COMPILED WRITING PACK

FOR GAMMA GROUPS

2021-2022

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 Table of Contents
WRITING SKILLS QUESTIONNAIRE …………………………………………………... 1
STARTING ACADEMIC PARAGRAPH WRITING …………………………………….. 2
TOPIC SENTENCE / WRITING A TOPIC SENTENCE ………………………………… 5
Identifying Irrelevant Sentences …………………………………………………………… 12
MAJOR SUPPORTING SENTENCES ……………………………………………………. 15
MINOR SUPPORTING SENTENCES ……………………………………………………. 17
CONCLUDING SENTENCE ……………………………………………………………… 18
COHERENCE AND COHESION …………………………………………………………. 20
USING REFERENCE WORDS AND PRONOUNS ……………………………………… 22
USING SOME USEFUL TRANSITION SIGNALS ……………………………………… 24
COHERENCE AND COHESION EXERCISES ………………………………………….. 25
UNITY ……………………………………………………………………………………... 27
COMMON MISTAKES WHEN FORMING SENTENCES ……………………………… 28
CAPITALIZATION / PUNCTUATION …………………………………………………... 32
SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS and EXERCISES ……………………………………………... 35
3 TYPES OF ACADEMIC PARAGRAPHS ………………………………………………. 40
DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH ……………………………………………………………. 41
OPINION PARAGRAPH ………………………………………………………………….. 46
PROCESS PARAGRAPGH (How to Texts) ………………………………………………. 53
FROM PARAGRAPH TO ESSAY ………………………………………………………... 60
COMPONENTS OF AN ESSAY ………………………………………………………….. 63
1. INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH ……………………………………………………... 63
2. BODY (DEVELOPMENT) PARAGRAPHS …………………………………………… 68
3. CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH …………………………………………………………. 69
Writing Titles ………………………………………………………………………………. 70
3 TYPES OF ACADEMIC ESSAYS ……………………………………………………… 74
1. OPINION ESSAY: DO YOU AGREE? ………………………………………………… 74
2. NARRATIVE ESSAY …………………………………………………………………... 83
3. CAUSE/ EFFECT ESSAY ……………………………………………………………… 88
WRITING CORRECTION SYMBOLS …………………………………………………… 100
REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………………... 101

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 WRITING SKILLS QUESTIONNAIRE

 Use Y, N, and S, for "Yes," "No," and "Sometimes." If you don't know the answer,
which may often happen at the start of the course, use a question mark.

ATTITUDES TOWARD WRITING

_____ _____ _____ Do you enjoy writing?
In general do you trust yourself as a person who can find good words
_____ _____ _____
and ideas?
_____ _____ _____ Do you think of yourself as a good writer?

GENERATING
On a topic of interest to you, can you generate lots of words fairly
_____ _____ _____
quickly and easily - not be stuck?
_____ _____ _____ On a topic of interest to you, can you come up with ideas quickly?
On a topic that doesn't much interest to you (perhaps an assigned
topic), can you generate lots of words fairly quickly and easily - not
be stuck?
On a topic not of interest, can you come up with ideas quickly?
Do you start writing down your ideas after making an outline of
them?

REVISING
Can you revise your work in the literal sense of "resee", i.e. rethink
_____ _____ _____
and change your mind about major things you have said?
Can you correct most mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and so on?
Can you find problems in your reasoning or logic and straighten them
out?
Can you make your sentences clear so they are clear to readers on
first reading?
Can you find a main point in your writing?

FEEDBACK
_____ _____ _____ Do you enjoy sharing a draft of what you've written with friends?
Can you openly listen to the reactions of a reader to your writing and
try to see it as he/she sees it, even if you think his/her reactions are all
wrong?
Can you give objective feedback to a writer telling the writer what
you would like?
Can you give "criterion-based feedback" telling the writer how the
draft matches up against the most common criteria of good writing?

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AWARENESS AND CONTROL OF WRITING PROCESS
Can you give a detailed account of what was going on when you
_____ _____ _____
were writing: the thoughts and feelings that went through your mind.
Do you notice any problems in your writing and understand what the
causes are?
Can you make any changes in your writing based on those things you
noticed?

What aspects of writing in English are most difficult for you? Please rate each aspect,
according to your needs.
Aspect Please Explain (if necessary) Level of Difficulty
High Med. Easy

Grammar
Rules for capitalization
Rules for punctuation
The process of writing
Vocabulary
Other

STARTING ACADEMIC PARAGRAPH WRITING

STARTING TO WRITE

When you sit down to write...

● Does your mind turn black?
● Are you sure you have nothing to say?
Many students experience this, but some students have strategies or techniques to get them
started. When you are planning to write something down, you can try some of these
techniques.
Ask yourself: “What is my purpose for writing about this topic?”
You might think of many things to write about for any subject, but you need to narrow
down your choices.

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CHOOSING A TOPIC AND NARROWING DOWN THE TOPIC
MODEL TASK
The general topic may be too broad: The writer should narrow it down and identify the
elements to be discussed.

“Traffic problems in Istanbul”

This topic is more specific but it is still open to a new set of ideas.
This step is followed by the next stage: Brainstorming
BRAINSTORMING
Write down everything that comes to your mind about the topic; examples, sentences,
suggestions, false starts, etc. Perhaps some friends in your group can join in. You can even
write down the ones that you are not sure of. In this stage, grammar mistakes and word
order are not so important.

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BRAINSTORMING ABOUT THE NARROWED DOWN TOPIC
MODEL TASK

Traffic problems in Istanbul

The following ideas about the topic may come to your mind:

FINDING IRRELEVANT IDEAS

Now there are some ideas about our topic; traffic problems in Istanbul but are all of these
ideas directly related to the topic? When an idea is NOT related to the topic we want to
write about, it is called IRRELEVANT. In our model task, there are two irrelevant ideas:
“expensive cars” and “shopping centers.” This means that we cannot include these ideas in
our paragraph because “expensive cars” and “shopping centers” have got no connection
with our topic.
GROUPING
Other ideas about “traffic problems in Istanbul”: traffic jam / over-population / wasting too
many hours / accidents / rush hours / too many cars. These ideas are all related to the topic
but in different ways. This means that we should group them or list them according to their
common features.
GROUP A MODEL TASK
What types of traffic problems are there in Istanbul? (Types of traffic problems in
Istanbul)
1. Traffic jam
2. Accidents
3. Wasting too many hours

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GROUP B MODEL TASK
Why are there traffic problems in Istanbul? (The reasons of traffic problems in Istanbul)
1. Over-population
2. Rush hour
3. Too many cars
CHOOSING ONE OF THE GROUPS AND STARTING TO WRITE DOWN THE
PARAGRAPH
Now, suppose that we choose GROUP B to write down the paragraph.
The reasons of traffic problems in Istanbul
In this stage we should study the following:
● What is the topic?
● What is the controlling idea?
● What is the topic sentence?
The topic is the subject matter of your paragraph. (Traffic problems in Istanbul)
The controlling idea is the main idea, your attitude, and your evaluation of the topic.
The topic sentence is a statement that generally introduces the topic. In the topic sentence
we express the controlling idea of the paragraph.

TOPIC SENTENCE / WRITING A TOPIC SENTENCE

Topic sentence is usually the opening statement of your paragraph. It gives the readers a
broad view of what you are writing about because the topic sentence states the main idea of
the paragraph. It tells them what the rest of the paragraph is all about. If they are interested
in the topic, they will continue reading. That's why your topic sentence should be precise
and at the same time it should catch the readers' attention so that they want to carry on
reading. A topic sentence has two parts:
- a topic - a controlling idea
The topic is the most general part of the topic sentence. For example, “my sister” is my
topic. Can I write everything about my sister in a paragraph? Certainly, not! If I try to write
down everything about my sister, the paragraph will be too detailed and out of control. It
will be very difficult to write and read that paragraph. Thus, we have to limit the topic by a
controlling idea. For instance, the topic “my sister” might be limited as follows:
● My sister is a perfect doctor.
OR
● My sister is a very attractive girl.
OR

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● My sister is my best friend.
In the first topic sentence, “a perfect doctor” is the controlling idea. Therefore, the
paragraph will be about “why and how my sister is a perfect doctor”.
In the second topic sentence, “a very attractive girl” is the controlling idea, so we expect
some physical description of my sister in the paragraph.

In the last one, “my best friend” is the controlling idea and the paragraph will be about
“why and how she is my best friend”.

Exercise Look at these topic sentences. Circle the topic of the sentence and underline the
controlling idea.

a. My sister is my best friend.

sister
b. Snowboarding is my favorite winter sport.
c. The last CD I bought has changed my life.
d. There are three reasons why my mobile phone is useful.
e. Reading books, such as the Harry Potter books, can help students improve their English.
f. My part-time job has taught me several new skills.
g. Disneyland was a great place for our family holiday.

Identifying Topic Sentences

Exercise Underline the topic sentence in each of the following paragraphs.
a The students in the class come from many different parts of the world. Some are from
European countries such as France, Spain, and Italy. Others are from Middle Eastern
countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel. Many are from Asian countries, like Japan. The
largest number is from Latin American countries, such as Venezuela and Mexico.
b London Heathrow is the busiest international airport in the world. It handles over
350,000 international flights every year –about 41,000,000 passengers. Around 54,000
people work at Heathrow, about the population of a country town.
c There are new leaves on the trees in spring. Flowers begin to grow. Spring is the time of
new life. Nature puts on new clothes in many colors – red, yellow, blue, white and purple.
Many baby animals are born. Birds build nests in the spring.
d The modern supermarket is very different from the small grocery store of yesterday.
Firstly, it offers a great variety of services. For example, you can have lunch, get a haircut
or send an email. Also, you can find different makes of products in different qualities and
price.

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e People destroy forests for several reasons. Most people cut down trees for fuel. Others
use trees to make furniture (e.g. tables, chairs, etc.) and some people cut down trees so they
can sell the wood and start farms.
f There are many reasons why millions of Americans move every year. Some move to
find better jobs or to advance their careers. Others are attracted to places with better
weather. Still others want to move to a place with less crime. Finally, many people want to
move to a place with a lower cost of living.
g Throughout history garlic has had many uses. The Romans gave garlic to their slaves
for strength and to their soldiers for courage. During the Middle Ages some people used
garlic to keep witches away. In the 18th century it was used to cure diseases. Even today
some people believe that eating garlic can prevent colds.
h After you retire, you can learn new things such as foreign language or painting. You
also have time for your hobbies. In addition, young people respect you more and take your
advice more seriously. Therefore, old age has some advantages.
i Starting a day early is a good thing. When you get up early, you feel energetic and you
can get organized easily. If you don't have fixed working hours, you can have your
afternoon free and do the things you enjoy.

Choosing a Topic Sentence

Exercise 1 Choose the topic sentence for each of the following paragraphs.
Example
The city needs money to fix the buses.
Many of the buses need repair work. City officials say there is not enough money to fix
them. They will borrow money from the state.
a. The city needs the money.
b. The city needs money to fix the buses.
c. The state has lots of money.

1. First of all, you can have different kinds of entertainment opportunities in the city.
Secondly, there are lots of hospitals where you can go when it's necessary. Thirdly,
children can go to better schools in the city.
a. There are a lot of cinemas and theatres in the city.
b. There are many advantages of living in the city.
c. You can find a lot of hospitals and schools in the city.

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2. I enjoy basketball because I forget my problems while I'm playing it. So I feel relaxed
and happy at the end of matches.
a. Basketball is different from other sports.
b. Everybody likes basketball.
c. Basketball is my favorite game.
3. He works six days a week. He gets up at 6 o'clock and leaves home at 6.30 every day.
He has several meetings with directors from different companies all day long. He comes
home at 9 p.m. and works till midnight at home.
a. Tom Black works at an international company.
b. Tom Black is a very busy person.
c. Tom Black doesn't work on Sundays.
4. It will be more difficult for you if you wait until just before Christmas. Many stores run
out of their most popular items so it will be harder for you to find what you want. The
stores are also more crowded, and the lines are much longer.
a. Shopping is difficult.
b. The stores are crowded at Christmas.
c. It is better to do your Christmas shopping early.
5. Many people enjoy it even though it is expensive and dangerous. A lot of people spend
every winter weekend skiing, and many families go on winter ski vacations. Neither the
high cost of equipment nor the severe cold keeps skiers away from the slopes.
a. Skiing is expensive.
b. Skiing is a popular sport.
c. Skiing has many disadvantages.
6. First of all, you must consider the quality of the university's academic program. The
university's size and the location must be also given careful thought. Finally, you must
always be sure to consider the tuition before you decide which university to attend.
a. It is expensive to attend a university in the United States.
b. There are many things to consider when choosing a university.
c. A good education is important.
Exercise 2 Decide which one can be a topic sentence.
1. _____ It likes to play.
_____ My new kitten Mali, is very playful.
2. _____ My car is a Volkswagen.
_____ My car has caused many problems this week.

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3. _____ He is a doctor.
_____ Dr. Smith is a talented pediatrician.
4. _____ They are funny paintings.
_____ In his paintings, Salvador Dali uses strange images.

Writing a Topic Sentence

Tip: An easy way to write a topic sentence is to find the most repeated words, i.e. key words
in the paragraph. Sometimes the key words are present in the paragraph and other times
you might deduce them from the context. When you find these words, you will be able to
understand the topic and the controlling idea of the paragraph and write a topic sentence
more easily.
Example: __________________________________________________.
It is always sunny and warm. The beaches are beautiful with soft, white sand and clean blue
water. There are many fine restaurants in the Miami area and the city is famous for its
nightlife.
Key words: Miami, (sunny, warm, beaches) summer, holiday, (beautiful, fine, famous) nice,
good, etc.…
Here are some suggested topic sentences:
Miami is a nice place to take a vacation. / Miami is a good holiday destination. / You can
have a great summer holiday in Miami.

Exercise 1 Decide what each of the following paragraphs is about and write a topic
sentence in the space provided.

1._______________________________________________________.
He collects stamps and coins. He likes showing his collections to his friends. He also
enjoys painting and drawing. His latest hobby is gardening. Out of all his hobbies Paul's
favorite one is reading. He tries to read at least one book every week.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
2.________________________________________________________.
First of all, you can lie on the sand and watch the stars. Also, you can listen to the sound of
waves. Finally, you can be alone there as long as you like.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
3.________________________________________________________.

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He helps his friends when they are in need. Also, he is trustworthy: you can tell all your
secrets to him. Finally, he is easygoing.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
4. _______________________________________________________.
The first Olympic Games lasted for one day and had only one event (a running race the
length of the stadium) and only men competed. Nowadays, the Olympic Games have
hundreds of events for both men and women and last for over two weeks.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
5. _______________________________________________________.
First of all, the work is very interesting. I learn new things every day, and I get to travel a
lot. Secondly, my boss is very nice. He always helps me when I have a problem. I have
also made many new friends at my job. Finally, the salary is fantastic.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
6. _______________________________________________________.
My plane was six hours late. The hotel was horrible. On the third day, I lost all my money
and credit cards. It rained for 5 days, except for the last day when there was sun, and on
that day I got terribly sunburnt.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
7. _______________________________________________________.
Some people hijack airplanes for political reasons. Others do it for financial reasons. Still
others hijack airplanes because they want to be famous.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
8. _______________________________________________________.
To me, books are the most wonderful things in the world. I can pick up a book and be in
another place or another time without leaving my room. I could spend my whole life
reading books.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
9. _______________________________________________________.
I can't wait to come home from school to eat the delicious meals she has prepared. She is
always experimenting with different ingredients and recipes. No one in the world can cook
the way my mother does.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
10. ______________________________________________________.

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For one thing, you can never get bored in a large city; there are always films and plays to
see, large stores for shopping or at least for window-shopping. Large cities provide
educational facilities and health care for citizens. Another thing is that if you are in a large
city it's not difficult for you to find a job.
Key words:…………………………………………………………………………………
11. _______________________________________________________.
Professional ice-skaters have to do a lot of practice. In fact, it takes the whole day and,
therefore there is no time left for leisure activities, friends or even family members. They
can't go to the cinemas or discos like the people of their age and unlike others, they can't
have simple hobbies.
Key words:………………………………………………………………………………
12. ______________________________________________________.
Many people enjoy tennis, besides they believe that playing tennis keeps them fit. There
are hundreds of people who take up this sport after their retirement. Children, too, are keen
on tennis. They think it is fun.
Key words:………………………………………………………………………………
13. _______________________________________________________
While he was ironing his trousers, he burnt them. Then, he missed the bus to work and had
to take a taxi. When he got to work, his boss reprimanded him saying, “Robert, you are late
again.” Towards noon his girlfriend called him and said that she wouldn't see him again.
Key words:………………………………………………………………………………

Exercise 2 Find the main idea of the following paragraphs and write a topic sentence.
1. I look for some very important qualities in a good friend. Firstly, he must be honest. I
think this is the most important behavior. I can believe everything my friends say. A good
friend must come to me first to tell his ideas. I mean he shouldn’t talk about me with other
people. Secondly, a good friend must help me. He must do his best. If we solve problems
together, our friendship will be better and it will become stronger. Finally, the talking time
is important. I can talk with my friends for a long time, and during that time I must be
happy. That’s why we should like the same things. I think these three qualities are very
important in a good friend.
The main idea: A good friend (the topic)
The topic sentence: There are three qualities that I need to see in a good friend.

