Controlling ideas

Controlling ideas are any words that control or limit what can and cannot be written about the specific topic. Some words are quite obvious, others less so. The more obvious the controlling idea is, the easier it is for the reader to understand what the paragraph is going to be about. This, in turn, makes it easier to understand and remember the content of the paragraph.

The following are some words that can be used as controlling ideas in the topic sentence:

Task 3

Using the words from the table above, develop topic sentences for the following topics:

1. Studying at Oxford University

2. Global warming.

3. Colleges and universities.

4. Public education.

5. Marriage.

Task 4

Read the paragraph about everyday heroes. Then choose the best topic sentence and concluding sentence in the choices that follow.

Heroes of Everyday Life

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Both my grandparents were born just after the First World War, and the time they lived through was not an easy one. They were raised in single-parent homes because their fathers were repressed, and they had to face World War II. My grandfather went into the army to fight in a war where many people died, my grandmother, too, was in the army as a nurse. She rescued many wounded soldiers and got a medal for it. They got married after the war – a difficult time when the country had to recover from the fascist terror. They were poor, but full of hope and love. Growing up in single-parent homes, they promised to themselves to be loving parents and to raise their kids in a full family. My grandmother and grandfather built a home full of love for each other and their children. They both spent their lives helping other people and their house was always full of friends and relatives.

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B. Choose the best topic sentence for this paragraph:

____ a. My grandparents are my heroes.

_____b. My grandparents had hard time during two World Wars.

_____c. My grandparents lived through bad times but remained loving parents, good friends and relatives.

______d. I am going to tell you about the people I love most.

C. Choose the best concluding sentence for this paragraph:

____ a. I admire my grandparents, who are my heroes.

_____b. My grandparents were brave during two World Wars.

_____c. My grandparents are getting older now and sometimes they have hard time now.

______d. My grandparents are heroes who are devoted to their family and others around them.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 731