantress was lost in the area in 1964
………. 1918, the Navy fuel ship Cyclope disappeared without a trace while steaming toward
South Carolina
………. The 13.000-ton German freighter Anita was never heard from again after entering the
triangle in 1973.

F. Study the paragraph below. Notice that the underlined sentences contain information that
is general and indefinite.
The aboriginals are one group of people who live in Australia today. They have been there a
long time. The aboriginals led very simple lives. They did very ordinary things. They did not
build lasting homes. Sometimes, they built temporary shelters. However, they usually lived
outside. Their lives were hard, but they found time for art. They painted and carved.
Now do the following. Complete each step before going on to the next
 Study the exact supporting sentences below.
 Revise the paragraph above by using the exact supporting sentences in place of the
underlined sentences. Write the exact supporting sentence next to its number in the
paragraph below.
 Compare the paragraph you have written with the original paragraph. Can you see the
improvement?
Exact Supporting Sentences
1. They arrived about 40.000 years ago from Asia
2. The men and women hunted animals and collected food from plants
3. Sometimes, they erected shelters with tree bark and branches.
4. However, they usually ate and slept outside under the sky
5. They painted pictures on the wells of caves and carved statues

G. Study
 Paragraph study1ex

 Study the supporting sentences below. These sentences contain information that the
writer collected on the general topic of spies and spying.
 Put a check mark (v) before the six sentences that could complete the paragraph. Each
sentence that you choose should develop the topic sentence of the paragraph below.
 Write the supporting sentence that you checked in the order in which you find them.
Possible Supporting Sentences.
……… The U-2 was a fast jet that was used as a spy plane
……… Russian spies from the KGB work inside Russia and other countries
……… Mr. Moto is another made up spy
……… The SR-71 is a newer spy plane
……… He is the hero of six spy thrillers
……… Mr Moto is an expert at disguises and can speak many languages.
……… The highest “spies in the sky” are satellites.
……… Maxwell Smart is a made-up character in the TV program “Get Smart”
……… KGB agents stole American atomic secrets for their country.
……… This TV spy makes a lot of mistakes.
……… some of his mistakes are surprising, and they make you laugh
Some spies are not real people. One well-known spy in the movies is James Bond. His code
name was 007. Bond used all kinds of tricks and gadgets to help him with his dangerous
jobs.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

H. Supporting sentences
………… The “dresser” thought they were special because of their clothes
………… The girl “dressers” all wore plaid skirts with either blouses or sweaters
………… The boy “dresser” wore suite, shirts, and ties.
………… Basketball was Wilma’s whole life in high school
………… Wilma was friends with a guy called “sundown”
………… Wilma and the other “regulars” came from poorer families.
………… They wore whatever clothes their parents could afford
………… Wilma’s interest in track started in high school.
………… The “regulars” were still happy kids.
………… Two groups of students attended Wilma’s high school – the “dressers” and the
“regulars”.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………