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2)______________________________________________________. The one most
people are familiar with is the “desk dictionary,” sometimes referred to as a general-
purpose dictionary. Another kind is the pronouncing dictionary, which is concerned with a
word’s pronunciation more than its meaning. A third type is the bilingual dictionary,
which lists the words in one language and attempts to give equivalent meanings in another
language. Other types include technical dictionaries, special-purpose dictionaries and
scholarly dictionaries.
3)______________________________________________________. First of all, the
weather was terrible. It rained for four days, so we didn’t leave the hotel and stayed in our
room. Secondly, the food in the hotel was awful but expensive, so we couldn’t eat well.
Finally, on the last day of our holiday, I lost my credit card. Then, I had to borrow money
from my friends. Shortly, having a holiday in Paris wasn’t like a paradise for me.
4)_____________________________________________________. Firstly, she likes
collecting antique furniture. Her house is full of antique tables, chairs and lamps. Also, she
loves reading. She spends most of her free time reading or going to bookshops. Finally, she
enjoys painting pictures. She usually puts her own paintings on the walls but sometimes
she gives them to her friends as presents. She thinks hobbies make her very happy.
5)____________________________________________________. It is located on the
second floor, so I don’t have to climb too many stairs. I can go down to the study and the
canteen, then up to my room easily. When I forget something or leave my books in the
room, it is easy to go back to the room. I also feel safe on the second floor. I know thieves
cannot climb into my room through the window. Another thing I like about my room is it
overlooks a small garden, so I can see some trees and flowers from my window. It is also
nice and quiet at the back of the building. In short, my room has an excellent location and I
think I am lucky to have a room like that.

Identifying Irrelevant Sentences

While you are organizing your list, you should eliminate the irrelevant sentences in your
paragraph. But you might still have some irrelevant sentences in your paragraph. So, as
you reread your paragraph, you should eliminate them.
Exercise A Read the following and find the sentence which is irrelevant to the main idea.
Cross out that sentence and explain why it does not belong.
a. Topic Sentence: It is interesting to visit foreign countries.
1. You can meet new people.

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 2. You can eat different kinds of food.
3. It is expensive.
4. You can see the way other people live.
b. Topic Sentence: There is a lot to do in New York City.
1. There are many museums to see.
2. It is the cultural center of the USA.
3. The subways are dirty.
4. The restaurants are interesting.
c. Topic Sentence: People prefer small cars for a number of reasons.
1. They are cheaper to buy.
2. They use less gas than bigger cars.
3. They are easier to park.
4. Some small cars do not have enough legroom.
d. Topic Sentence: Different people spend their free time in different ways.
1. A lot of people spend their free time going to movies.
2. The price of movies has increased recently.
3. Some people like to read.
4. Many people enjoy sports.
5. Some people prefer to listen to music.
e. Topic Sentence: Smoking cigarettes is a bad habit.
1. It is expensive.
2. It may cause cancer.
3. There are many kinds of cigarettes.
4. The smoke often bothers other people.
5. Cigarettes left burning can cause fires.
Exercise B Underline the sentence which is irrelevant to the main idea.
1. Cats make wonderful house pets. They are very loving and friendly. They are clean.
They don't eat much, so they are not expensive. Many people are allergic to their hair.
They look beautiful.
2. Most American women do not want to have a baby before they are thirty years old.
Some of them have good jobs and want to continue their careers. Many American couples
have two children. Others think it is difficult to look after a baby when they are so young.
Still others want to have enough money before they start a family.

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3. Running has many positive effects on the body. First of all, the heart and lungs work
better. Also, the body gets physically stronger. Swimming is a popular sport too. Finally,
the body becomes much healthier.
Now let’s remember our first topic:
“Traffic problems in Istanbul”

What’s the controlling idea?

The reasons of traffic problems in Istanbul

Write the topic sentence, which contains the controlling idea.

There are traffic problems in Istanbul for several reasons.

topic controlling idea

What are supporting sentences?

Supporting sentences come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph.
What do they do?
These sentences provide details to develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.
How do I write them?
Supporting sentences include facts, details, and examples that are tied to the main point of
the paragraph.
Don’t forget!!!
The main idea is the most important idea in a paragraph.
Supporting details
*help you to better understand the main idea.
*tell you more about the main idea.
*make your main idea stronger

Exercise: Read each main idea and choose the correct supporting detail.

a. Kangaroos are mammals.

Main Idea: Kangaroos usually
b. These mobs can be as large as 100
live in groups called mobs.
kangaroos.

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Main Idea: Kangaroos a. Kangaroo babies are called joeys.
usually have only one baby at a time. b. Kangaroos eat grass and leaves.

a. A joey lives in the mother’s pouch

Main Idea: Kangaroos eat grasses, for 9 months.
leaves and roots. b. He only likes grass that is green and close
to the ground.

a. If a kangaroo senses danger, they will

bang their tail on the ground to warn the
others.
Main Idea: Kangaroos protect
b. A newborn joey is only the size of your
themselves in many ways.
thumb.

There are two types of Supporting Details:

I MAJOR SUPPORTING SENTENCES

A Pet Dog
There are several difficulties of having a pet dog. First of all, it is expensive to keep
a pet dog at home. Dog food and dog medicine cost a lot of money. Secondly, dogs are like
children, so they need great care. When you have a dog, you mustn’t leave it alone for a
long time. If you do, your dog will be unhappy. Finally, it is really tiring to look after a
dog. You should take your dog for walks, train it and play with it. To sum up, dogs are not
easy to look after.

Outline of the paragraph

Topic (Main idea): Having a pet dog

Controlling idea: Several difficulties
Topic Sentence: There are several difficulties of having a pet dog.
Major Supporting Sentences
First major support: It is expensive to keep a pet dog at home.
Second major support: Dogs are like children, so they need great care.
Third major support: It is really tiring to look after a dog.

● Each major supporting sentence starts with a signal word, such as “First of all,”,
“Secondly,”, “Finally,”

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 ● Major supporting sentences mustn’t be too specific. They must explain the main
idea.

● Each major supporting sentence must be related to the topic sentence.

Exercise: Write three supporting sentences for each of the following topic sentences.
Example
I am terrible at doing the laundry.
a. I forget to separate the colored clothes from the white ones and sometimes end up with
gray underwear.
b. I rarely read the cleaning instructions and have ruined clothes by putting them in the
washing machine instead of dry cleaning them.
c. I often shrink my favorite shirts because I leave them in the dryer for too long.

1. I love eating food from different countries.

a. __________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________

2. Summer is my favorite season.

a. __________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________

3. There is too much violence on television.

a. __________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________
4. There are several ways to conserve electricity.
a. __________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________

5. It is almost impossible to study in my dormitory.

a. __________________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________________

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II MINOR SUPPORTING SENTENCES

How can we write minor supporting sentences? There are different methods of doing this.

1. by giving reasons: If a statement arouses the question “why” in the reader’s mind, that
means you should support that statement by giving reasons.
2. by giving examples: You can make a general statement understandable by giving
examples. To introduce an example, you can use the expressions “for example”, “for
instance”, “to illustrate”, “such as”, and “like”.
3. by telling an anecdote: An anecdote is a short account of an actual event. You can think
of it as a long example.
4. by giving details: A detail is a particular part or characteristic of a whole thing or a
whole idea. You can expand an idea by giving more specific details about it.
5. by referring to facts: If you refer to facts (numbers, statistics and factual information)
your reader will believe in your idea more readily. (When referring to facts, you should use
authoritative sources and name them in the text).

Exercise 1: Read the same paragraph about “Having a pet dog” and write the necessary
information in the chart after examining the outline of the paragraph on page 16.

A Pet Dog
There are several difficulties of having a pet dog. First of all, it is expensive to keep
a pet dog at home. Dog food and dog medicine cost a lot of money. Secondly, dogs are like
children, so they need great care. When you have a dog, you mustn’t leave it alone for a
long time. If you do, your dog will be unhappy. Finally, it is really tiring to look after a
dog. Yesterday I took my dog for a walk twice in the morning and in the evening. My dog
was energetic as usual and when I got home, I was really exhausted. To sum up, dogs are
not easy to look after.
Outline of the paragraph
Topic (Main idea): Having a pet dog.
Controlling idea: Several difficulties.
Topic Sentence: There are several difficulties of having a pet dog.
Minor supporting sentences
First minor support: _________________________________________________
Second minor support: _______________________________________________
Third minor support: ________________________________________________

17
What supporting methods does the writer use in the paragraph?

First minor support:

_________________________________________________________
Second minor support:
_______________________________________________________
Third minor support:
__________________________________________________________

Example (Major and Minor Supporting Sentences)

There are traffic problems in Istanbul for several reasons.

Before you start writing your paragraph about this topic, you should find at least 3 major
points and 3 minor points to support your majors.
Major point 1: Over-population.
Major sentence: There is over-population in Istanbul. / (Istanbul is an over-populated city.)
Minor Sentence: About 14 million people live in Istanbul.
Major Point 2: Rush Hours.
Major sentence: The traffic is usually very heavy during the rush hours.
Minor Sentence: People try to get to work or their homes especially in the morning and in
the afternoon and this causes traffic jams on the roads.
Major Point 3: Too many cars.
Major Sentence: Almost everybody has a car, so there are too many cars in traffic.
Minor sentence: Some families have more than one car and everybody in the family uses
their own car. This creates chaos in traffic.
CONCLUDING SENTENCE
The last sentence in your paragraph is called the concluding sentence. This sentence tells
the reader that it is the end of the paragraph.
The concluding sentence and the topic sentence are similar. They are both general
sentences. You can write the concluding sentence like the topic sentence, but use different
words.

There are two ways to write a concluding sentence:

1. Say the topic sentence in different words.
2. Summarize the main points in the paragraph.
Begin a concluding sentence with one of these phrases:

18
In conclusion, / To sum up, / To summarize, / In summary, /As you can see,
Exercise 1 With a partner, match the topic sentence on the left to the concluding sentence
on the right.
a. …… I admire many things about my 1. You can easily see that he is friendly,
father. outgoing, and loves to laugh.
b. ….... I think my uncle's face shows 2. She works hard at her job, but she
his personality. always has time for me.
c. ….... Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry 3. His poor health is probably why he
Potter is my favorite actor. died young.
d. ….... I was always frightened of my 4. When I grow up, I hope I will be
history teacher. just like my father.
e. ….... My mother is a very busy person. 5. She was scary, but I learned a lot
from her tough lessons and strict
personality!
f. ….... Elvis' body and health changed 6. I think he will keep improving as he
as he got older. gets older and makes more films.

Exercise 2 Read the following paragraph and decide which sentence cannot be a
concluding sentence.

1. My grandfather is a wonderful storyteller.

2. My grandfather is a good example for me.
3. My grandfather never went to college.
4. I think all teenagers should listen to their grandparents' stories.
My Grandfather

We can all learn from listening to our grandparents. My grandfather always tells great
stories about his life. He's 94 years old, but his voice is still strong and clear. He speaks
quietly and slowly when he tells stories. His life was difficult when he was young. His
family didn't have much money, and he worked hard. Even though his life was not easy, he
is positive and optimistic. I can learn many things from his stories.___________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
Exercise 3 Write a concluding sentence for the following paragraphs.
1. Using the Internet is very common all over the world for many reasons. Firstly, all
of the latest information is available to you at home, at any hour of the day or night. Also,
you can do online shopping and buy what you want at the best price so you can save both

19
time and money. Finally, email is popular because it is faster than sending a letter and
cheaper than a telephone conversation. _________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
2. Having a part-time job is a valuable experience for university students. First, they
can learn many things that are not usually taught in a classroom. For example, they can
learn how to work with older people. Also, they get experience with the business world.
For instance, I took a business class at university that was very good. Finally, when
university students work part-time, they learn the real world by doing things, such as
earning money and meeting different people. ____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
3. Mobile phones are more of a problem than a help. Firstly, in classrooms, movie
theatres and restaurants we can hear their annoying ringing and this is disturbing for the
people in these places. Secondly, drivers might have accidents while using cell phones in
their cars because they can't pay attention to the traffic around them. Finally, people who
have a mobile phone make unnecessary calls just to play with their new
“toy.”____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
4. Izmir is famous for several amazing landmarks and monuments. First, Agora is one
of Izmir's most ancient landmarks and it was originally constructed for Alexander the
Great over 2300 years ago. In those times, it served as a busy marketplace. Moreover, the
Clock Tower is an unusual landmark in the Konak Square. Sultan Abdulhamid II donated
the historical Clock Tower to Izmir. Last of all, Kordon, which is located alongside the
Alsancak docks, is another beauty of Izmir. Kordon is a perfect place where you can go for
a ride on the traditional Turkish phaetons or simply watch the sunset.
_________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.

COHERENCE AND COHESION

Description of My House
I live in a beautiful house with my family. We have two bedrooms and a living
room. We have a garden and we have some flowers there. On weekdays I arrive home at
five o’clock and I have lunch. Then, I do my homework and go to bed. I had a computer
but now it doesn’t work. I have a brother and a sister and I think I am very lucky to live

20
with them. Sometimes our relatives visit us. Our flat becomes very crowded sometimes but
I like it.
In the example above, how many sentences actually describe your house? Two.
1. We have two bedrooms and a living room.
2. We have a garden and we have some flowers there.
All other sentences are NOT RELATED to the main idea. However, if the topic of the
paragraph is changed to “My Life at Home”, then the sentences become more related.
In a coherent and cohesive paragraph, the sentences should be organized in a logical
manner and should follow a definite plan of development. Here’s an example of an
incoherent paragraph.
I live in a house in Meleka. It isn’t old or modern. It’s a normal Malaysian house.
We can say it is near the sea. It takes about 10 minutes to go to the seaside on foot. We
have two bedrooms, one living room. We also have two other rooms, too. We use them as
dining rooms. Naturally, we have a kitchen, a bathroom, and a toilet. I live with my
parents. In addition, our house has a little garden; my parents spend their time there to
grow vegetables and fruit.
First, let’s see the order of the ideas:
1. Where the house is …(in Meleka)
2. Type of the house …(normal Malaysian house)
3. The location …(near the sea)
4. The rooms in the house …(two bedrooms, one living room, two other rooms)
5. The fact that he lives with his parents
6. The garden
You notice that “I live with my parents” appears to interrupt the description of the house.
It does not tell you about the house. Therefore, take that sentence out of the paragraph.
Here is a BETTER version of that paragraph. Read the paragraph and compare it with the
incoherent one.
I live in a house in Meleka. It isn’t old or modern; it is a normal Malaysian house.
It is near the sea, it takes about ten minutes to go to the seaside. In the house, there are two
bedrooms, one living room and two other rooms that we use as dining rooms. Naturally,
we have a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet, and a little garden. My parents spend time
growing vegetables and fruit there.
Coherence means that your paragraph is easy to read and understand because (1) your
supporting sentences are in logical order and (2) your ideas are connected by the use of

21
appropriate transition signals. As a result, all the ideas in a paragraph flow smoothly from
one sentence to the next sentence.
The ideas in a paragraph can follow a logical order but the connection between some of the
sentences may still not be clear. You can make this connection clear by:
1. USING REFERENCE WORDS AND PRONOUNS
Reference Words
Reference words are used to refer back to words and phrases that are mentioned earlier in
the passage or to refer forward to words and phrases that will be introduced. We use
reference words and phrases:
● to link ideas
● to repeat the reference
● to avoid the unclear reference
● to avoid unnecessary repetition of subject/object
Reference words are usually pronouns and possessive adjectives.
Subject Object Possessive Demonstrativ Indefinite Possessive
Pronouns Pronouns Pronouns e Pronouns Pronouns Adjectives
it it its this one its
they them theirs that ones their
she her hers these another her
he him his those other (s) his
there some
Reference Words Exercises

A. We often use different kinds of pronouns to connect ideas and avoid repetition. Look at
the sentences below and use one of the pronouns in the box to replace the words that are
crossed out.
that there his he it their they them

1 George was a cruel man but George's son was very kind.
2 Peter and Jill lived in a small village and Peter and Jill's house was right in the center.
3 There were many books on the table and two of these books belonged to my uncle.
4 He wanted to go out but I didn't think going out was a good idea.
5 She showed me the plastic and rubber ones but plastic and rubber ones were all they had.
6 We went to the restaurant. We stayed in the restaurant for about two hours.
7 I took him to the hospital. The hospital has a special wing for asthma patients.

22
8 He saw a doctor. The doctor gave him some tests.

B. Change the underlined words in the following sentences by using reference words.
1 A student walked in the classroom. A student was looking for the teacher.
2 Margaret was born in London but Margaret hasn't been to London for ten years.
3 I have a pet. My pet's name is Fluffy. I love my pet so much.
4 When Sam is in New York, Sam stays with Sam's cousins.
5 When my parents were young, my parents had little opportunity to travel.

