THEORY-BOOK

UNIT 2 SKIMMING &

UNDERSTANDING NOUN
PHRASES

Objectives:
• To find the topic of the passage
• To find the topic sentences and the
controlling ideas
• To get the main and supporting
ideas of the passage
• To understand Noun Phrases
 SKIMMING

A. Topic of the passage

a. Topic stated at the first sentence:
The Japanese macaque is an
endangered monkey. It inhabits an
area farther north than any other
primate except for humans. The
Japanese call this animal the snow
monkey because it can be found in
the snowy regions of Japan.
Ironically, some troops of
macaques have been relocated in
Texas to ensure their survival.
b. Topic stated at the last sentence :
For thousands of years, desert
dwellers have sheltered
themselves in extremely functional
buildings constructed of one of the
most readily available, dependable,
and inexpensive materials we know
of. This ideal insulator, which
absorbs heat during the day and
slowly releases it at night, is mud.
 c. Topic is implied:
The potato is an important food for millions of people.
Destruction of the potato crop by pests has resulted in
famines. Plant researchers have uncovered a hairy
wild variety of potato from Bolivia that emits strong
glue from the end of its hairs. This glue traps and kills
insects. A new hairy potato was developed when
researchers successfully crossed the common potato
with the hairy potato. This new hybrid potato not only
reduces aphid populations by 40 to 60 percent, but
also emits a substance that stops the population of
the Colorado potato beetle, one of the most
destructive potato pests.
 The passage is about the developments in the cross breeding of
potatoes.
 B. Topic sentence

a. Topic sentence at the beginning:

The life cycle of a virus is in two phases. The

first is extra-cellular. This means that the virus
lives outside the cell. The second is
intracellular, and this means that the virus lives
inside the cell where it produces.
 b. Topic sentence in the middle:
Within the animal world, populations change
all the time. Changes in the animal population
depend on many factors. These include the
rate of production of young, and the number
of young that survive through the breeding
stage.
c. Topic sentence at the end:
Doing research on rabies means being in
close contact with the virus and this is very
dangerous. It is also very difficult to grow the
rabies virus sufficiently well. These two
reasons explain why little is known about it.
 A topic sentence contains a controlling idea that
needs to be explained, described, illustrated, or
developed in the sentences that follow the topic
sentence.
 A topic sentence is not a statement of a fact.
Therefore the following statements of facts cannot be a
topic sentence:
 Susilo Bambang Yudoyono is the sixth president of
Indonesia.
 Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Ansori Mattjik, MSc is the Rector of
Institut Pertanian Bogor.
 The Independence Day of Indonesia is celebrated annually
on the 17th August.
 A topic sentence can be a statement of intent or
opinion, or both intent and opinion.

 A statement of intent is an objective sentence that tells

the reader what will objectively be explained in the
paragraph that follows.

Examples:
The life cycle of a virus is in two phases.
 Changes in the animal population depend on many
factors.
 These two reasons explain why little is known about it.
• A statement of opinion makes a judgment. Words
like interesting, bad, exciting, best, terrifying,
etc. give the writer’s subjective opinion (that is, a
personal feeling or belief of the writer) and the
paragraph that follows will support the writer’s
opinion in the topic sentence. Study the following
examples:
• Some drugs are particularly worrisome because
their continued use leads to addiction.
• Television commercials can be very imaginative.
• Learning English at the Self-Access Center is
enjoyable.
 C. Controlling ideas

D. Main and supporting ideas

 Sample passage
• Plants can be limited in their growth rates by
a variety of factors. Mineral nutrients may
diffuse through the soil to the roots, and from
there, they must be carried through the body
of the plant. Carbon dioxide must be taken
into the leaves. Sufficient light must fall upon
the plant to cause a rate of photosynthesis
greater than the rate of consumption of
energy by the plant.
 Grammar points: Noun Phrases
• A. Form
Noun phrase is a phrase that consists of a noun
plus a modifier; the modifier can be an adjective,
a prepositional phrase, adjective clause, and
another noun

• Adjective
Examples: a big house, an extremely expensive
car, easy tasks, complicated problems
 • Prepositional phrases
Examples:
a new computer in the classroom, the man with
glasses, the young teacher in red, the shoes under the
table

• Relative clauses
Examples:
• the people who work in the office
• a house which is 100 years old
• the bag which I was carrying
• the university where you study
• the day when I first came to Bogor
• Another noun

Examples:
• Computer room
• History book
• Car park
• Table lamp
 B. Functions of Noun phrase
• a. Subject
Examples:
• The explosion of bombs on all sides made the
habitants fear for their lives.
• Most fast-food meals which are high in fat
have become an increasing concern.
• French and American managers have
decided different management styles
• Olympic athletes must be strong both
physically and mentally
b. Noun phrase as an Object
Examples:
• Their teacher was explaining the pronunciation of
the English vowels.
• Generic research has produced both exciting and
frightening possibilities

Further exercise
• Reread all the above paragraphs and underline
the noun phrases that you find in each paragraph
THANK YOU…