1

Pertemuan 2The Topic sentence

Matakuliah : Writing III

Tahun : 2006-2007

Versi : 3

2

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this session the students are expected to be able to:– Write a good topic sentence– Provide supporting points to a topic sentence– Revise their paragraphs

3

Outline

• Choosing a topic

• Writing your topic sentence

• Writing your supporting details

4

Choosing a topic

• In general for a composition class like Writing III, the topic has been provided by your lecturer or the text book.

• However, sometimes the topic may be too broad and needs limiting to be more specific.

• For example:Topic: Health

More specific: Health issues among old citizens

More specific: Health care and benefits for the elderly

Or, Preventing hip bone fractures among the elderly.

5

Topic Sentence

• It is the most general sentence in a paragraph

• Its purpose is to help the readers focus on the main point and prepare them for the information that follows

• It should be interesting enough to catch the reader’s attention

6

Example

• Topic sentence:– When I was eight years old, I received the

most wonderful birthday gift – a pair of soccer shoes.

• Support– I adore the shoes because soccer was my

favourite past time that I played everyday– It was given by my cousin, Karl, who had

been a great soccer player– The shoes were unusual. They had flaps over

the laces with red cougars on them.

7

Other examples

1. Topic sentence:My Mazda RX-7 has been one of my

valued possessions ever since I purchased it last fall Supporting points:

• How the exterior looks• What the interior has• How it performs and handles

8

2. Topic sentence: I have a special toy, a digital camera, which

has several useful features.

Supporting points:• ten-times zoom function• viewfinder and editing

• computer hook-up and e-mail

9

Conclusions

• The topic of your paragraph should be limited to a certain aspect of a broad topic

e.g. Education Education in Indonesia Primary school system in Indonesia Bilingual primary schools in Indonesia. (the arrows indicate the limiting process)

• A topic sentence contains the main idea of the paragraph

• The topic sentence should be supported by supporting sentences.