C. Fill in the blanks with the words in the box.

this one some these another others there hers

1 Steve and Julia both have cars. Steve's car is fast and expensive but _________ is slow
and cheap.
2 The final exam will be difficult. _________ means I should study very hard.
3 The weather was cold and wet. The hotel was empty and the food wasn't very good. All
________ bored us, so we left early.
4 An advantage of having university education is finding a job. __________ advantage is
getting knowledge in your major.
5 I had a nice holiday in Ibiza and I made many new friends __________
6 My students were all in class, _________ of them were reading their stories and the
__________ were doing some exercises.
7 This umbrella is mine. The other __________ is yours.

D. Read the following paragraph and make necessary changes by using suitable reference
words to make the paragraph coherent.

Mr. and Mrs. Garston lead a happy life with their two dogs. The two dogs' names
are Bruce and Spot. The two dogs eat meat, biscuits, and special dog food. The shops in
their village do not sell dog food. Mr. Garston buys the two dogs' food in London. Buying
the dog food is not a problem for Mr. Garston. Mr. Garston works in London. Mr. Garston
comes home from work at six. The two dogs always wait for Mr. Garston. Mr. Garston
takes the two dogs for a walk every evening. The Garstons' neighbors like the two dogs,
too. The Garstons' neighbors do not allow the two dogs to enter their garden. The Garstons'
neighbors have a cat.

23
2. USING SOME USEFUL TRANSITION SIGNALS
To show addition: and / also / besides / in addition / moreover
Sarah writes short stories. In addition, she writes articles for a newspaper.
It is raining hard and there is a strong wind.
Living in a big city offers good job opportunities. Also, it provides good education
opportunities.
In her free time, Jane practices the piano. Besides, she plays the violin.
Peter is taking five courses this semester. Moreover, he is working on the school paper.
To show sequence: first / first of all / firstly / to begin with / second / secondly / third /
thirdly / next / then / after that / also / finally / last of all

Example paragraphs:
Using the Internet
Using the Internet offers you a world of information, on-line shopping,
entertainment, and email services. Firstly, all of the latest information is available to you;
in your home, at any hour of the day or night. Also, on-line shopping makes it possible to
search through catalogues to find exactly what you want at the best price, so you can save
both time and money. By joining a newsgroup or chat group, you can share your hobbies
and special interests, and perhaps make friends all over the world. Finally, email is
popular because it is faster than sending a letter and cheaper than a telephone
conversation.

Margaret’s Vegetable Garden

Margaret wants to plant a vegetable garden. First, she orders the seeds from the
catalogue. Next, she keeps the garden free of weeds. Then, she prepares the soil. After
that, she plants the seeds. Finally, she picks the vegetables from the garden.

To connect opposite ideas: but / although / however

John is lazy, but his brother is quite hard working
Although she has got a lot of money, she is not very happy.
She failed the exam although she studied hard.
She lived in Paris for 10 years. However, she couldn’t learn French well.

To show reasons: because / as / since

He took an umbrella because/ as / since it was raining.
Because / As / Since the film was boring, I left early.

24
To show result: so / therefore / as a result
My alarm clock didn’t work, so I was late for the meeting.
I am shy. Therefore, I don’t have a girlfriend.
I have worked a lot this year. As a result, I got promoted.

To give examples: for example / for instance / to illustrate / such as / like.

I can play quite a few musical instruments. For example / For instance / To illustrate, I can
play the flute, the guitar and the piano.
I can play quite a few musical instruments, such as / like the flute, the guitar and the piano.

Usually, for example, for instance and to illustrate can begin new sentences. Each of
them can begin a new sentence when the phrase is followed by a complete idea or
sentence, not a list of items.

Exercise: The following sentences use the phrases metioned above. If a sentence is
correct, put a tick (). If it’s incorrect, correct it.
1. When I go camping, I bring lots of things. For example, a fishing rod, matches and a
sleeping bag.
2. There were many leaders in history. For instance, Julius Caesar and Alexander the
Great.
3. Do you have any hobbies, for example, collecting stamps or baseball caps?
4. When I visit Korea, I want to go to many cities, such as Seoul and Taegu.
5. I love old TV shows, for example, The Twilight Zone and Gillian’s Island.
7. Tom wants to meet some famous people. For instance, he would like to meet Barrack
Obama and Jacques Chirac.

COHERENCE AND COHESION EXERCISES

A. The following sentences are not in a logical order. Put them in the correct order to
write a coherent and cohesive paragraph. Add appropriate transition signal words where
necessary.

a) ______ I prefer this sport because it is safe.

b) ______ There are three reasons why I prefer jogging to other sports.
c) ______ I don't feel tired and spend too much energy while jogging.
d) ______ Jogging is a cheap sport.
e) ______ For all these reasons, I think jogging is the best sport of all.
f) ______ I can practice it anywhere at any time and I don't need a ball or any other

25
 equipment.
g) ______ I prefer jogging since it is good for my health.
h) ______ It isn't a risky sport, such as gymnastics, racing or horseback riding.
Now you can write the paragraph by adding necessary transition signal words.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

B. Read the following paragraph and find three problems. Then, rewrite the paragraph
making necessary corrections
There are several reasons why I want to buy a computer. I need a computer to
write my homework because the teachers want the papers typed. Secondly, I like computer
games very much. Finally, I will ask my brother for the money to buy the computer because
he promised to buy me one for my birthday. As you can see, I really need a computer.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

C. The ideas in the following paragraph are in logical order but the connection between some
of the sentences is not clear. How can you solve this problem? Rewrite the paragraph by
adding necessary transition words.

On Monday I was in Cambridge on business. I had to be at the station at ten. I had

plenty of time. I decided to walk. It was a beautiful day. I stopped and had a coffee at a

26
street café. The café was on my way to the station. I planned to leave the café at 9:30. I
couldn't. The waiter didn't have change for a £10 note. I had to go to the nearest bank to
change it. I returned to the café and paid the waiter. It was 9:45 and it had started to rain.
I took a taxi to the station. When I arrived at the station, I started to run. It was one minute
to ten. And guess what? The train was 30 minutes late.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

UNITY
Unity is a very important characteristic of good paragraph writing. Unity means that you
discuss only one main idea in a paragraph. That is, all the sentences - the topic, major and
minor supporting sentences and the concluding sentence - are all telling the reader about
ONE MAIN TOPIC. If your paragraph contains a sentence or some sentences that are
NOT related to the main topic, then we say that the paragraph lacks unity, or that the
sentence is off-topic (irrelevant.)
Exercise 1 Some sentences do not fit into the paragraphs given below. Find the sentences
which are irrelevant and underline them.
A.
1. After Mr. Collins retired he couldn't decide what to do. 2. He had always dreamed of
becoming a doctor. 3. At last he decided to buy a small cottage in the country. 4. He found
one situated among pine trees and near a lake. 5. It was just what he wanted after having
lived in a city.
B.
1. Then, Mrs. Benson went to the grocer's shop. 2. As she was leaving, she looked at her
shopping list again. 3. There was only the bread still to buy. 4. She bought it and then went
home. 5. Sometimes she goes by bus.

27
C.
1. We sat there close to the sea and drank our coffee. 2. They had been here before. 3.
Above us the birds flew joyfully here and there. 4.Fifty meters further along, there were
some fishing boats. 5. The fishermen were talking together and mending their nets.
D.
1. It was two o'clock in the morning and I had been driving for eight hours. 2. As I was very
tired, I decided to stop and spend the rest of the night in a hotel. 3. I took a room with a
private bathroom. 4. My brother worked as a hotel receptionist for two years in London. 5.
After having a bath, I went straight to bed.
E.
1. The Martins lived in Pembroke Street. 2. The room was a very pleasant one. 3. It had a
good view of the park. 4. The furniture was all in good condition. 5. There was a thick
carpet on the floor.

COMMON MISTAKES WHEN FORMING SENTENCES

a. Sentence Fragments:
If a group of words does not have a subject or a verb, it is a fragment, not a sentence. In
other words, a fragment is an incomplete statement that is written as if it were a sentence.
Examples:
* Turkish and Finnish two closely related languages. (fragment - no verb)
Turkish and Finnish are two closely related languages. (sentence)
* From İzmir to İstanbul. (fragment - no subject, no verb)
They flew from İzmir to İstanbul. (sentence)
* Because he couldn't find a job. (fragment - not a complete thought)
He was unhappy because he couldn't find a job. (sentence)

Exercise 1 Read each group of words. Write (F) for fragments and put a tick () if it’s a
complete sentence. Correct the incomplete sentences and write them in the space
provided.
Example:
() I covering the windows with wood.
I am covering the windows with wood.
1. ( ) In Kenya, wild animals and interesting scenery.
_______________________________________________________.
2. ( ) The decrease in poverty is a direct result of industrialization.

28
 ______________________________________________________.
3. ( ) The best movie that I saw last year.
_______________________________________________________.
4. ( ) Working during the morning and attending classes in the evening.
_______________________________________________________.
b. Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices:
When we join sentences together, it is important to use the correct punctuation or a
linking word. Sentences that run together without these are called run-on sentences.
When sentences are joined with only a comma, this is called a comma splice. A
comma does not provide adequate punctuation, so we should avoid combining
sentences with only a comma. In order to avoid writing run-on sentences or having a
comma splice, first identify the separate ideas, and then use the correct punctuation, a
linking word or a transition.
Examples:
* My uncle is losing money on his business he refuses to sell it.  (a run-on sentence)
* My uncle is losing money on his business, he refuses to sell it.  (a comma splice)
* My uncle is losing money on his business. He refuses to sell it. 
* My uncle is losing money on his business, but he refuses to sell it. 
* My uncle is losing money on his business; however, he refuses to sell it.

Exercise 1: Use any of the three ways to correct comma splices and run-ons in these
sentences.
1. There are several ways to prepare for a hurricane, here is one of them.
_____________________________________________________.
2. Nuclear power plants can be run safely this is what many people think.
_____________________________________________________.
3. My father hates music, but my mother enjoys it I find that curious.
_____________________________________________________.
4. No one took responsibility for the accident, therefore, they were all arrested.
_____________________________________________________.
c. Unparallel Structures:
Parallelism is an important element in writing, especially when you are listing items or
ideas. Parallelism means that each item in a list follows the same grammatical pattern. If,
for example, you are writing a list and the first item in your list is a noun, you have to write

29
the following items in your list as nouns. When you are listing items or ideas using
“and”, “but”, and “or”, each item in your sentence should have the same grammatical
pattern.

Notice how the rule of parallelism is followed in the second sentence in each of the
following sets:
Not parallel My English conversation class is made up of Chinese, Italian, and some are
from Japan.
Parallel My English conversation class is made up of Chinese, Italian, and
Japanese. (three adjectives)
Not parallel Successful students attend lessons regularly, they do their homework, and
practice speaking English.
Parallel Successful students attend lessons regularly, do their homework, and
practice speaking English. (three verbs)
Not parallel Which outdoor sports do people enjoy watching or take part in?
Parallel Which outdoor sports do people enjoy watching or taking part in? (two
verbs ending –ing.)
Not parallel My parents were poor but happily.
Parallel My parents were poor but happy. (two adjectives)
Exercise 1 Connect the sentences so that the structures in each sentence are parallel.
There is more than one way to connect some of these sentences.
e.g. Julie is a good singer and dances beautifully.
Julie is a good singer and a beautiful dancer. OR Julie sings well and dances
beautifully.
1. In the summer we like going to the beach and to play tennis.
_______________________________________________________.
2. She loves mountain biking and ride a horse.
_____________________________________________________.
3. He wants to be a doctor, a social worker or teach English.
_____________________________________________________.
4. White-water rafting is an interesting but danger sport.
_____________________________________________________.
5. The students tried to finish their assignment quick and accurately.
_____________________________________________________.

30
 6. During a job interview, you must be well dressed, nice, and you should behave
politely.
_____________________________________________________.
Exercise 2 Use a parallel structure to complete each sentence.
1. Most people want to find a job that is well paying and__________________________.
2. Travelling to a foreign country and ________________________________________
can be a wonderful experience.
3. To learn a foreign language, you must practice speaking, reading, and
____________________________________________.
4. Smoking is a bad habit and ___________________________________.
5. Computers are easy for young people to use, but_______________________________.
6. To earn money during the summer holiday, students can work at a café, or
_________________________.

d. Subject - Verb Agreement:

When writing a sentence, you should make sure that you include a subject and a verb and
that the verb agrees with the subject of the sentence. If the subject of the sentence
is singular, it must be followed by a singular verb. Similarly, a plural subject must be
followed by a plural verb.
Examples:
* One of John's brothers lives in Boston. (singular subject - singular verb)
* A number of students are absent today. (plural subject - plural verb)
* The number of employees in my company is approximately ten thousand. (singular
subject – singular verb)

Exercise 1 Underline the correct verb.

1. The professor and the student agrees / agree on that point.
2. Making cakes is / are Mrs. Reed's specialty.
3. Getting to know students from all over the world is / are one of the best parts of my
job.
4. Why was / were Susan and Alex late for the meeting?
5. A number of factors needs / need to be considered.
6. Is / Are having the responsibility for taking care of pets good for your children?
7. One of the chief materials in bones and teeth is / are calcium.
8. The number of votes was / were twenty.

31
Exercise 2 Some of the sentences below are incorrect. Write (S/V) next to the ones
that have subject-verb disagreement, and (F) next to those that are fragments. Then
write the correct forms in the spaces below. Put a check (  ) if the sentences are
correct.
____ 1. An unreasonable price for the necklace.
____________________________________________________.
____ 2. Mathematics, biology, and physics.
____________________________________________________.
____ 3. From San Francisco to New York.
____________________________________________________.
____ 4. The poor are helped by government programs.
____________________________________________________.
____ 5. English is not my native language.
____________________________________________________.
____ 6. A high fever and an upset stomach is symptoms of the disease.
____________________________________________________.
CAPITALIZATION / PUNCTUATION
Capitalization
Always capitalize:
● the first word of every sentence.
● days of the week (Tuesday) and months (April) of the year.
● the first letter (only) of the names of people and places (Bangkok, Alaska, Seoul).
● The main words of a title, but not articles (a, an, the) or prepositions (words like to,
of, for) or conjunctions (and, but), unless they are the first word in the title: The
Three Things I Do in the Morning.
Punctuation
Full stop (.)
A full stop comes at the end of a statement.
An electronic dictionary is more convenient than a paper one.
If the sentence ends with an abbreviation, don’t use more than one full stop.
RIGHT: My mother just finished her Ph.D.
WRONG: My mother just finished her Ph.D..

32
Comma (,)
Use a comma to separate a series of three or more items. However, use and between the
last two items of your list.
I take a dictionary, a notebook and some paper to class every day.
I spent last week swimming in the pool, lying in the sun and reading all about love and
adventure.
Question Mark (?)
Use a question mark when you are looking for an answer. A question mark is always used
when asking a question. It is always used at the end of a statement that asks a direct
question.
Will you please pass me the butter?
Exclamation Mark (!)
Use the exclamation mark when you are referring to a very strong emotion. Use it when
some emotion such as anger, excitement, shock, surprise, and fear is expressed.
Dial 911 now!

Exercise 1 Read the sentences and capitalize the letters where necessary.
1. my family wants to go to disneyland in florida for our next vacation.
2. when i was young, i used to love reading all the eric carle books.
3. my favorite eric carle book used to be brown bear.
4. i don’t like toothpaste. i have tried crest and colgate and even aquafresh.
5. my brother would eat campbell’s tomato soup every day for lunch!
6. every morning with his coffee, my dad reads the financial post newspaper.
7. my teacher miss kelly told us that the biggest dinosaur was the diplodocus.
8. i have always wanted to go to the louvre museum in paris.
9. i love going to orchard mall as it has my favorite toy store called toys r us.
10. jenny got a new nokia phone.

Exercise 2 Read the following sentences and provide the correct punctuation.
1. When are your friends coming over __
2. How long did it take you to finish that puzzle __
3. Wow, we came in the first place __
4. Who is your teacher this year __
5. I wish I had a dog to play with __
6. What time do you play soccer today __

33
7. Ouch, my toe really hurts __
8. Is Tasha in our group__
9. I’m so happy; I finally got my own computer __
10. Let’s go to Jan’s house after school to swim in her pool__
11. Who won the race yesterday__
12. My mom said you could stay at my house tonight __
13. Oh no, I forgot my book _________
14. May I please use your phone to call my mother __
15. My cat is going to the vet today__

Exercise 3 Add full stops, question marks, exclamation marks and capital letters where
necessary.
john was fed up with the rain “that’s it” he told jane, “i need a holiday where shall
we go “jane said “i want to go to india” they went to a travel agent to pick a holiday jane
took a book from the rack she showed john the hotel she liked best “this looks great” she
cried “what do you think”
john agreed and a week later they set off they took a taxi to the airport there was
traffic jam “do you think we’ll be late” Jane asked the driver “calm down” john told her

The Final Draft of Our Model Task: The reasons of traffic problems in Istanbul.
Topic Sentence: There are traffic problems in Istanbul for several reasons.

Major Supports Minor Supports

1. Overpopulation 1. 14 million people

2. Rush hours 2. people try to get to work or their
homes/traffic jams
3. Too many cars 3. more than one car/chaos in traffic

Concluding Sentence: Istanbul has got lots of traffic problems because of all these
reasons.
Our Paragraph:
There are traffic problems in Istanbul for several reasons. First of all, there is
overpopulation in Istanbul. About fourteen million people live in Istanbul. Secondly, the
traffic is usually very heavy during the rush hours. People try to get to work or their homes
especially in the morning and in the afternoon and this causes traffic jams on the roads.

