topic-sentence.ppt

1、Paragraph Writing,Paragraph Writing,What is the structure of a paragraph?,The Topic Sentence,Supporting sentences,The concluding sentence,This is the structure of a paragraph! Generally speaking, these three different types of sentences play different roles in a paragraph:,Topic sentence; Supporting

2、 sentences; Concluding sentence.,a sentence to tell the reader what the paragraph is mainly about.,sentences to give more detailed information about the topic sentence.,a sentence to end a paragraph or to summarize(总结） the ideas.,(主题句 ),(扩展句/阐述句 ),(结论句/结尾句 ),The Topic Sentence,The characteristics of

3、 a topic sentence The positions of a topic sentence,The Characteristics,1) The topic sentence must be a complete sentence. 2) The topic sentence should always contain both a topic and a controlling idea. The Topic Sentence = Topic + Controlling Idea 3) The topic sentence should be neither too genera

4、l nor too specific.,Examples: 1) The importance of reading widely. Reading widely is very important in improving ones reading comprehension. 2) Fire accidents in big cities. Recently years have witnessed a marked growth of fire accidents in big cities in our country. 3) To make all the decisions for

5、 children. Parents in China tend to make all the decisions for their children.,The topic tells the reader what the paragraph is about. The controlling idea is a key word or phrase that expresses the basic point of a paragraph. Note: a controlling idea commits the paragraph to a specific aspect of th

6、e topic. e.g. 1) Convenience foods are easy to prepare. 2) Alcoholic beverages should be banned from college campuses for two reasons. 3) There are quite a few unusual superstitions in China about marriage.,(general),(specific),Read the following topic sentences and then identify the topic and the c

7、ontrolling idea in each sentence,People can avoid burglaries by taking certain precautions. There are several advantages to growing up in a small town. Most US universities require a 550 point TOEFL score for a number of reasons. Air pollution in Mexico City is the worst in the world for a number of

8、 reasons. Fixing a flat tire on a bicycle is easy if you follow these steps. Riding a bicycle gives pleasure.,There are several enjoyable ways to travel between the US and Queretaro. Animals in danger of becoming extinct come from a wide range of countries. Effective leadership requires specific qua

9、lities that anyone can develop. Industrial waste poured into Lake Michigan has led to dramatic changes in its ability to support marine life. In order to fully explore the wreck of the Titanic, scientists must address several problems.,Discussion: which of the following statement is general, specifi

10、c or suitable? Group 1 1) American food is terrible. 2) American food is tasteless and greasy because Americans use too many canned, frozen, and packaged foods and because everything is fried in oil or butter. 3) American food is tasteless and greasy.,(too general),(too specific),(suitable),Group 2

11、1) Many voters supported the candidate. 2) Many voters passively supported the candidate. Group 3 1) To play any kind of musical instrument, one needs to know something about the instrument. 2) To play any kind of drum requires a good sense of rhythm.,(too general),(too general),(suitable),(suitable

12、),Here are some examples of sentences that cannot be used as topic sentences. Can you figure out why they are inappropriate?,1) My hometown is famous because it is located by Wheaton River, which is very wide, and because it is built near an unusually steep hill called Wheaton Hill. Analysis: The pr

13、oblem with this sentence is that it contains too many details. Topic sentences are general, and details should appear later in the paragraph. Revised: My hometown is famous for several amazing geographical features.,2) There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmissio

14、n and two reasons why others like cars with manual transmission. Analysis: This sentence is not appropriate as a topic sentence because it mentions two topics, not just one. Paragraphs are usually about one main thing and so their topic sentences should also be about only one main thing. Revised: a)

15、 There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmission. OR (in a different paragraph): b) There are two reasons why some people like cars with manual transmission.,3) Clouds are white. Analysis The problem with this sentence is that it is too general. It is also very bor

16、ing! Would you like to read a paragraph with this topic sentence? Most people would not. Revised The shapes of clouds are determined by various factors.,Different Positions Of a Topic Sentence,At the beginning of a paragraph,At the end of a paragraph,In the middle of a paragraph,No clear topic sente

