WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINE

WORDSmake up

2

PHRASESmake up

3

SENTENCESmake up

4

PARAGRAPHSBy Mr. Ranulfo T. Bacus

5

PARAGRAPHA paragraph is a group of relatedsentences that present and develop onemain idea.

has a three-part structure: The Introduction

The Body

The Conclusion

What is the relation of these shapes for today’s topic?

Dark clouds blocked the sun as itpeeked over the farthest mountain.The clouds moved forward and playedhide-and-seek with beams of sunlightand slowly overtook them. The cloudsbegan to release large drops of rain.With the clouds a wind made itsentrance, and it swirled across thehillsides. A storm was brewing.

TOPIC

SENTENCE

The

TOPIC SENTENCE ?

What is a

THE TOPIC SENTENCEThe topic sentence states the main or

the general idea of the paragraph.The topic sentence states the subject

and the purpose of the paragraph.The topic sentence in a paragraph

summarizes what the entire paragraphis all about.

In most academic essays, though, thetopic sentence is at the beginning.

Features of a topic sentence:

it states the main ideait addresses one aspect of the

subject that can be adequatelycovered in one paragraph;

it controls the other sentences inthe paragraph;

it is more general than thesentences that develop it

Two Types of Topic Sentence:

1. STATED OR OBVIOUS TOPICSENTENCE – this is the type oftopic sentence that is correctlyexpressed in the paragraph

1. IMPLIED TOPIC SENTENCE – this isthe type of topic sentence that isnot stated in the paragraph

EXAMPLE OF STATED TOPIC SENTENCE:

Trees are very essential in ourlives. The newspaper you readeveryday and the books you studywere trees once. Your home, yourfurniture, your clothes come fromtrees. In addition, forests provide awonderful place where we can holdpicnics and have a good time.

EXAMPLE OF IMPLIED TOPIC SENTENCE:

Sometimes in the evenings, Bruno Marswould sit out in front of the ranch housenear the cattle guards and play music. Hewould gather across the ditch and listenattentively. He liked to hear songs by HankWilliams, to which he would attempt to singalong by making little gurgling sounds deepin his throat. Occasionally, he would click histeeth if he played something with a beat toit.

Going back to these shapes!TOPIC SENTENCE POSITIONS

TOPIC SENTENCE

Positions of

AT THE BEGINNING...

Topic sentence is usually found at thebeginning of a paragraph, where it givesa preview of and direction to thesentences that come after it.

TOPIC SENTENCE

EXAMPLE:

A brownout for studentswould be a horrendous disaster.The students will not be able tocheck their mail. They cannotreceive their e-mails either.They cannot use the faxmachine too.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:Student life today is not what it

was then. Students log on to websites instead of going to libraries.Computers look for grammaticaland typographical errors in theirpapers unlike before when studentsreviewed, reread, and reeditedtheir work for hours.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:Student life today is not what it

was then. Students log on to websites instead of going to libraries.Computers look for grammaticaland typographical errors in theirpapers unlike before when studentsreviewed, reread, and reeditedtheir work for hours.

AT THE END...

Sometimes, however, topic sentencecomes at the end of the paragraph,where it draws a conclusion or functionsas a summary.

TOPIC SENTENCE

EXAMPLE:The mountain air around a lake

invigorates and pleases me. I like a lake’sunderwater life, such as minnows andtrout, and I enjoy observing the plantlife around me. Most important, a lakeusually has no chemicals because lakewater is clean, natural, and morerefreshing for swimming. I preferswimming in a mountain lake.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:I cannot cut and paste excerpts

without my computer. I need myCD-ROM to check the spelling andchange fonts of my paper. I do allthese on my computer at my ownleisure. I really don’t know how towrite a paper without doing itdirectly on the computer.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:I cannot cut and paste excerpts

without my computer. I need myCD-ROM to check the spelling andchange fonts of my paper. I do allthese on my computer at my ownleisure. I really don’t know how towrite a paper without doing itdirectly on the computer.

AT THE MIDDLE...

Less frequently, topic sentence comesin the middle of the paragraph,especially when the paragraph is part ofa longer piece of writing.