34
Finally, almost everybody has a car, so there are too many cars in traffic. Some families
have more than one car and everybody in the family uses their own car. This creates chaos
in traffic. In conclusion, Istanbul has got lots of traffic problems because of all these
reasons.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS and EXERCISES

Exercise 1 Read the two paragraphs below and answer the following questions.
A The Old House
My favorite restaurant is The Old House for the following reasons. Firstly, it is very
convenient because it is in my neighborhood. We can drive, or if the evening is pleasant,
we can walk. Secondly, it has a nice atmosphere and friendly service. We know some of
the waiters and waitresses and we enjoy talking to them. Finally, the food is excellent. The
cook is the owner and he makes delicious dishes with fresh ingredients. Therefore, we
always enjoy our meals. As you can see, The Old House is my favorite restaurant.
1. Which sentence gives the main idea?
__________________________________________________________
2. Why does the writer like that restaurant? State 3 reasons.
__________________________________________________________
3. What signal words does the writer use? Underline them.
__________________________________________________________
4. What reference words does the writer use in the paragraph to make it coherent? Circle
them.
__________________________________________________________
5. How does the writer close the paragraph?
__________________________________________________________

B My Brother
Living with my little brother can be hard. First, he tries to copy me. If I have a
second glass of milk, he does, too. Second, he always wants to play with my friends. If we
play basketball, he wants to join in. But he is too small. Third, he wants to stay up as long
as I do. He always says to my mom, “But Tim gets to stay up later. “ My mom says that he
looks up to me, and I should be proud about that. I’m trying to be, but it is not always easy.
All in all, it is very difficult to live with my brother.

35
1. Which sentence gives the main idea?
__________________________________________________________
2. Why is living with her / his little brother hard for the writer? State 3 reasons.
__________________________________________________________
3. What signal words does the writer use? Underline them.
__________________________________________________________
4. What reference words does the writer use in the paragraph to make it coherent? Circle
them.
__________________________________________________________
5. How does the writer close the paragraph?
__________________________________________________________

Exercise 2 Organize the following sentences into a paragraph.

a. In addition, a car is a comfortable way to travel, especially in wintertime.
b. First of all, with a car you can move freely.
c. You can set off when you want. However, if you do not have a car, you have to
check the schedule. If you miss one, you have to wait for the next for a while.
d. There are good reasons for owning a car in a large urban area.
e. For instance, in bad weather, the driver stays warm and dry but the poor bus or train
rider may have to stand in the rain.
f. In summary, having a car in big cities is really useful.
g. You can go wherever you want and stop whenever you wish.
h. Finally, you don’t have to wait for a bus or check a train schedule if you have a car.

Exercise 3 Put the numbers of the sentences of the paragraph in the correct places in the
chart.
1 To sum up, I expect to have a lot of fun with my new camera.
2 so I save a lot of money because I don’t have to print ugly pictures.
3 People don’t have to wait a long time for me to take their picture.
4 I can delete blurry pictures.
5 First of all, I don’t need to spend a lot of time focusing it.
6 I can photograph a person and scenery and both are clear when I print the final picture.
7 I have a new digital camera and I am very excited about using it because of its useful
features.
8 It has automatic focus.

36
9 Finally, I am very excited about my new camera because it is practical and economical.
10 In addition, its lens is practical.

Exercise 4 Read the following paragraph and complete the chart.

Choosing a College or University

Choosing a college or university can be difficult for many reasons. First of all, it is
difficult to find a university that prepares you well for your future career. In order to get a
good job, the curriculum must be up-to-date. In addition, the professors must be highly
qualified and respected in their fields. Second, affordability is another difficulty in
choosing a university or college. You have to pay the tuition fees and living expenses. If
you cannot afford the fees, you might apply for scholarships. Last of all, a good location is
very important when you choose a school. The environment should be safe and quiet to
facilitate studying. In conclusion, you should consider all of these points carefully so you
can choose the best college or university for you.

37
Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________________.

Concluding Sentence:_______________________________________________.

Exercise 5 Put the numbers of the sentences of the paragraph in the correct places in the
chart.
1 Their uniform shows what school the students attend.
2 First of all, uniforms give students equality.
3 In summary, I think school uniforms are good for students
4 Secondly, uniforms give identity.
5 Finally, uniforms give pride.
6 Wearing uniforms has many advantages.
7 All students do not have the same financial resources and they cannot afford expensive
clothes.
8 For instance, when the school team wins, students can feel proud of their school.
9 Therefore, uniforms make it more equal among the rich and poor students.
10 Students feel a sense of belonging when everyone has the same uniform.

38
Exercise 7 Write a paragraph using the information below. Remember to write a title.
Topic: Advantages of online shopping.
Supporting points:
1. easy and comfortable
2. a lot of alternative shops and brands
3. economical
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

39
CLASS WORK Choose one of the topics below and write a paragraph.
1. Laughing is great. Why?
2. Using credit cards is good/ bad. Why?
3. Why is it important to learn a foreign language?

CHECKLIST
1. Does the paragraph have a suitable title?
2. Does it start with an appropriate topic sentence?
3. Are there three supporting sentences relevant to the topic sentence?
4. Is each supporting sentence explained sufficiently?
5. Does the paragraph end with a suitable concluding sentence?
6. Are the signal words used appropriately?
7. Are the ideas in a logical order?

3 TYPES OF ACADEMIC PARAGRAPHS

1. Descriptive
2. Opinion
3. Process
1 Descriptive Paragraph

A descriptive paragraph describes a thing, a person, or a place. Detailed information

allows the reader to form an image in his / her imagination. The better the description, the
clearer the image gets.
Descriptive paragraphs usually have the following characteristics in common:
They use rich language and a lot of adjectives.
They have comparisons to help describe the topic.
The tense used is mostly the PRESENT SIMPLE.

Using adjectives:
Adjectives are words that tell us how things look, feel, taste, sound, or smell. Adjectives
also describe how you feel about something.

Exercise 1 Read this description from a travel brochure. Circle the adjectives.
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, a popular destination for thousands of visitors each year, is a
beautiful place. When you stand at the edge and look down at the 188 feet of white

40
waterfalls, you feel amazed at the power of nature. The tree- lined river that leads into the
falls is fast – moving, pouring over the edge of the falls and crashing to the bottom in a
loud roar. If you want to experience the falls close up, go for a boat ride. You’ll come close
enough to look up at the roaring streams of water flowing over the edge and feel the cool
mist that rises as the water hits the rocks below. Seeing Niagara Falls is an unforgettable
experience!

Describing a place around you:

Using prepositions: Prepositions tell us how a space is organized. There are some
common and useful prepositions: in - on – under - in front of / behind - on top of / on the
bottom of - next to - above / below, underneath - to the right (of) / to the left (of) - in the
middle (of) - around - between

Exercise 2 Read this paragraph, which describes someone’s favorite place. Underline the
prepositions.
My Favorite Place
My favorite place to relax is a small café down the street from where I live. This café is on
a small side street and as soon as you see it, you feel like going in. There are three
windows on either side of the door, and each window has a small window box with
brightly coloured flowers. There is a small wooden door that opens into the café, and as
you go in, you can see a dozen small tables all around the room. Even though it isn’t a big
place, its size makes it very cozy and comfortable. I always like to sit at a small table in the
corner near the front windows. From here, I can look at the artwork on the walls and the
pretty green plants hanging from the ceiling. With a strong cup of coffee and a good book,
I feel very happy and relaxed in my favorite café.

Exercise 3 Write six sentences to describe the place where you are right now. Use
adjectives and prepositions.

A description of a place may answer some of these questions:

- Where is the place?
- How big is it?
- How warm or cold is the place?
- How does the place make you feel? Why?
- What things can you see in this place?
- What colors do you see?

41
Describing people:
Here are some common adjectives for describing people:
Personality: happy, satisfied, relaxed, exciting, nervous, angry, serious, sad, depressed….
Physical Characteristics: big, large, tall, small, tiny, short, thin, heavy, blond, red haired,
light – dark-skinned…

Exercise 4 Read this description written by a young woman about her grandmother.
Circle the adjectives that describe the grandmother.
My Grandmother
When I was young, I admired my grandmother for her strength and kindness. She
was not very big. In fact, she was tiny and very thin. She was strong, though. She lived by
herself and still did a lot of the chores around her house. When I was a child, I saw her
almost every day, and she and I would talk about everything. She was a very happy person
and was always smiling and making jokes, and she often made me laugh. My grandmother
was also very patient, and she would listen to all of my problems. She gave me very good
advice whenever I needed it. I didn’t need to be afraid to tell her anything because she
never got annoyed with me. She just listened and tried to help. I always wanted to spend
more time with her and never wanted to leave her house because she had interesting stories
to tell me about her own childhood and life experiences. When I was young, my
grandmother was my best friend.

A description of a person may answer some of the following questions:

- Who is the person?
- What does the person do?
- What does he or she look like?
- How does the person act – what is his or her personality like?
- How does he or she make others feel?

Exercise 5 Read the paragraph below and answer the following questions.
The Camel
Some people might say that the camel is an ugly creature, but in fact, it is a
remarkable animal. It has a floppy hump in the middle of its back, big teeth, a strong smell,
and long legs as thin as sticks. Its natural habitat is the desert, where there is little water
and a lot of hot sand. Yet the camel can survive these difficult conditions because it is built

42
for it. It can exist for long periods on the fat stored in its hump and by eating the thorny
plants of the desert. It has pads on its feet, knees and chest so that it can endure the hot
sand whether it is standing or sitting. Don’t be deceived by appearances. You may think
camels are ugly, but their qualities go far beyond their looks.
1. Write the topic sentence of the paragraph.
__________________________________________________________
2. Write the concluding sentence of the paragraph.
__________________________________________________________
3. Find at least 4 adjectives in the paragraph.
__________________________________________________________
4. Find at least 3 examples of verbs in the Present Simple.
__________________________________________________________

Exercise 6 Put the descriptive words in the appropriate places in the paragraph.

cooler tired special atmosphere bigger

aroma friendly important quick

Cafes in the University

Cafes are essential places for students and teachers who want to have a break.
Although they are just small shops, they have a 1 ___________ . You can smell the
2 ___________ of coffee and they are often located in a 3 ___________ part of the
university surrounded by trees. The best cafes are air-conditioned inside and they have a
deck outside where 4 ___________ groups like to hang out and chat. Inside where it is 5
___________ other students read books, work on computers or check their messages on
their smart phones. The service is usually 6 ___________ . Moreover, if you are
7 ___________ from studying, you can usually find a café wherever you are in the
university. The cafes are not just places; they are an 8 ___________ part of university life.

Exercise 7 Read the paragraph and answer the following questions.

An Important Possession
If I have to choose one thing that is important in my life, it is my notebook
computer. It is an Acer notebook running Windows 7. It’s a fairly cheap notebook that I
bought about four years ago. It’s black and thin and has rounded edges that are soft and

43
smooth when you pick it up. It’s also light enough for me to carry in my backpack.
Moreover, it can do nearly everything I need it to do. For example, I can create documents,
design new pages on my website, make recordings and download TV shows. In addition,
to many files I have saved for my work, it contains a lot of photos and music. However,
it’s not a perfect computer. It crashed a few years ago and since then it’s been much
slower. Furthermore, it has downloaded some programs that I hate. I don’t know how to
get rid of them. Overall, though, this computer is pretty reliable, convenient and allows me
to work anywhere I go.

1. Write the topic sentence of the paragraph.

__________________________________________________________
2. Write the concluding sentence of the paragraph.
__________________________________________________________
3. Find at least 4 adjectives in the paragraph.
__________________________________________________________
4. Find two sentences that appeal to the senses.
__________________________________________________________
5. Find at least 3 examples of verbs in the Present Simple.
_________________________________________________________

More Writing Tools: The following tools will help your writing come to life.
Simile: using a comparison of two unlike things using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
Examples: The English assignments are as fun as a day at the beach.
She was as smart as an owl.
The student was as quiet as a mouse.
My backpack was like a bag of bricks.
Metaphor: using a comparison, which makes one thing become something very different
by renaming it. A metaphor never uses the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ to compare.
Examples: The cat’s fur was a blanket of warmth.
The rain came down in full cold buckets.
The test was a long never-ending marathon.
She read the book at a snail’ s pace.
Personification: giving human qualities to an animal, object, or idea.

Examples: The northern wind whispered her secrets to me. 


44
The tree leaves danced in the wind.
The chair stood up straight and tall.
The car jumped to the finish line.
Onomatopoeia: “sound effect” words that sound like what they mean.
Examples: When we were camping in the Little Yosemite campground, the rustling leaves
kept me awake all night.
The bees buzzed by flying back to their hive.
Click the button to take the picture.
The pig squealed when it saw the dog coming.
Some reminders: You are painting a picture with words. SHOW. DON’T TELL!
Exercise 8 Use the questions below to brainstorm a place such as a market, a university,
a department store, a tourist attraction etc. you are familiar with. Then, write a descriptive
paragraph about the place in the space provided. Don’t forget to write a topic sentence
and a concluding sentence.

1. Why is this place important / famous or significant for you?

2. What is the atmosphere like?

3. What is happening around you?

4. What adjectives can you think of if you divide this place into 3 or more parts of a day
(e.g. morning, daytime, evening)?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

45
_________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
CLASSWORK Choose one of the topics below and write a descriptive paragraph of 80
words.

1. A garden

2. A rainy day

3. An old house

4. A forest

5. Your favorite bookstore

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING CHECKLIST

1. Does the paragraph have a suitable title?

2. Does it start with an appropriate topic sentence?
3. Does the paragraph contain 6 or more “supporting detail” sentences that relate back to
the main idea?
4. Does the paragraph offer vivid adjectives or phrases that draw pictures in readers’
minds?
5. Does the paragraph end with a suitable concluding sentence?
6. Are the signal words used appropriately?
7. Are the ideas in a logical order?

2 OPINION PARAGRAPGH

An opinion paragraph expresses the writer's opinion on a topic. These topics must be
concepts that can be argued, not facts that everyone agrees on. For example, a bad opinion
paragraph would argue that the sky is blue. A good opinion essay might argue that kids
should learn how to drive earlier, so they can take themselves to school. A good writer will
include facts to support his or her opinions if he can. For example, if a writer says
"Smoking should not be allowed anywhere.", he must give reasons for this opinion. One

46
reason could be a fact, such as "Thirty thousand people died in the United States and
Canada last year because of lung cancer- a possible result of smoking." This fact supports
the writer's opinion.

Exercise1 Read this letter to the editor of a newspaper. Answer the questions.

Dear Editor,
In my opinion, more people should ride bicycles into town. Car traffic in town is
terrible, parking places are hard to find, and pollution from cars is a real problem. Last
year, seventy – three percent of all workers drove their own car to work. Citizens who want
a cleaner, nicer place to live should try this non – polluting form of transport. Cycling is
good exercise, too! The city council must not allow this problem to get worse. I think
people should ride bicycles to work and school – and enjoy the health benefits of daily
exercise.
Bill Adams
Bellingham

a. What is the main idea of this paragraph? Underline the sentence.

b. What is the writer’s purpose? Why did he write this letter?
c. Underline the sentences or parts of sentences that show an opinion.
d. Why do you think the writer included a fact in this paragraph?
Facts and opinions
A fact is a piece of information that is true for everyone and it is supported by evidence:
“That film was three hours long.”
An opinion is an idea or belief about a particular subject and everyone has different
opinions on it: “That film was boring.”
Writers use facts to support their opinions and to show why they hold their beliefs.

Exercise 2 Read these sentences. Write F if the sentence is a fact, and O if the sentence is
an opinion.
a. _________ Airfares have become too expensive.
b. _________ English is an easier language to learn than Arabic.
c. _________ Owls are birds that hunt at night.
d. _________ I was born in New York City.
e. _________ Exercise is the best way to stay healthy.
f. _________ Internet use has increased every year since its beginning.

47
g. _________ Engineering is the best career choice.
h. _________ Big cities are dangerous at night.

Exercise 3 Write three fact and three opinion sentences on your own.

Use the OREO Writing Strategy

The Oreo writing strategy will help you write a well-balanced opinion text. OREO stands
for Opinion, Reasoning, Explanation, and Opinion. Write these words in the boxes of your
opinion writing graphic organizer. To fill them in, state your opinion in the first box. In the
next box, give a reason why your opinion is true. In the third box, use two sentences to
explain your reasoning. Explanations present ideas so that anyone can understand them.
Finally, complete your paragraph by restating your opinion. Don’t write it exactly the same
way as your topic sentence. Write it with fresh phrasing instead, so your reader can better
understand your point.
This sample paragraph explains the OREO strategy on the topic: ‘Lotteries should be
banned.’
1. A topic sentence. (Opinion)
2. Giving a reason. (Reasons)
3. Supporting details. (Explanation)
4. A conclusion. (Opinion)

1. TOPIC SENTENCE: While writing a topic sentence and stating your opinion in the
paragraph you can use any of these expressions to give your opinion.