17、nce,Work in groups of four and find the topic sentence of each paragraph !,1 Smoking cigarettes is harmful to your health. Experiments show that cigarette smoking can cause cancer. Besides the most serious and terrible disease(illness) - cancer, cigarette smoking can also cause other health problems

18、. For example, it can give one a “smokers cough”. Finally, studies have shown it is easy for cigarette smokers to catch colds. Whether you get an unimportant cold or terrible killer, cancer, smoking is harmful. Is it worth it?,2 Often no one looks more guilty than the innocent. On the other hand, no

19、body may look more innocent than a professional criminal. And the man who knows “everything” may really only be trying to hide his own weakness. So, it is foolish to try to judge a person only by his appearance.,3 Every bride wants her wedding to be the most wonderful day of her life. But perfect we

20、ddings require careful planning , whether the bride and bridegroom are planning a traditional wedding or just a registry office ceremony. Paying for the wedding, which is always a problem, will partly decide the choice.,Tom studied for four years at the University of Paris and decided to leave befor

21、e his graduation. He transferred to the University of Berlin and graduated with honors. Harvard Law School and, later, Boston College provided him with an excellent legal background. He is presently a corporation lawyer in Miami, Florida.The main idea of this paragraph is that _.A. Tom, who had stud

22、ied at Paris Universities for four years, moved to another university.B. Tom became a lawyer since his graduation from Harvard Law School and later from Boston College.C. Tom was an excellent student when he studied at Berlin university.D. Tom received an excellent education.,detail,detail,detail,Co

23、nclusion 1： How can we get the main idea of a paragraph？,(1) We can get the main idea of a paragraph by finding _，which may appear at the beginning of 、in the middle of or at the end of a paragraph ; (2) If we cant find a topic sentence from the paragraph, well have to,the main idea from the whole p

24、aragraph ourselves,the topic sentence,generalize(归纳）,Read the following paragraphs carefully and write a topic sentence for each paragraph in the space provided.,. Famous inventor Thomas Edison, for instance, did so poorly in his first years of school that his teacher warned his parents that he woul

25、d never be a success at anything. Similarly, Henry Ford, the father of the auto industry, had trouble in school with both reading and writing. But perhaps the best example is Albert Einstein, whose parents and teachers suspected that he was retarded because he responded to questions so slowly and in

26、 a stuttering voice. Einsteins high school record was poor in everything but math, and he failed his college entrance exams the first time. Even out of school the man had trouble holding a job- until he announced the theory of relativity.,Many scientists had very bad proficiency records in their sch

27、ool days,As an industry, TV provides jobs for hundreds of thousands who make TV sets and broadcasting equipment. It also provides work for actors, technicians, and others who put on programs. As an art, television brings the theater and other cultural events into the home. Its influence on the life

28、of average Americans is incalculable: it can influence their thoughts, their likes and dislikes, their speech, and even their dress. It can also add to their store of knowledge. Through advertising, television helps businesses and manufacturers sell their products to millions of people. Television h

29、as brought political campaigns closer to the voters than in former days. Educational TV stations offer teaching in various subjects ranging from home nursing to art appreciation. Many large schools and universities have “closed-circuit” television equipment that will telecast lectures and demonstrat

30、ions to hundreds of students in different classrooms; and the lecture can be put on video tape to be kept for later use. Some hospitals use TV to allow medical students to get close-up views of operations.,TV plays an important role in our daily life.,Americans relaxing at home, for example, may put

31、 on kimonos, which is a Japanese word. Americans who live in a warm climate may take an afternoon siesta on an outdoor patio without even realizing that these are Spanish words. In their gardens, they may enjoy the fragrance of jasmine flowers, a word that came into English from Persian. They may even relax on a chalse longue while sipping a drink with vodka, words of French and Russian origin, respectively.,Many loan words have entered Americans daily life.,We are awakened by electric alarm clocks and music pouring from our radio; we operate our toaster, brush our teeth wi