TOPIC SENTENCE

EXAMPLE:The bird next to me was immature. He

still had brown and tawny plumage insteadof the predominantly black color of theadult. For one thing, he may never have seenanother human being. But there is a betterexplanation; in remote Galapagos Islands,there are hardly any land mammals, and thehawk is very nearly the sole predator. Withno enemies and almost no competitors, ithas nothing to fear and plenty to eat.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:Dancing and chanting, Polynesian

students give visitors to the Polynesian CultureCenter a glimpse of Hawaii’s post. Through itsexhibitions, the Polynesian Culture Centershows visitors the many elements of Hawaiianculture brought to Hawaii by Polynesians. Forexample, the Center shows the similaritiesbetween the Polynesian and Hawaiian villageswith life-size models. In addition, the Centerdramatizes Hawaiian legends of ancestorsjourneying across oceans.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:Dancing and chanting, Polynesian

students give visitors to the Polynesian CultureCenter a glimpse of Hawaii’s post. Through itsexhibitions, the Polynesian Culture Centershows visitors the many elements of Hawaiianculture brought to Hawaii by Polynesians. Forexample, the Center shows the similaritiesbetween the Polynesian and Hawaiian villageswith life-size models. In addition, the Centerdramatizes Hawaiian legends of ancestorsjourneying across oceans.

AT BOTH BEGINNING AND END...

In this type, if the paragraph is meant as afreestanding unit of discourse and not part of a largerwhole, the topic sentence, or rather the ideas itcontains, are frequently restated at the end of theparagraph.

TOPIC SENTENCE

TOPIC SENTENCE

EXAMPLE:Throwing a clay pot, requires many steps. The

first step is by wedging the clay. The potter kneads theclay to prepare it for throwing. Once wedged andformed into a ball, the clay is thrown onto the center ofa potter's wheel. The clay must be coerced into aperfectly symmetrical shape, dead center on thespinning wheel. When correctly centered, the clay isready to be opened. After that, the clay can now beshaped and the potter should correctly reach its desiredheight. Finally, the pot is ready to be dried, fired, andglazed. Thus, even though a clay pot may appear simpleto make, fashioning one by hand takes a long process.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:Energy simply makes our daily lives more

comfortable and convenient. Suppose you wantedto stop – and reverse – the economic progress ofthis nation, what would be the surest and quickestway to do it? Find a way to cut off the nation’s oilresources! Industrial plants would shut down,public utilities would stand idle, and all firms oftransportation will halt. The country would beparalyzed, and our economy would plummet intothe abyss of national economic ruin. In short,energy is one of the reason why we have anadequate life nowadays.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:Energy simply makes our daily lives more

comfortable and convenient. Suppose you wantedto stop – and reverse – the economic progress ofthis nation, what would be the surest and quickestway to do it? Find a way to cut off the nation’s oilresources! Industrial plants would shut down,public utilities would stand idle, and all firms oftransportation will halt. The country would beparalyzed, and our economy would plummet intothe abyss of national economic ruin. In short,energy is one of the reason why we have anadequate life nowadays.

IMPLIED TOPIC SENTENCE...

Some paragraphs doesn’t state theretopic sentences. This does not mean thatthere is no topic sentence on it. Instead, itmeans that you have to figure it out byyourself.

TOPIC SENTENCE

EXAMPLE 1:College and university sports team have

nicknames. Most are common, such as theBears, Lions, and Tigers. However, some areunusual. For instance, the University ofCalifornia at Irvine is nicknamed “Anteaters”.The University of Washburn’s sports teamare called “Thunderducks”. And perhaps thestrangest of all belongs to the University ofCalifornia at Santa Cruz. Their nickname isthe “Banana Slugs”.

EXAMPLE 1:

The suggested implied topicsentence for example 1 is:

Some College and Universitysport teams have unusual Collegenicknames.

EXAMPLE 2:Yellow is a bright cheery color; it is

often associated with spring andhopefulness. Green, since it is a color thatappears frequently in nature (trees, grass,plants), has come to suggest growth andrebirth. Blue, the color of the sky maysuggest eternity, or endless beauty. Red, thecolor of both blood and fire, is oftenconnected with strong feelings such ascourage, lust and rage.

EXAMPLE 2:

The suggested implied topicsentence for example 2 is:

Different colors may bringdifferent meanings or symbolicrepresentations.