In my opinion, / As I see it, / To my view, / I consider (that) / I think (that) / From my point
of view, / I am convinced that / It seems to me that / I (strongly/firmly) feel/believe (that) /
I totally agree that / I disagree that / I don’t agree that / I am for/against the idea that /

Ex: I strongly agree that lotteries should be banned.

2. REASONS: The reasons explain why you agree or disagree on the topic.
Lotteries are a waste of money.
Lotteries are addictive.
Lotteries are not really a good chance to make money

To introduce a reason you can you use any of these transition words.
Reason 1: First, Firstly, First of all, To begin with
Reason 2: In addition, Second, Secondly, Also, Moreover, Furthermore, Another reason is
that …
48
Reason 3: Third, Thirdly, Finally.

First, as I see it, lotteries are a waste of money.

Secondly, lotteries are addictive.
Finally, lotteries are not really a good chance to make money.

Supporting details: Supporting details are often given after each reason to support your
reason.

Reason 1: Lotteries are a waste of money.

Supporting detail: Less money to buy things we need.
To begin with, I strongly believe that lotteries are a waste of money. Every time we buy a
lottery ticket we have less money to buy things we need such as medicines or food.

Reason 2: Lotteries are addictive.

Supporting detail: If you don’t win, you want to try again and buy more tickets.
Another reason is that playing the lottery is addictive. When you buy a lottery ticket and
you don’t win, you may buy more and more tickets to try your luck again.

Reason 3: Lotteries are not really a good chance to make money.

Supporting detail: Winning the lottery depends only on luck.

Finally, I consider that playing the lottery is not a really good chance to make money
because we can’t use our abilities or skills to win the lottery. Winning the lottery depends
only on luck.

CONCLUSION: You can use any of these transition words to begin your conclusion: To
sum up, In brief, In short, To conclude, All in all, In conclusion.

To conclude, I believe that it is not a good idea to buy the lottery because it is a waste of
money, it is addictive and it is not really a good way to make money.

 Finalized paragraph on the topic: ‘Lotteries should be banned.’

Lotteries

I strongly agree that lotteries should be banned. To begin with, I strongly believe
that lotteries are a waste of money. Every time we buy a lottery ticket we have less money
to buy things we need such as medicines or food. Another reason is that playing the lottery
is addictive. When we buy a lottery ticket and we don’t win, we may want to try our luck
again and buy more and more tickets. Finally, I consider that playing the lottery is not a

49
really good chance to make money because we can’t use our abilities or skills to win the
lottery. Winning the lottery depends only on luck. To conclude, I believe that it is not a
good idea to buy the lottery because it is a waste of money, it is addictive, and it is not
really a good chance to make money.

Exercise 1 Read the following paragraphs and complete their Oreo Charts.
Working Together
In my opinion, it is easier to work with others than to work on your own. First, you
get more done if you work with others. For example, one of my brother’s chores is taking
care of the yard. He finishes faster if we work as a team to mow, weed, trim and rake.
Second, if you work with others, they can give you advice on how to do something. Last
week the chain fell off my bicycle. I asked my friend Benny for help. He worked with me
to get it done and taught me how to fix it. Finally, working with others can be a lot of fun. I
often help my dad clean out the garage and we make the work very playful. In conclusion,
go ahead and try working with others, and see how great it is.

OPINION:
REASON 1:
EXPLANATION:
REASON 2:
EXPLANATION:
REASON 3:
EXPLANATION:
OPINION:

Physical Education
I believe that physical education should be mandatory in school as it promotes
healthy living. First of all, physical education promotes healthy living by increasing fitness
levels. As you become more fit, your strength and endurance improves. Secondly, physical
education leads to a healthier life because it encourages students to think about making
better food choices such as increasing the fruits and vegetables in their diet. Thirdly,
physical education promotes healthy living because exercise helps reduce stress, which
makes it easier to do well at school. In conclusion, it seems to me that, high schools should
make physical education a requirement because it can really help students become stronger
and healthier both physically and mentally.

50
OPINION:

REASON 1:

EXPLANATION:

REASON 2:

EXPLANATION:

REASON 3:

EXPLANATION:

OPINION:

Exercise 2 Complete the paragraph with suitable transition words / expressions. Then,
answer the following questions.

Doing Exercises
1. ________________, parents should make sure their children get enough exercise
and eat healthy. 2. _______________exercise is important 3. ________________ it keeps
them healthy and happy.
4. ________________, if they exercise and eat healthy, they are less likely to catch a
disease. 5. ________________, when they exercise and eat healthy, they feel good and
have lots of energy for their daily life. 6. ________________, it helps them not to become
overweight. If they play video games and eat junk food all the time, they will become too
heavy without any exercise. 7. _______________, if they eat junk food and sit around
watching television, they will have very little energy for doing well in school.
9. _________________, exercise and eating healthy are very important for children’s lives.

1. What is the main idea of the paragraph?

2. What are the supporting reasons?

3. What are the explanations for the supporting reasons?

Exercise 3 Organize the following sentences into a paragraph. Then, write the paragraph
adding necessary expressions to state your opinion and transition words. Write a suitable
title.

51
 a. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying
at university.
b. Canada has as excellent health care system.
c. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people to live.
d. There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in the World.
e. Canada has a high standard of education.
f. Canada is a desirable place to live.
g. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price.
h. Canada’s cities are clean and efficiently managed.

________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

CLASS WORK Choose one of the topics below and write an opinion paragraph.
1. Students should have less homework.
2. We should all grow our own vegetables.
3. Physical education class is more important than music class.

OPINION PARAGRAPH CHECKLIST

1. Does the paragraph begin with a clear opinion statement?

2. Does the paragraph end with a concluding sentence?

3. Is the opinion supported with some facts or reasons?

4. Are the reasons explained clearly?

5. Are there transition words at appropriate places?

52
 6. Are there any mechanical mistakes? Check the capital letters, the spelling, and
punctuation.

3 PROCESS PARAGRAPGH (How to Texts)

A process paragraph is a description of how to do something. It explains the steps you
need to follow to complete an activity. Process writing is useful when writing on history,
business, the sciences, psychology, and in many other areas.

Exercise 1 Read this recipe and do the exercises below.

Ingredients:
- 2 cups of brown rice
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
- 3 tablespoons of chili sauce
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 spring onions
- salt and pepper

Mike’s Brown Rice and Vegetables

Brown rice and vegetables is a simple and delicious meal to make. First, cook the
rice, following the directions on the packet. Then, cut the vegetables into one-inch pieces.
Next, heat the oil, chili sauce, and garlic in a frying pan. After that, add the vegetables and
fry them until they are soft, but still a little bit crunchy. Now it’s time to stir in the cooked
rice. After stirring the rice and vegetables together, add salt and pepper to your own taste.
Finally, put the rice and vegetables into a large bowl and spring onions on top. Now you
are ready to enjoy your delicious brown rice and vegetables!

a. Underline the topic sentence and the concluding sentence of the paragraph. b. List the
steps for making brown rice and vegetables in the order you find them.

1. ________________________________________________________

53
2. ________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________

6. ________________________________________________________

7. ________________________________________________________
c. How are the steps in the paragraph connected together? What words do you see that help
show the sequence to follow? Underline them.
d. What sentence structure do you see in common after most transition words?

Exercise 2 Fill in the outline of the following paragraph.

How to Make Turkish Coffee
It is easy to make Turkish coffee if you follow these steps. First of all, pour in some
cold water in the coffee pot. You should use one cup of cold water for each cup. Next, add
a teaspoonful of Turkish coffee per cup in the water and stir. If you need to add sugar, you
can add some at this point. Then, heat the pot as slowly as you can. Your coffee becomes
more delicious if you heat it slowly. After that, when the water boils, pour some of the
coffee equally into the cups. Finally, continue heating until coffee boils and distribute the
rest of the coffee between the cups. Whenever you need a rest, repeat these easy steps to
drink a delicious Turkish coffee and enjoy it.

Topic sentence:
STEPS: 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Signal words:

How to Write Topic Sentences for Process Paragraphs: The topic sentence in a process
paragraph introduces the topic and tells the reader how the information will be organized.

The following structures will be useful to you when you are writing topic sentences for
process paragraphs.
It is quite simple to…………… if you follow the steps below.

54
 It is easy to …………… if you follow these steps.
……………-ing is not very difficult/ really simple and enjoyable if you have the right
tools / material / ingredients / if you follow these instructions / directions / procedure.
There are three major steps involved in …………….

Topic: How to boil an egg

Topic Sentence: Cooking a perfectly boiled egg for your breakfast is very easy if you
follow these six easy steps.
The phrase "cooking a perfectly boiled egg,” tells the reader what the topic is. The phrase
"six easy steps" tells the reader how the information is controlled and organized.

Exercise Write a topic sentence for each of the following topics for process writing. Use
a variety of the sentence patterns modeled above.
Topic: How to write an essay
Topic Sentence: Writing a good essay is easier if you follow three main steps.
1. Topic: How to impress your teacher or boss
Topic Sentence: _________________________________________.
2. Topic: How to build bigger muscles
Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________.
3. Topic: How to make a pizza
Topic Sentence: __________________________________________.
4. Topic: How to build a tree house
Topic Sentence: __________________________________________.

Transitions Words to Show the Steps in Process Paragraphs

Process paragraphs are generally organized according to time; that is, they begin with the
first step in the process and proceed in until the last step in the process. It’s natural, then,
that transition words indicate that one step has been completed and a new one will begin.
Some common transition words used in process paragraphs are listed below:
First (ly)
To begin with
STEP 1 Initially
To start with
First and the most importantly
The first step is to…
Second (ly)
Third (ly)
STEP 2, 3,…. Afterwards
Next

55
 Then
Thereafter
The next step is…
Finally
LAST STEP Lastly
Above all
Last but not least
The final step is…
To conclude
In conclusion
CONCLUSION To sum up
All in all
Briefly

We use “meanwhile” or “simultaneously" when two things are done at the same time.
Ex: Prepare the oven by heating to 180 degrees. Meanwhile, mix the ingredients in a bowl.
We can use “after, before” and write 2 steps in one sentence.
Ex: Before starting the washing machine, remember to put some detergent in the detergent
box.

Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks with the correct transition words. Use each word only once.

Planning a holiday abroad? Here are some suggestions to make your trip
successful. a) ____________ find out if you need a visa for the country that you want to
visit. Make sure you have enough time to apply for it b) ____________ you buy your
ticket. c) ____________ you’ve found out about visas, you should research airfares and
timetables. d) ____________ look for the best flight for you. Remember, the cheapest
flight may stop over in several cities and reduce the amount of time you have to spend at
your destination. Therefore, you might want to fly direct. e) _______________ you’re
researching flights, you can also ask your travel agent about getting a good deal on a hotel.
It’s a good idea to book your flight and hotel early. f) ____________ step is to learn about
places to visit, the weather, the food, and other details about the country. The Internet can
be a very useful source of information. g) ____________ on the day of your flight, make
sure you go to the airport at least two hours before your flight. Now you are ready to start
enjoying your holiday!

Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with the correct transition words. Use each word only once.
It is very easy to make good popcorn. a) ____________ put three tablespoons of
oil in a large heavy pot. b) ____________ heat the oil on high flame until one kernel of
popcorn pops when you drop it into the hot oil. When the oil is hot enough, pour ¼ cup of

56
popcorn into the pot and cover it with a lid. c) ____________ reduce the flame to medium
and begin to shake the pot gently. Continue shaking the pot until all the corn has popped.
d) ____________ empty the popcorn into a large bowl, add melted butter and salt and
enjoy it while watching a movie.

Exercise 3 Fill in the blanks with the correct transition words. Use each word only once.

How to Apply for a Scholarship

It is not difficult to apply a college scholarship if you follow these steps.
a) _____________ request for a scholarship application form from your college.
b) ______________ fill in the application form completely and accurately.
c) _____________ ask two of your instructors to write letters of recommendation for you.
d) _____________ make sure that your application is complete because sending
incomplete application will be disastrous. e) ____________ submit your original copy
and other supporting documents to the scholarship office before deadline.

Exercise 4 Organize the following sentences into a process paragraph. Then, write your
paragraph using appropriate transition words.
How to Use an ATM Machine
___ You collect the cash.
___ Don’t forget to take your card and your receipt.
___ Insert your ATM card into the machine.
___ Select the button for "withdraw" on the screen.
___ Enter your personal identification number.
___ You have entered the amount of cash you want.
___ Push the button for the account you want to use.
___ Using an ATM is simple once you have learned these few steps.
___ Count the money to make sure the amount is correct.

Exercise 5 Organize the following sentences into a process paragraph. Then, write your
paragraph using appropriate transition words.
How to Write a Paragraph
___ List your ideas on a sheet of paper, cross out the irrelevant ones and group them.

57
___ First of all, write a relevant topic sentence and then support your major and minor
supporting ideas.
___ Brainstorm some ideas about the topic.
___ Read your paragraph and check if you have any mistakes.
___ In this step you can write examples, reasons, facts or anecdotes.
___ When you finish your preparation, start writing your paragraph.
___ Writing a paragraph is quite easy if you follow these steps.
___ Decide on your major points and organize your minor supporting ideas.
___ Make sure you understand the topic correctly.
___ Write a suitable concluding sentence.

Exercise 6 Use the prompts that are given in the wrong order below. First, put them into
correct order and write a paragraph using the signal words about “How to make a banana
cake.”
Ingredients:
225 gr. flour
50 gr. butter
2eggs
½ teaspoon baking powder
150 gr. sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 bananas
Instructions:
___ Add the salt and the baking powder.
___ Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl.
___ Cook the cake mixture in a cake tin at 190 C for one hour.
___ Mix the flour with the butter and sugar in the bowl.
___ Add them to the flour, butter and sugar in the bowl. Mix carefully.
___ Mash the bananas and mix them with the eggs.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
CLASS WORK Choose one of the topics below and write a process paragraph of about
120 words.
● How to do shopping on the Internet
● How to plan a (surprise) party for someone
● How to pack for a holiday

PROCESS WRITING CHECKLIST

1. Does the paragraph have a suitable title?

2. Does it start with an appropriate topic sentence?
3. Is the process explained clearly?
4. Are the steps detailed enough?
5. Are the steps in a correct order?
6. Are the signal words used appropriately?

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FROM PARAGRAPH TO ESSAY

Paragraph Essay
Single paragraph Multiple paragraphs
One indentation Multiple indentations
Topic sentence Thesis statement
Develops one idea stated in the topic Develops ideas stated in the thesis
sentence statement
May not have a general introduction about Always has a general introduction about the
the topic topic
Main idea usually given in the first sentence Main idea usually given in the last sentence
of the introductory paragraph
Has a concluding sentence Has a concluding paragraph
Needs transition words before each major Needs transition words before each
supporting sentence paragraph

TOPIC: It is good to have pets in the house.

Having a Pet
It is good to have pets in the house for several reasons. First of all, a pet like a cat or
dog is fun to be around. For example, if you have a cat, you can watch it playing by itself
and this is really funny. Dogs are also very enjoyable. You can go out for walks, swim or
play games like ‘fetch the ball or tug of war’. Secondly, pets make good company; that is
they are good friends. When you have a pet in the house, you do not feel lonely. There is
always someone moving and doing something around you. Most pets can sense your
mood, so when you are down, they keep calm and seem to understand you just like a
friend. Finally, having a pet teaches you responsibility. Having a pet in the house is
similar to having a child, as they need your care and attention. For instance, you have to
feed them regularly. They may also become ill and you have to take them to the vet.
Therefore, you learn to be responsible. All in all, having a pet in the house is great.

OUTLINE OF THE PARAGHRAPH:

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 ● Fill in the chart

TOPIC SENTENCE:
FIRST MAJOR
First minor:
Second minor:
SECOND MAJOR
First minor:
Second minor:
THIRD MAJOR
First minor:
Second minor:

TOPIC: It is good to have pets in the house.

A Home for All of Us
There are two groups of people in our world: the people who love animals and
those that do not. It is nearly always impossible for these two groups to understand each
other because people who do not like animals cannot understand why animal lovers keep
pets in their houses. I am an animal lover and I believe that having pets in the house is
great for the following reasons.
To begin with, having pets in the house is a lot of fun. Pets, especially cats and
dogs are playful creatures. For example, if you have a cat, you can watch it playing by
itself and this is really funny. When a cat manages to tangle itself up in a nylon bag, it is
hilarious to watch it trying to get out. As for dogs, swimming or playing games with them
is very enjoyable. For instance, playing fetch-the-ball with your retriever is an amazing
activity for both of you. If you have a puppy, you could play tug-of-war with it all day and
you would never get bored. You will have a great time watching it struggle to get that rope
out of your hand and falling over its head each time it fails.
Secondly, a pet in the house makes good company. Pets are loyal and constant
friends. If there is a pet in your house, it means there is someone with you so you never
feel lonely. Your pet is always around, moving or doing something. In addition, most
animals are highly sensitive and they sense the mood of their owners. When you are down,
for example, your cat will come and sit or sleep by your feet. Just like a friend, they keep
quiet and seem to understand you. They also make you feel safe in the house. A pet, like a

61
 dog or a cat, may protect you in cases of trouble such as burglars, fire for sometimes-
natural disasters. They might even save your life by warning you against danger.
Thirdly, pets teach their owners responsibility. Having a pet is quite similar to
having a child, as pets need your care and affection almost all the time. To illustrate, all
pets need to be fed at least once a day. You need to change their water and clean them
regularly and properly. They don’t like being alone; they may even get depressed after a
lonely period, so you have to be with them instead of spending a lot of time outside.
Moreover, they sometimes become ill or need vaccination. Therefore, you have to take
your pet to the vet just as you take your child to hospital. These also make you financially
responsible. You have to spare some money for your pet’s needs and this helps you learn
to be careful with your money.
As you can see, I believe that having a pet in the house is great for people. Your
sweet little bird, lovely kitten or cute puppy help you with lots of things and make you a
better person.
OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY:
Study the outline of the essay with the class and compare it with the paragraph
outline. Point out the similarities and differences.

