Page 15 - Passages 3rd Edition (demo)

1{~-W~R~IT~IN~G=-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
W1J Topic sentences

The main idea is usually found in the first sentence of the paragraph. This sentence ~
~
is called the topic sentence. ~
"'NT ~bHMlil/.N#H.1.1//klHN/HdUH.l.rhl.r//.IHJllNll/1.V/Ul/l/~H/dH/H/IH/////UHN./llllHU"/l//IHl//N/l/////////////////////////1///Hll///////////11///Q////l////'l////U//U///H////1///////////////U///,/h///d//l/l/////lldl///////#

A Read these paragraphs about people's best and worst qualities. Underline the
topic sentence in each paragraph.

- DX
File Edit View Insert Format Tools Table Window Help
~ f&1 ~ g, (ID(!]lli) i:E i: •= ~= ::: ... ~ (I),.. ~ • a~ ...

I think that my most positive quality is that I'm always pretty calm and cool, especially

when something breaks. I'm really into solving tricky problems and finding solutions to things.
My specialty is electronics. People come to me if something goes wrong with their computers or

phones. For example, two days ago, my dad's brand new tablet suddenly froze up. He was afraid

of causing more damage, so he asked me to figure out the problem. It only took me 15 minutes
to fix it, and I loved doing it!

My most negative quality is that I'm not very neat and
tidy. Sometimes I worry about being so disorganized, but
I never feel like doing anything about it. My apartment is

always a mess, so I can never find anything. Last week,
for example, I finished doing some homework and then

started to make dinner. In the morning, I couldn't find my
assignment anywhere, so I had to redo it. I really want to
change my bad habits, but I don't know where to start.

B Think about your own personal qualities. Make a list. Then decide which
quality is the most positive and which is the most negative. Circle each one.

C Write a paragraph about either your most positive or your most negative
quality. Make sure your paragraph has only one main idea.

D Pair work Exchange paragraphs with a partner. Then answer the questions.
1. What is your partner's topic sentence? Underline it.
2. What examples does your partner give to support the topic sentence?
3. What do you find most interesting about your partner's paragraph?

4!~11•1H·f What kind of person are you? 5