The Topic Sentence

 Topic sentence vs. topic

 The topic just briefly tells what a paragraph is about:

Ex: Fast food; the History of McDonald’s; …

• The topic sentence expresses what a writer wants his/her readers to know about that topic:

Ex:

1. The History of McDonald’s shows how businessmen can become successful without much
education

2. I don’t support fast food to be sold on campus because it might lead to health problems for
students.

NOTE:

“You must always narrow the topic to a particular aspect of that general subject. Suppose you are
interested in the environment. It would be impossible to cover such a big topic in a paragraph. You would
have to narrow the topic to perhaps environmental pollution, if that is your interest. Environmental
pollution, however, is still too broad for a paragraph, so you might even further narrow the topic to a type
of environmental pollution, such as pollution of the oceans. However, writing about ocean pollution is
still too broad because it would include pollution by oil, chemicals, sewage, and garbage. Therefore, you
might decide to write about oil as a source of ocean pollution. Finally, you might make this topic even
narrower by writing only about the effects of oil spills on sea life. The point is, you must narrow the
subject of your paragraph to a specific focus so that you can write about it clearly and completely.

( Writing Academic English, Alice Oshima & Ann Hogne)

ASSIGNMENT 6

You are given five general topics. Narrow each of these general topics to some possible particular aspects
and then choose one of them to write a paragraph about it. You should develop your writing with FOUR
or FIVE supporting sentences.

PART TIME JOBS – TELEVISION – SPORTS – ENTERTAINMENT – INTERNET

Example:

General topic: FAST FOOD

 Possible particular aspects:

1. Advantages and Disadvantages Of Fast Foods

2. The Link Between Fast Food and Child Obesity
3. The Psychology of Fast Food Marketing
4. The Comparison Of Fast Food and Home – cooked meals
 Paragraph
General topic: PART TIME JOBS
Possible particular aspects:
1. What is a part-time job?
2. Type of part-time jobs
3. Benefits of part-time jobs
4. Some disadvantages of part-time jobs
General topic: TELEVISON
Possible particular aspects:
1. History of televison
2. Advantages of televison
3. Disadvantage of televison
4. The link between televison and internet
Paragraph: Televison plays an important role in our life. The world's first television stations
first started appearing in America in the late 1920s and early 1930s.Television helps us relax
after a long day of working or studying. It alsos provides latest news or knowledge about
other fields. However, it has many bad effects on our health. It may effect our eyes and cause
headaches, or we can miss important things when we are addicted to TV. Nowadays, thanks
to internet, we have many chances to watch TV program from anywhere with a wider variety
of shows. In conclusion, television is really a great gift of modern science.
General topic: SPORTS
Possible particular aspects:
1. History of sports
2. Types of sports
3. Advantages of sports
4. The link between playing sports and success in business
General topic: ENTERTAINMENT
Possible particular aspects:
1. Types of entertainment
2. Advantages of entertainment
3. The link between entertainment and industry
4. Difference art and entertainment
General topic: INTERNET
Possible particular aspects
1. History of internet
2. Advantage of internet
3. Internet and social media
4. Disadvantage of internet