Paragraph One: Introduction

→ Introduce the topic with some general information.

→ Thesis Statement (your opinion about the topic): I believe having pets in the house is
great for the following reasons.

Paragraph two: First major support (First body paragraph)

Topic sentence: Having pets in the house is a lot of fun.

→ Cat, play by itself, funny. Nylon bag, hilarious
→ Dog, swimming or playing games. Retriever-fetch the ball / puppy-tug of war

Paragraph three: Second major support (Second body paragraph)

Topic sentence: A pet in the house makes good company.

→ Loyal and constant friends, not feel lonely
→ Highly sensitive, understand you like a friend
→ Safe, warn against danger

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 Paragraph four: Third major support (third body paragraph)

Topic sentence: Pets teach their owners responsibility.

→ Care and affection, like a child
→ Feed them and be with them
→ Take them to vet
→ Spare money for them

Paragraph five: Conclusion

→ Restate your thesis

→ Summarize your points
→ Say the last word

COMPONENTS OF AN ESSAY

1. INTRODUCTION – FUNNEL PARAGRAPH (from general to specific)

1st sentence: Start with some general information about the topic
2nd, 3rd, ……. sentences: Narrow down the topic, - moving from the general information
to a more specific piece of information - sentence by sentence.
Last sentence: Thesis statement

What is a thesis statement? A thesis statement in an essay is the sentence that clearly
gives the main idea of the essay. It is generally written as the LAST sentence of the
INTRODUCTORY paragraph.

A thesis statement is an opinion, not a statement of fact or an observation.

● Fact: People use detergents in cleaning.
● Thesis: Using detergents in cleaning might be harmful for people.
A thesis statement does not announce a subject matter.

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 ● Announcement: The thesis of this paper is the difficulty of solving our
environmental problems.
● Thesis: Solving our environmental problems is really difficult.
A thesis must be a complete sentence that informs the readers about what you are
going to write about.
● Title: Security in Izmir.
● Thesis: Izmir is a secure city in several aspects.
A thesis statement is narrow enough, rather than broad.
● Broad: Turkey has many problems.
● Narrow: The primary problem of Turkey is its economy for several reasons.
A thesis statement is specific rather than vague or general.
● Vague: We must read a lot.
● Specific: Reading historical books has lots of advantages.
A thesis statement has one main point rather than several main points. More than one
point may be too difficult for the reader to understand and the writer to support.
● More than one main point: Stephen Hawking's physical disability has not
prevented him from becoming a famous physicist, and his book is the subject of a
movie.
● One Main point: Stephen Hawking's physical disability has not prevented him
from becoming a famous physicist.

Types of Thesis Statements

● There are basically two types of thesis statements: open (implicit) thesis and
closed (explicit) thesis. Open thesis statement does not include the body points, which
means it does not directly state what you will discuss in your essay. On the contrary, closed
thesis statement includes all the body points and directly states what you will discuss in
your essay.
● Now think that you are asked to write an opinion essay on this topic: “Do you think
the use of bicycles in city traffic is a good idea?” After you read the question, you should
think about it carefully and choose your side. It means you either say yes or no. Then you
should ask yourself the question ‘why’ in order to decide on the body points.
● “Do you think the use of bicycles in city traffic is a good idea?” - Yes.
“Why?” - Because * they are eco-friendly,
* they improve bikers’ overall health,

64
 * they are a cost-effective way to commute.
Analyze the examples below:
● Open thesis: I think bicycles should be an indispensible part of the transportation
system in Izmir (for several reasons / for the reasons below).
● Closed thesis: I think bicycles should be an indispensible part of the transportation
system in Izmir because they are eco-friendly, they improve bikers’ overall health, and
they are a cost-effective way to commute.
*Remember that if you choose to write a closed thesis statement, your body paragraphs
should follow the same order as in the thesis statement.
Exercise Write a closed thesis statement on the following topics. The first two are done for
you as an example.
1. Topic: Gap year
Thesis statement: I hold the view that taking a gap year between high school and college
is an invaluable experience to get well-prepared for your future because it helps you
experience a different culture, it facilitates choosing your major, and it boosts your job
prospects.
2. Topic: Homeschooling
Thesis statement: With all my heart, I believe homeschooling is much better than formal
schooling because children can learn at their own pace, homeschooling allows for plenty of
sleep, and there is no peer pressure or bullying at home.
3. Topic: Addictions
Thesis statement:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Topic: Video games
Thesis statement:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Topic: Sports
Thesis statement:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

6. Topic: E-books

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Thesis statement:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Topic: Social networking sites
Thesis statement:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Topic: Exercise
Thesis statement: -
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Look at the introduction paragraph of the essay “A Home for All of Us” and study the
diagram below.

WORLD
PEOPLE
PEOPLE WHO LOVE
ANIMALS AND THOSE WHO
DO NOT
DISAGREEMENT
THESIS STATEMENT

Exercise 1 Fill in the funnels for the two paragraphs below as in the example above.
A Topic: Learning a foreign language is necessary.
In today’s globalizing world, countries share more and more things with each other.
Activities like trade, tourism, technology etc. introduce new languages to the people of a
country. Therefore, especially in the last decades, learning a foreign language has become
popular. People study languages at schools or in other ways. Some people don’t think they

66
need to learn a foreign language. However, I believe a foreign language is necessary for
the following reasons.

B Topic: Footballers earn more money than they deserve.

Sport is as old as human beings. Since the beginning of time, people have been
doing different kinds of sports. We meet a new sports activity almost every day. However,
some of them are definitely more popular than others. Yet football is the most popular one
in most countries. Professional players of this game earn a great deal of money. Some
people argue that footballers do not deserve this money and I agree with this idea for the
reasons below.

Exercise 2 Put the sentences below into the correct order to make a good introduction
paragraph.
Topic: It should be compulsory for all students to study art and music in secondary school.
1) It is first given at home by the parents, grandparents or babysitters.
2) When people hear the word ‘education’, they immediately start thinking of courses such
as math, science or maybe languages.
3) Almost no one considers music and art as part of education and in most schools they are
optional.
4) However, I believe music and art should be compulsory in secondary school for the
following reasons.
5) Education starts as soon as a person is born.
6) Then the child meets his teachers at school.

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Exercise 3 Read the following introduction paragraph of an essay and write a suitable
thesis statement for it.
As we all know, technology has developed significantly in the recent decades. One
of the biggest products of technology is the Internet. We use it in all parts of our lives.
With a single click, we can have most things done. We can pay our bills, buy food, clothes
etc. or find friends. While the Internet has made our lives much easier it has also brought
about many legal and ethical issues such as downloading music and videos without a
license. __________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
What is the topic of the essay?

Exercise 4 Read the following paragraph and write a suitable thesis statement for it.
The world keeps changing and nothing remains the same. Today, we have new
alternatives in almost all fields of life including education. In its general sense, education
reminds us of schools. However, these days some parents turn to homeschooling for their
children which means teaching them at home by either themselves or by getting private
tutors. Homeschooling is becoming popular. However, ____________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
What is the topic of this essay?

Exercise 5 Write an introduction for the thesis statement below.

Topic: It is foolish to buy presents on special days.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
I disagree with the idea that it is foolish to buy presents on special days.

2. BODY (DEVELOPMENT) PARAGRAPHS

The body, development paragraphs will explain and support your essay's thesis. Each of
the main ideas that you listed in your outline will become a topic sentence for different
paragraphs in your essay. If your outline contains three main ideas, you will have three
body paragraphs.

68
Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure.
● Start by writing a signal word and write the first sentence as your topic sentence
to support your thesis statement.
● Next, write down reasons, examples, facts, statistics or anecdotes to explain the
topic sentence of your first paragraph.
● Repeat the same procedure for the second and third body paragraphs.
Each main body paragraph will focus on a single idea, reason, or example that supports
your thesis. You should try to use details and specific examples to make your ideas clear
and convincing for your reader. The table below shows some of the most common signal
words you can use in an essay.

Listing points Firstly, To begin/start with, In the first place, Secondly, Thirdly,
Adding more In addition, In addition to this, Moreover, What’s more, Also, Apart
points from this, Besides, Furthermore,
Giving an example For example, such as, For instance, To illustrate,
Emphasizing In fact, As a matter of fact
Expressing Although, In spite of, Despite, However, but
contrast
Expressing Because (of), As, Since
cause/reason
Expressing result Therefore, As a result, Consequently, For this reason
Summing up In conclusion, To sum up, To conclude, To summarize, On the
whole, As you can see,
Giving your In my opinion/view, Personally, I think, I believe, From my point
opinion of view,

3 CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
A conclusion paragraph must include a concluding sentence and a personal statement. The
concluding sentence can be a summary of the ideas in the essay or paraphrasing of the
thesis statement. The writer then writes his/her last comment on the topic. Do not introduce
a new idea or topic in the concluding paragraph.

69
Exercise 1 Read these conclusion paragraphs below and match them with the introduction
paragraph exercises on pages 89-91.
1. To summarize, I believe footballers earn more money than they deserve as there are
a lot of professions harder than being a footballer. There are thousands of poor
people who need that money and most footballers do not spend years studying at
university. Although they train hard and make intensive physical effort, life should
not be so easy for these people while it is very difficult for some others.
2. To sum up, in my opinion, all secondary school students should be required to
study art and music since these courses improve creativity, relax their minds and
help them discover what they want to do in the future. It would be impossible for
me to imagine a world without hearing any notes or seeing any works of art.
3. In conclusion, I think learning a foreign language is a definite need because you can
communicate with people from other countries, study in another country and have
better job opportunities in your career. In a world like this, speaking only one
language would be similar to being half blind.
4. As you can see, downloading and copying documents is legally and ethically
wrong. It may seem to be a petty crime. However, when all the consequences are
considered, more people and institutions than you may think are affected
negatively.

Writing Titles
1. A title tells what the essay is about by using the key words about the topic.
2. Catchy titles are preferable.
3. Either all letters are capitalized or the first letter of each word is capitalized, but the
articles and one syllable prepositions are written in small letters except those which
start the title.
4. A title is not a sentence.
5. A title may be in the question form (the answer is in the essay).
6. A title should not be long.
7. A title is usually unpunctuated.
8. Decorations are not acceptable.
9. A title is set off from the body of the essay.

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Exercise Decide which of the following are titles and tick them.

_________ I usually spend my holidays in my uncle's farm.

_________ The Reasons I Go Hunting

_________ We can use photography in scientific investigations.
_________ How My Brother Learned to Drive a Car
_________ Einstein changed the world with his theories.
_________ Programs at This School
_________ Advantages of Using TV in Primary Schools
_________ The high rate of traffic accidents shocks us.
_________ Differences Between Living and Non-living Things

HOW TO PLAN YOUR ESSAY

Introduction ● Introduce the topic of the essay. What are you going to discuss?
● State your opinion. What is your opinion?
Body Part ● Present your ideas in an organized What ideas/points are you going to
(3 paragraphs) and clear way. discuss?
● Support your ideas/points with What suggestions are you going to
details, reasons, examples or facts. make?
How are you going to justify your
ideas/points?
Conclusion ● Restate your thesis. What is your overall opinion?
● Summarize your points. What recommendations /comments
● Close with a general comment. can you make?

GUIDE TO WRITING
● Come up with and list ideas and plan what you are going to write about.
● Choose a few of your ideas/points and expand them. Explain them clearly
by supporting them with reasons, examples, details or facts.
● Do not use statistics that you cannot support or explain clearly.
● Write in a formal style and never use abbreviations and contractions.
● Divide your essay into paragraphs. Present every major point in a separate
paragraph.

71
 ● Use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph.
● Don’t explain your ideas in detail in the introduction paragraph. Instead,
write a general statement about the issue.
● Don’t introduce new ideas/points in the conclusion.
● Use linking words/phrases.

Exercise 1 Study the essay and complete the outline of the essay below.
Nuclear Energy: A Bad Choice!
These days, it seems like everyone is worried about how the world will meet its
energy demands when we have run out of oil and natural gas. Scientists and researchers
are investigating alternative power sources such as solar energy, wind energy and even
energy from hot rocks beneath the earth’s surface. However, there is one energy source
that I think should not be developed any further. This is nuclear energy. Although it can
provide the world with a great source of electricity, I firmly believe that nuclear power is
not a good energy source and we should stop using it as soon as possible.
First of all, nuclear power is not an economical energy source. Nuclear fuel is
expensive because it must be taken out of the ground and transported great distances. As
fuels are used up, they will become even more expensive, just as oil and gas have. In
addition, nuclear power stations cost a lot of money to build and to operate because of the
great care that must be taken for safety. Since the people who work in nuclear power
stations must be highly trained specialists, salaries for workers are also high.

In addition to being expensive, nuclear materials are not safe. When uranium is
taken out of the ground, radioactive gas is released. This is not safe for the miners.
Uranium itself is not safe because of its high radioactivity. Because of this, people who
work with nuclear fuels are at risk of cancer. Besides, nuclear power stations create
nuclear waste, which is dangerous too. It is very radioactive and it is difficult to dispose of
or even to store safely. No town wants nuclear waste buried nearby and for good reason.
Most significantly, there is always a possibility of nuclear accidents. The
machinery at power stations can malfunction. Equipment failures were responsible for the
accidents in power stations in Tarapur, India, in 1992 and Darlington, Canada, in the same
year. Both of these accidents led to leaks of radioactive material. People’s failure can cause
nuclear accidents, too. Perhaps the most famous of these incidents occurred at Chernobyl,
in the former USSR, in 1986. Even natural disasters can result in nuclear accidents.
Following a major earthquake, a 15-meter tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling

72
of three Fukushima Dalichi reactors, causing a nuclear accident on 11 March 2011 in
Japan.

In conclusion, it is true that oil and gas cannot supply all of the world’s energy
needs much longer but we cannot replace them with an energy source that is expensive and
dangerous. Instead, we must find and develop cheaper and most importantly safer types of
energy sources to power our world.

OUTLINE: Nuclear Energy: A Bad Choice!

1st paragraph Introduction of the topic:

Introduction: _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Thesis statement:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

2nd paragraph Nuclear power is not an economical energy source.

the first
support: • Nuclear fuel is expensive
_________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
even more expensive in future
• Nuclear power stations cost a lot of money to build and to operate
cost of safety features
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

3rd paragraph Nuclear materials are not safe.

the second
support: • Mining fuels produce radioactive gas.
_________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Highly radioactive.
• ________________________________________________________
Very radioactive and difficult to dispose of or even to store safely.
⇨No town wants nuclear waste buried nearby.

4th paragraph _________________________________________________________

the third • The machinery at power stations can malfunction.
support: Tarapur, India, 1992 and Darlington, Canada, 1992
⇨ leaks of radioactive material
• ________________________________________________________
Chernobyl, USSR, 1986
• Natural disasters can occur.
________________________________________________________

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 5th paragraph Restatement of the __________________________________________
conclusion: Summary of your __________________________________________
A brief note on what we must do to overcome the problem.

3 TYPES OF ACADEMIC ESSAYS

1. Opinion
2. Narrative
3. Cause Effect
1. OPINION ESSAY: DO YOU AGREE?
ORGANIZATION
PARAGRAPH 1  Introduce the topic and give your opinion. Say whether you agree or
disagree with the statement.
PARAGRAPH 2  Give a reason to support your opinion.
PARAGRAPH 3  Give a second reason to support your opinion.
PARAGRAPH 4  Give a third reason to support your opinion.
PARAGRAPH 5  Summarize your ideas and repeat your opinion using different words.
BASIC DOS IN WRITING AN OPINION ESSAY
 Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence, outlining the main ideas.
 Write in formal style.
BASIC DON’TS IN WRITING AN OPINION ESSAY
 Do not write about advantages or disadvantages or points for or against at the same
time.
 Don’t use colloquial expressions i.e. spoken language.
 Don’t use short forms.
 Don’t give personal examples.

