Paragraphs
A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develops a central idea. The central idea is called the topic sentence, and this sentence will in this class appear as the first sentence of the paragraph. The topic sentence is the most general sentence in the paragraph and the rest of the paragraph develops the topic sentence by providing examples or specific support.
The topic sentence has two parts: the topic and the controlling idea. (This is what I call attitude.) The topic is usually the subject of the sentence and the controlling idea is usually the predicate in the sentence. When you begin developing the paragraph, you develop the controlling idea, not the topic.
A.
In each of the following sentences , identify the topic and the controlling idea. When you have completed the exercise, send it back to me on email and print out a copy for discussion in class.1. A woman who works full-time and also runs a household has a busy evening.
2. A good win is easily identified by three traits.
3. Drop/add policies at this school are too lenient.
4. Planting a garden yields many rewards.
5. Severe winters create several problems for the conscientious consumer.
B.
Now, pick one of the above sentences and list three pieces of support for the controlling:Sentence:
Controlling idea:
Three pieces of support:
The three pieces of support are called primary support. If you wrote a paragraph at this point, you would have a four sentence paragraph, and as a general rule, you should try to have ten to twelve sentences per paragraph.
C.
Examine the three pieces of support above. List one of these below, then provide examples of that item you have listed. These three examples are called secondary support.Support:
Three examples:
D.
For each of the following topics, construct a good topic sentence that expresses a controlling idea.Designing a living room
A recent campus issue
Television talk shows
Exercising
Smoking
E.
Topic sentences can be too vague or too specific. If they are too vague, you need to define your terms more clearly for the reader. If they are too specific, it means that you probably have a statement of fact that cannot really be developed. Examine the following and determine if they are too specific, too general, or "Just right."1. Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina.
2. The World Series of 1984 offered baseball fans some real surprises.
3. General George Washington was president of the United States for two terms.
4. Russia refused to send teams to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
5. Many people love ice skating.
F.
Although topic sentences may appear as the first sentence ( always the first in this class ) of the paragraph, they many also appear in the middle of the paragraphs, at the end of the paragraph, or may even be implied, not stated. The following paragraph does not have a stated topic sentence. Read the paragraph, then write an appropriate topic sentence for this paragraph.Home computers can perform tedious bookkeeping tasks that most families never seem to have time to do properly. They can balance checkbooks in seconds, endearing themselves immediately to those of us who are always overdrawing our accounts. They can easily keep track of family budgets and aid in the filling out of income tax forms. In addition, home computers can provided entertainment for the whole family. There are, of course, many other applications for home computers as well. Computers can be programmed to control heating systems, to function as security systems, or to act as efficient memo pads for important messages and dates.