EXPRESSIONS AND LINKERS YOU CAN USE:

Addition also, again, as well as, Generalizing as a rule, as usual,
besides, furthermore, in generally, for the most
addition (to), moreover, part, …
what is more,

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Comparison similarly, likewise, the Giving reasons because, since, as,
same … as, as … as, because of, due to,
both … and, similar, owing to, My main
alike, … reason is/Another reason
is…
One reason for… is …
Many people say/
believe that…
Consequence accordingly, as a result, Restatement in other words, namely,
consequently, for this that is, that is to say, in
reason, hence, otherwise, short, in brief, to put it
therefore, thus, so, … differently,
Contrast instead, on one hand … Sequence first of all, firstly, to
on the other hand, on the begin with, in the first
contrary, yet, but, place, secondly,
however, in contrast, … thirdly, next, then, lastly,
finally, at the same time,
while, meanwhile, soon,

Exception aside from, except, Summarizing all in all, all things

excluding, … considered, in
conclusion, on the
whole, in summary, to
sum up, finally, …
Exemplifying especially, for instance, Giving facts It is widely known
in particular, namely, that… It is a (well-
particularly, specifically, known) fact that …
such as, like, for Research has shown
example, as an example, that… It is clear/ true
to illustrate,… that… There are
definitely…

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Expressions you can use to express your opinion:
In my opinion / view, ...
From my point of view, ...
As far as I am concerned /As I see it ...
I hold the view that ... + your sentence
I am of the opinion / view that ...
It seems to me that / It is clear to me that...
My view / opinion / belief is that ...
Personally, I think / consider / feel / believe / suppose that ...

TO EXPRESS CONTRAST:
ALTHOUGH
Although I was feeling depressed, I went to the party.
DESPITE
Despite the rain, I went to the party.
IN SPITE OF
In spite of the rain, I went to the party.
WHEREAS
Adults can make their own decisions, whereas teenagers have to do what other people tell
them.
HOWEVER
Mike is a very good singer. However, he can’t play any instruments.
IN CONTRAST / BUT
Their music is very good. But, their lyrics are not very interesting.
ON THE ONE HAND… ON THE OTHER HAND…
On the one hand, they are extremely rich. But on the other hand, they have lots of debts.
TO EXPRESS PURPOSE:
SO (THAT)
I have brought a microphone so that the audience will be able to hear us.
IN ORDER TO
We need to register with the council in order to vote.
TO
I am phoning to ask information about the event.

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SO AS TO
We all need to vote so as to express our opinions.
Exercise 1 Read the following essay and fill in the outline.

Leave The Internet Alone!

The American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee defines
Internet censorship as "The removal of material from open access by government
authority". The main question is whether it is necessary or not. This issue has been
debated in the last couple of years all over the world. Some people think that it is a
good idea for several reasons. However, I personally believe that all kinds of censorship,
especially censorship of the Internet is unacceptable for the reasons given below.
Most importantly, although each and every individual has a right to choose what is
right and what is wrong on their own, censorship denies people’s right to decide for them.
In my view, this denial means a lack of trust in people and it is an attempt to control
people. This same lack of trust and desire to control people has existed for as long as
humanity because knowledge has always been power and those in power have always tried
to control knowledge in order to control people. Banning or controlling is not the right way
to fight incorrect or harmful information. Instead of banning, we should educate people
because evil is always there. In short, if you value freedom, you must act against
censorship.
Also, it should be considered whether it is ethical or not to censor the Internet.
Ethics are often a matter of social culture, what is ethical in one culture may be unethical in
another. For example, in certain cultures, having a romantic relationship without getting
married is considered quite healthy and normal whereas, for others it is unacceptable and it
might even lead to honor killing. For instance, because of subscribing to an online dating
community, a young girl can be severely punished by her family in some parts of the
world. It is quite obvious that the Internet is global. Therefore, it would be nearly
impossible to set one global standard because of cultural differences. That is why the
power to censor should be in the hands of the individual, not the authorities.
Finally, people have the right to know and learn facts from different points of view.
Therefore, to learn and appreciate these different points; we need a wide range of unbiased
sources. Thus, censoring alternative sources will condemn us to a single biased authority,
which will cause democracy to disappear. For example, in 1933 Adolf Hitler, leader of
Germany's Nazi party, eliminated all books, which expressed opinions other than his

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and his alone. And as everybody knows, Hitler’s actions are accepted to be really
dangerous. Therefore, without a doubt, government censoring of supposedly inappropriate
material on the Internet is very hypocritical.
In conclusion, I strongly disagree with the opinion that Internet censorship is
necessary because every individual has a right to decide for himself or herself, there is no
standard ethic for everybody and we have a right to know different points of view.
Forbidding is never a solution, on the contrary it causes confusion.

OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY: Leave The Internet Alone!

Paragraph One: Introduction
→ Thesis Statement:

Paragraph two: First major support (First body paragraph)

→ Topic sentence:
→
→

Paragraph three: Second major support (Second body paragraph)

→ Topic sentence:
→
→

Paragraph four: Third major support (third body paragraph)

→ Topic sentence:
→
→
→

Paragraph five: Conclusion

→

What are the transition signals and linkers used in the essay? Where are they used? Why?

Exercise 2 Read the following essay and fill in the outline.

Grading
As students we are all challenged to do our best. Throughout our
lives we have been labeled with our grades; in high school, the ones
with low grades were left alone in misery, while the ones with higher
grades were praised as the leaders of this horse race. Then, the
questions that come into mind is: Is it right to categorize students?

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Does grading contribute to education? I believe that it is one of the
most commonly made vital mistakes in students' lives.
Initially, grading students is not true since it is based on fear.
Grading and then categorizing students according to those grades is a big
flaw of our education system. The system has the idea of "threatening by grades" in its
base; the basic motive for students to study is fear
of low grades or failure. Furthermore, because the grades are the main
criteria for passing courses, students do not study for the sake of learning, they just
memorize or develop methods of cheating because they are afraid of failing. Thus,
without learning the subject, they keep passing or they
fail and get distracted from school.
Next, grading is really a trouble in education system because it leads
students to memorization. Since grades received in exams are more
important than learning the subject matter, all students have to do to
pass their courses is memorize how a specific problem is solved.
Without knowing why such a method is used, students cannot apply their
ability to solve a problem to daily life. However, they pass exams
without learning why, how or what of the matter.
Last of all, since a student’s grading is not updated
during his/her school life, it is meaningless and does not reflect the
reality about the students. That means the grades of a student for the
first year of school will still be valid in the last year, whether his
knowledge about the subject has improved or deteriorated. Considering
all the factors that affect a student's exams and marks, even a small
incident may have a great impact in the long run.
To sum up, grading students is not a good practice and should be
abolished. It is clear that education has a great effect on one's life
and if you grade and categorize the students, they will get
further away from real success.

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OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY: Grading
Title:

Introductory paragraph
Thesis statement:

Body Paragraph 1
Topic sentence:
Support(s):
Body Paragraph 2
Topic sentence:
Support(s):
Body Paragraph 3
Topic sentence:
Support(s):
Concluding Paragraph
Concluding sentence:
What are the transition signals and linkers used in the essay? Where are they used? Why?

Exercise 3 Read the following essay and fill in the outline.

Birth Control
The world is getting more and more crowded every second. The expansion of the
world population is the most important problem that should be solved in order not to
confront big problems such as of low quality
education, lack of resources, and problems in health services in the
near future. Thus, despite some objections to birth control, I
strongly agree that it has to be done all over the world as soon as
possible for several extremely important reasons.
First of all, a high birth rate means an ever-growing population, which causes a
huge decrease in quality of education. When you fail to control
high birth rates, this will bring about an expansion in the population
at schools too. Teaching excessive numbers of students and learning
in such a crowd will inevitably result in the fact that students will
not be able to learn anything effectively. The teacher will have to
deal with so many students that s/he will not be able to do teaching
in a healthy and efficient environment. Statistics of surveys done in
education reveal that education quality is directly related to the
number of students in a classroom.

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 Another point is that unless birth control is done, the
natural resources of a country will diminish sooner than expected. The
diminishing natural resources will bring about high inflation rate and
unfavorable economic conditions. When natural resources of a country
fail to meet the growing domestic need, prices increase and living
standards decline. Therefore, in a developing country, the government
should not let the population increase uncontrollably.
Lastly, since increasing needs of the expanding population cannot be
provided easily, it will cause health problems. Health services will
not be adequate to serve all citizens as equally and as needed. Rate of
health staff per person will get lower as the population increases. In
developing countries because of insufficient precautions for birth
control, lots of people who have serious health problems are
suffering in state hospitals and cannot see a doctor or a nurse for
weeks. Therefore, high birth rate in a population is a very serious
problem that should be solved as fast as possible to avoid crises in
the country in concern.
Consequently, if birth is not controlled, it might bring about
lots of problems in the society, in education, natural resources and
health services. I believe that consciously given births will stop
most of the problems mentioned above.

Title:

Introductory paragraph
Thesis statement:

Body paragraph 1
Topic sentence:
Support(s):
Body paragraph 2
Topic sentence:
Support(s):
Body paragraph 3
Topic sentence:
Support(s):
Concluding paragraph
Concluding sentence:

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What are the transition signals and linkers used in the essay? Where are they used? Why?
CLASS WORK Choose one of the topics below and write an opinion essay of about 200
words. State your opinion clearly and provide reasons.
● Zoos are cruel to wild animals.
● Life was better when technology was simpler.
● Famous people should be given more privacy.
● Mass media, including TV, radio and newspapers, have a great influence in shaping
people’s ideas.
● The use of animals in scientific research is unacceptable.
● Damage of the environment is an inevitable consequence of worldwide
improvements in the standard of living.
● Education is the most important factor in the development of a country. Do you
agree?
● Reading fiction (novels, stories, etc.) is more enjoyable than watching movies. Do
you agree?

OPINION ESSAY CHECKLIST

1. Is there a suitable title?

2. Does the first paragraph of the essay introduce the subject and state the writer's opinion
on the subject clearly?

3. Are there at least three major points to support the writer's opinion/argument?

4. Is each major point relevant? Do they really support the writer's opinion/argument?

5. Can each major point be easily identified and understood? (In other words, are they
clearly stated?)

6. Is each major point strong? (In other words, are they good points?)

7. Is each major point explained in a separate paragraph?

8. Is there a signal word/expression (like to begin with, first of all, another reason,
finally) to point out each major support?

9. Are there enough minor supports for each major point?

10. How does the writer support each major point? Does he give reasons or examples or
details or tell an anecdote or refer to facts?

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11. Does each paragraph have a suitable topic sentence?

12. Is there a concluding paragraph?

13. Is all the information in logical order? If not, explain what the problem is.

14. Are there any irrelevant sentences? If so, underline them.

15. Does the writer use connectors where needed?

16. Is there any repeated information?

2. NARRATIVE ESSAY
A narrative essay tells a story. It uses descriptive language to tell the beginning, middle,
and end of an event. It has an introduction that engages the reader’s interest, details about
the main event or action in the story, and a conclusion that describes the outcome.
Narrative Essay Organization
INTRODUCTION

Hook The hook gets the reader’s attention with an interesting or

surprising fact.
Background The background tells the history or what happened before the
action.
Thesis The thesis sentence prepares the reader for the main action of the
story, but it doesn’t tell the whole story (just a “hint” about the
main action).
BODY The body paragraphs tell the main story. They use a lot of details
PARAGRAPHS to bring the story to life.

Situation The situation paragraph describes when, where, what happens in

the story, and why the main event is happening, step by step. It
often uses time order.
Rising Action The rising action is the main events leading to the climax. It also
uses time order and many details.
Climax The climax is the main action, the surprise, or the height of the
action.

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CONCLUSION The conclusion paragraph tells (1) what happened after the main
event, (2) about a lesson the writer learned, and (3) how the
writer’s life is changed now.

Identifying Parts of a Narrative Essay

Exercise Match the parts of a narrative essay to the examples on the right.
1. Hook a. I learned that many things in Japan look the same as in the U.K.,
but they are truly Japanese, and we should appreciate them. Now,
travelling is more enjoyable.
2. Background b. Getting off the airplane, and walking the streets of Tokyo, Japan
was very exciting, but it also felt like home.
3. Thesis Sentence c. Japan is known as “Land of the Rising Sun.”

4. Situation d. When I was young, I always thought Japan was an exotic country
with interesting customs. I always wanted to go to Japan.
5. Rising Action e. I didn’t know that I was going to learn an important lesson because
of a simple pastry.
6. Climax f. I was hungry and I wanted something to eat. I found a bakery, and
I saw a strawberry jam pastry like back home.
7. Conclusion g. I finally bit into the pastry and was shocked to find it was not
strawberry.

Writing a Great Hook

The hook is the first sentence of your essay. The purpose of a hook is to get the
reader’s attention. There are 5 types of hooks:
• Shocking statement
• Interesting fact
• Statistic
• Question
• Quote
Exercise 1 Below is the introduction to a narrative essay. Read the paragraph and then
underline the hook.
I cannot live without pizza. If I go very long without eating a hot delicious slice of
pizza, I become sick. When I lived in the United States, I ate a whole pizza every week.

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But when I started living in Japan, I forgot about eating pizza. I was happy eating delicious
Japanese foods at first, but I eventually began to crave a hot slice of bread, sauce, and
cheese. After living in Japan for six months, I ordered Japanese pizza for the first time.

1. What type of hook do you think is used?

2. Why do you think a good hook is important?

Exercise 2 Look at the examples of different types of hooks below. Work together in a
small group to write your own hooks.

The topic is “Japanese pizza.”

Hooks: Examples: Write your own:

Shocking statement I love pizza more than my
family.
Interesting Fact Pizza was first invented in
Italy, but modern pizza has
changed a lot.

Statistic The average American eats

27 pizzas a year.
Question What is your favorite
food in the world?
Mine is pizza.
Quote Einstein once said, “Pizza is
the most perfect food.”

Read the following essays and answer the questions.

My First Foreign Friend
My first foreign friend broke my heart. However, before I could have a foreign
friend, I needed to travel abroad first. I have always wanted to go abroad and make friends
around the world. Last winter, I was able to study abroad for four weeks in Toronto. While
I was studying in Toronto, I met a Canadian girl named Jem. She told me that she wanted
to make Japanese friends, so I was happy to talk to her. I was also happy to talk to her
because she was so beautiful. Jem is half Canadian and half Filipino, and I had never seen

85
anyone like her before. It is safe to say that I fell in love with her at first sight, but not
everything is meant to be.
In the beginning of our friendship, I was able to meet Jem often because we were
language exchange partners. Jem helped me study English, and I helped her study
Japanese. Gradually we became closer and closer, so I invited her to go out to eat dinner
with me. We went to a restaurant with her friends who also study Japanese. I talked a lot
with her and her friends in English, and we ate katsudon. It is very delicious. Having
dinner together made me very happy, and I think that my language skills improved.
One day, I went to watch an American football game with my Japanese friends. At
the game, I saw Jem with another student. I said hello, and I asked about her friend. She
said, “He is my boyfriend.” That is, she had a boyfriend. I was surprised, and I was
disappointed in love. Furthermore, her boyfriend was also Japanese and was studying
abroad like me. I was sad because of that unbelievable fact. At that moment, I thought that
my experience in another country was sad.
At last, the day I went back to Japan, I heard from Jem by email. In her email, she
wrote, “Thank you for being my friend. I want to meet you and speak in Japanese when I
go to Japan this summer.’’ Her email really made me smile. I forgot about my feelings at
the football game and remembered all the great times I had in Toronto. Overall, I learned
that life is made up of good and bad memories, but it is most important to remember the
good ones.

1. Why is the background information in the introduction important to the story?

2. How did the writer and Jem become friends? (What is the situation?)
3. What happened before the writer’s heart was broken? (What is the rising action?)
4. What broke the writer’s heart? (What is the climax of the story?)
5. What did the writer learn? Was it a positive lesson or a negative lesson?

My First Time Cooking

When I was ten years old, I almost died in the kitchen. One day, I was the only one
home because my parents went to an elementary school to teach, and my big sister was
staying at her friend’s house. I was bored, and I played video games a whole lot. In the
early evening, I got hungry, but there was nothing to eat. I looked in our refrigerator, but
there were only some vegetables and medium spicy curry roux. When I saw that, I thought,

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“my mother can make curry easily, so I can make curry, too.” I decided to make curry by
myself, but it would be dangerous because I had never cooked anything until then.
At first, I started to cook some rice. Second, I cut onions, but I couldn’t stop crying
for 20 minutes. After I stopped crying, I cut carrots. I did well partway, but I cut my
middle finger because I didn’t fold my fingers away from the knife. I felt foolish. I almost
gave up, but I continued to cook. Next, I peeled potatoes with a peeler. I thought it was
safe, but I was wrong. The peeler skinned my nail a little. After the vegetables, I prepared a
deep pot and started to fry vegetables and chicken. However, another problem occurred.
Before I fried them, I forgot to grease the bottom of the pot and it burned. I moved them
from the burned pot to another one, and I started to fry them again. There were a lot of
problems, but I completed making curry at last.
After I made the curry, I looked at my hand, and it was all cut up. There was some
adhesive tape on it, but my heart was full of accomplishment. When I ate MY curry, it was
very tasty. Later, when my mother got home, she ate my curry and said, “This is so
delicious.” She looked so happy, and I was so happy, too. After that, my father came back
home, and he ate my curry, too. He was surprised that I had made curry all by myself. My
parents were happy, so I wanted to cook again.
These days, I often cook curry and rice by myself. Now that I know how to make it
properly, I have become much better at it. I think it is good for us to try new things. Even if
we are not perfect at first, we can become better and better. As they say, “practice makes
perfect.” In conclusion, while my first time cooking was terrible, it became an invaluable
memory that I will never forget.

1. Underline the hook? A. What type of hook is it? B. Write a new hook for the essay using
a different type.
A. _______________________________________________________.
B. _______________________________________________________.
2. Why was the writer home alone? What is some other background information of the
story?
3. How did the writer have three problems when making curry?
4. What was the climax of the story? (Why were the writer’s parents happy?)
5. What did the writer learn? Was it a positive lesson or a negative lesson?

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 CLASS WORK Choose one of the topics below and write a narrative essay of about 200
words.
1. A thing I would like to change in my past.
2. My first month of living on my own.
3. The most successful day in my life.
4. The time I was wrong about a person.
5. My sudden act of kindness.
6. What my younger sibling/friend taught me.
7. The greatest conversation of my life.
8. The teacher who inspired me.
9. The experience that taught me how appearance can be deceiving.
10. The worst quarrel with my mother.

NARRATIVE ESSAY CHECKLIST

1. Is there a suitable title?

2. Is there a hook? What type of hook is it?

3. Is the background information of the story given?

4. Is there a thesis sentence?

5. Do the body paragraphs use a lot of details to bring the story to life?

6. Does the situation paragraph describe when, where, what happens in the story, and why
the main event is happening, step-by-step?

7. Is there a climax?

8. Are the transition words or time words used appropriately?

9. Does the conclusion tell (1) what happened after the main event, (2) about a lesson the
writer learned, and (3) how the writer’s life is changed after the experience?

3. CAUSE/ EFFECT ESSAY

In this kind of essay, the aim is to explain the causes (reasons) or the effects (results) of an
event or a situation. There may be several causes or effects of a situation. However, in a
student essay, it is advisable to keep the number of major points to 2 or 3, which form
separate developmental paragraphs.
e.g. Causes of air pollution (multiple factors leading to air pollution).

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e.g. Effects of watching too much TV (many effects of a situation).
Sometimes an event causes something to happen, and that situation leads to another event,
and it causes another event to happen. This is called the causal chain or domino effect.
e.g. Use of deodorants will bring the end of the world.

Organization
I. Introduction: Start broadly and end narrowly. Introductions aim to introduce the topic
without giving too much information in the beginning. They end narrowly by concluding
with the thesis statement which is a preview for the rest of the paper.
Thesis Statement: Tells readers what the causes and effects are.
Example: Finding a job is harder today than it was twenty years ago because of the
economy, competitive environment and the good ole boy system.
II. Cause paragraph:
1. The economy: In this paragraph, talk about how the economy affects people’s job
searches.
III. Cause paragraph
2. Competitive environment: In this paragraph, talk about how competition affects people’s
job searches.
IV. Cause paragraph
3. Good ole boy system: In this paragraph, talk about how the system affects people’s job
searches.
V. Conclusion: Connect your individual ideas back to the overarching argument.

Organization Patterns
Depending on the topic, there may be three patterns of organization:
1. Multiple causes → effect pattern
In this pattern, the organization is as follows:
Thesis statement: Air pollution is caused by the following factors: exhaust gases from cars,
uncontrolled factory releases, and burning of low-quality coal for heating.
Cause I. exhaust gases from cars
A. government does not have enough control
B. citizens are not conscientious
Cause II. uncontrolled factory gases
A. no regular checks on gases released
B. factories are inside the borders of residential areas

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Cause III. burning of low-quality coal for heating
A. no governmental control
B. other forms of energy too expensive

Each body paragraph is devoted to one of the causes of air pollution. Each cause is
supported by two minor supports. While writing, these major and minor ideas should be
adequately explained and exemplified as well.
2. Cause → Multiple effects pattern
In this pattern, the effects of a certain situation are explained in separate paragraphs, with
the following organization:
Thesis statement: Watching too much TV is one of the major sociological issues of this
century, which has many effects on the physiology and psychology of people.
Effect I. eating disorders
A. TV meals
B. obesity
Effect II. communication problems
A. more violence
B. no interpersonal talk
Again, we have grouped related effects under two main points: physiological and
psychological. Then, we have supported each effect with two minor supports (A and B).
While writing, we should explain these major and minor supports by giving examples
and/or defining what we mean, as well.
2. Causal chain / Domino pattern
In this pattern, the events lead to one another, as in the following organization:
Thesis statement: Using deodorants with chlorofluorocarbon gas will bring the end of the
world.
Cause I. Chlorofluorocarbon gases are contained in most deodorants and released by some
factories into the air.
Effect + Cause II. This gas causes the ozone layer to become thinner and finally disappear
in patches.
Effect + Cause III. The unfiltered ultraviolet rays of the sun cause overheating in the poles
of the earth, where the icebergs start to melt.
Effect + Cause IV. The huge amount of water released from the poles leads to a rise in the
sea level.

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Effect V. The sea will cover the land and this will be the end of the world.

 Again, each major point should be supported with examples, statistics that show
that there are some factories and deodorants that release chlorofluorocarbons that
cause a rise in the sea level, etc.

 The type of cause/effect organization you choose depends on your topic. A chain
pattern is usually easier if the causes and effects are very closely interrelated. You
might use a chain pattern to write about the causes of a particular disease or
phenomenon in nature such as a thunderstorm or a rainbow.

Language: To explain reasons and results, we use: As a result, As a consequence,

Consequently, So, Since, As, Because, One reason why ... One of the most important
reasons why ... The main reasons why ... There are other reasons, too
Do not forget that using transitions enables the piece of writing to be coherent; it is easier
for the reader to follow our ideas when transitions are used to link them together. However,
overuse of transitions causes traffic jam and should be avoided. We should be using
transitions only when necessary.

CAUSE AND EFFECT STRUCTURES:

Connecting sentences:

Glaciers in the North Pole will Therefore, sea levels in some areas will
melt. rise.
(effect)
(cause) Consequently,

As a result,

As a result of this,

Because of this,

Thus,

Glaciers in the North Pole will melt, so sea levels in some areas will rise.

Water supplies in some Since rainfall patterns will change.

areas will decrease.
(cause)
(effect) Because

As

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Since rainfall patterns will water supplies in some areas will decrease.
change,
As (cause) (effect)

Because

Connecting noun phrases:

Lack of rain for a long time leads to the death of plants. / plants to die.

(cause) Causes

Agricultural patterns will change because of the increase in

temperature.
(effect)

Exercise 1 Identify if the underlined phrase is a cause or an effect.

1. We turned up the heat since it was getting cold.
2. Tommy and Matthew are good friends because they have many
common interests and hobbies.
3. Anna practiced math during summer vacation. Therefore, she finds
Math easy.
4. I fell off my bike and scraped my knee.
5. Our apartment is on the 11th floor. Therefore, we have a great view of
the city.
6. Because I helped my mother, she was able to finish her work quickly.
7. It was a very windy day. Therefore, we were able to fly our kite.
8. Since the class was good this week, they could watch a movie.
Exercise 2 Fill in the gaps with the connectors in brackets.
1- It was very cold, so I wore my coat. (as)
I wore my coat as it was very cold
2- He didn’t tidy his room. As a result, his mother shouted at him. (because)
His mother shouted at him ____________________________ his room.
3- We didn’t understand the lecture, so we asked the tutor to explain. (since)
We asked the tutor to explain _______________________ the lecture.
4- The car skidded on the road because it was icy. (because of)
The car skidded on the road __________________________ ice.
5. I couldn’t sleep because it was noisy (because of)

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 I couldn’t sleep _____________________________ noise.
Exercise 3 Match the reasons and results of each group and write sentences using a
suitable connector.
Reason A Result A Reason B Result B
I am sleeping on the I am exhausted. I have run out of I’m sitting in the NASA
bench in the park. money. space station, drinking
tea with my friends.

I am in the pub I am sitting on a bench I have trained for ten I am selling postcards in
drinking my fifth beer. with a briefcase, years as an astronaut. the street. It is great!
waiting for a woman in
dark glasses and a red
scarf.

The CIA asked me to She has left me. I met the man of my I am going to call my
become a spy. dreams. father.

I have to work from 9 I have locked myself I don’t study I am getting married
am to 5 pm during the out. anymore. next week.
week.

Exercise 4 Underline the correct word in the paragraphs.

● There are a number of reasons of moving the business. (1) Because of/ First of all, the
building it is in now is too small for the number of staff working there. (2) Also,/For
instance, the new offices are nearer the center of town, (3) so/but they are easier for
customers to find. (4)As a result,/Finally, the new building is modern and attractive.
(5)However,/Because the offices now are in need of repair.
● The play was not a great success. (1) However,/Firstly, the actors had not rehearsed
properly. (2) As a result,/But they kept forgetting their lines. (3) Moreover,/After
that, we could hardly see the actors (4) because of/since poor stage lights. (5) Next,/To
summarize, the whole evening was a disaster.
● (1) Because of/So his pleasant nature, John Rangeley is an asset to the company. (2) In
addition,/But he is both hard working and ambitious. (3) Although/So his job is very
demanding, he never complains, (4) because of/because he is a truly good-natured
person.

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Exercise 5 Read the cause and write an effect. Then, write one full sentence that states the
cause and effect.
Example:
Cause: A blizzard hit the city.
Effect: All the schools were closed.
Sentence: A blizzard hit the city, so all the schools were closed.
1. Cause: I planted some sunflower seeds.
Effect: ___________________________________________________
Sentence: _________________________________________________
2. Cause: My sister stayed up past midnight.
Effect: ___________________________________________________
Sentence: _________________________________________________
3. Cause: Lizzy spilled milk all over the floor.
Effect: ___________________________________________________
Sentence; _________________________________________________
4. Cause: David signed up for guitar lessons.
Effect: ___________________________________________________
Sentence: _________________________________________________

Exercise 6 Fill in the gaps with suitable signal words and connectors.
Many students are not successful at university. There are a lot of causes of failure.
1. _________________ is family problems. When students don’t have a happy family life,
this 2. __________ them _________ unhappy. 3. __________ they can’t study for their
exams. 4. _________ some students make bad friends and such friends prevent those
students from studying. 5. ____________ such friends may 6. ____________ bad habits
such as cigarettes, drugs or alcohol. 7. ___________ most of the university students live in
dormitories. 8. ____________ there are a lot of unsuitable conditions such as crowded
rooms in dormitories 9. _______________ they can’t study well. 10. _______________
they feel home sick 11. _____________ they aren’t used to living away from their
families and managing their finances. This 12. ______________ them to work in order to
earn money for their educational expenditures. 13. ____________ they can’t adapt and
concentrate themselves on their studies. 14. _____________ many of them are lazy. Some
of these lazy students think that they can succeed in their studies by means of their
intelligence. 15. ______________ most of them definitely fail. 16. ______________

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because of these facts, I have mentioned above, most university students cannot be
successful.

Sample Outline for Cause/Effect Essay:

I Intro: General Information:
Thesis Statement:
Guide: There are three main causes of ……-ing:_____________, ________________,
and____________________.
Or There are three main effects of ………….-ing:_____________, ________________,
and____________________.
Or There are three main reasons why people like to ________________,
________________, and____________________.
II Body: One cause of /effect of/ reason why……………………………………………
1. Support/example 1
2. Support/example 2
III Body: Another cause of /effect of/ reason why…………………………………………
3. Support/example 1
4. Support/example 2
IV Body: A third cause of /effect of/ reason why………………………………………
5. Support/example 1
6. Support/example 2
V Conclusion (suggest a solution)
In Conclusion……………………………………………………………………

Exercise 1 Read the following essay and answer the questions. Then fill in the outline of
the essay.

Effects of Watching Too Much TV

Discoveries and invention of devices are always welcome till we, humans, find a
way to abuse its benefits and be adversely affected by it. This was the case when Wilhelm
Roentgen discovered x-ray and within five years, the British Army was using a mobile x-
ray unit to locate bullets and shrapnel in wounded soldiers in the Sudan. TV was also
invented with positive thoughts in mind – there would be no national borders, education
and communication would be worldwide, etc. However, we are now trying to overcome its
physiological and psychological adverse effects on human beings.

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 One of the physiological effects of watching TV in excessive amounts is eyestrain.
It is true that there are specifications for watching TV; TV should be 5 m. away from the
eye, the room should be adequately lit, TV should be placed at the same height with our
eyes, etc. However, these do not prevent our eyes from getting tired if we keep watching
TV for a long time. Another effect is obesity, which is widely observed in people who like
watching TV and eating snacks everyday (there is even a term “TV snacks” to refer to fast
food that is suitable for eating in front of the TV. TV is such a powerful machine that
people cannot get away from it – it is addictive.
Apart from the physiological effects, TV also causes psychological effects. One is a
result of being exposed to violence. After seeing so many violent scenes on TV, people
start considering violent actions normal and they lose their sensitivity to their environment.
Partly connected to this effect, the interpersonal communication among people decreases.
Being insensitive to the suffering of other people causes people to become alienated. Also,
after coming home from work, people seek to relax in front of the TV, and generally
partners prefer watching TV to talking to each other. This issue is very important since
lack of interpersonal relationships mostly end with divorces. Shortly, inventions are
meant to be beneficial for human beings, if we know how to benefit from them. TV is one
of such inventions that needs to be used for the right purpose only – being educated and
entertained for a reasonable (according to age) period of time. We may, then, be safe from
or at least reduce the adverse physiological and psychological effects of watching too
much TV.

1. What is the thesis statement?

2. What cause – effect pattern is used?

Outline: Effects of Watching Too Much TV

I Intro: General Information: ……………………………………………………………
Thesis Statement: ……………………………………………………………………….
II Body: One effect of………………………………………………………………….
1. Support/example 1
2. Support/example 2
III Body: Another effect of…………………………………………………………..
3. Support/example 1
example 2
5. Support/example 1

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V Conclusion: (suggest a solution)
In Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………

Exercise 2 Read the following paragraph and fill in the outline.

Why are Cities Becoming Overcrowded?
The fact that the world’s cities are getting more and more crowded is
well-known. Cities such as Tokyo, Sao Paolo, Bombay and Shanghai are now
considered ‘mega-cities’ because of their enormous size and huge populations.
There are two main reasons why these and other cities are becoming so
crowded one economic, the other socio-cultural.
The primary cause of cities becoming so crowded is economic. As a country
develops, its cities become the engines of development, thus jobs are available in these
areas. Frankfurt, Istanbul, Bombay and Sao Paolo are all the economic centers of their
countries. For example, Tokyo was the motor for Japan’s rapid economic development in
the 1960’s and 70’s. As a result, its population increased rapidly. People moved to Tokyo
because they could find jobs and establish economic security for themselves and their
families there.
Another factor in the huge increase in urban populations is the socio-cultural factor.
Thousands of people migrate to the cities not only for jobs but also for educational and
personal reasons. Better universities are always located in big cities and this attracts
thousands of students every year, and these students stay on and work in the city after they
graduate. Moreover, young people will move to the city as the villages and rural areas are
more custom and tradition oriented. Therefore, young people believe this is an obstacle to
their personal freedom.
In conclusion, economic and cultural factors are the major causes of huge urban
population. People will always move to the areas, which provide opportunity and to the
places which can give them the freedom they desire.

Outline: Why are Cities Becoming Overcrowded?

I Intro: General information:…………………………………………………….
Thesis Statement: ……………………………….
II Body: One cause of……………………………………………
1. Support/example 1
example 2
III Body: Another cause of…………………………………………

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2. Support/example 1
example 2
3. Support/example 1
V Conclusion: (suggest a solution)
In Conclusion……………………………………………………………………

Exercise 3 Read the following paragraph. Answer the questions and fill in the outline.

SAD
Years ago, medical researchers identified a psychological disorder that they
appropriately named Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. People who suffer from SAD
become very depressed during the winter months. Particularly in areas of the far north
where winter nights are long and the hours of daylight are few. Doctors now understand
the causes of this condition, which affects millions of people,
SAD results from a decrease in the amount of sunlight sufferers receive. Doctors
know that decreased sunlight increases the production of melatonin, a sleep-related
hormone that is produced at increased levels in the dark. Therefore, when the days are
shorter and darker, the production of this hormone increases. Shorter, darker days also
decrease production of serotonin, a chemical that helps transmit nerve impulses. Lack of
serotonin is known to be a cause of depression. Depression may result from the resulting
imbalance of these two substances in the body. Also, doctors believe that a decrease in the
amount of sunlight the body receives may cause a disturbance in the body's natural clock.
Doctors believe that the combination of chemical imbalance and biological clock
disturbance results in symptoms such as lethargy, oversleeping, weight gain, anxiety, and
irritability-all signs of depression.
In conclusion, the depressive effect of low sunlight levels may help explain the
high suicide rate in the Scandinavian countries. Since absence of light seems to be the
cause of this disorder, a daily dose of light appears to be the cure. Doctors advise patients
to sit in front of a special light box that simulates natural light for a few hours every day.
An hour’s walk outside in winter sunlight may also help.

1. Which paragraph contains the chain of causes and effects?

2. What is the effect of decreased sunlight in winter?
3. What other change results from a decrease in the amount of sunlight?
4. What is the final result?

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 Outline: "SAD"
I Intro: General information:……………………………………………………………….
Thesis Statement:…………………………………………………………………………...
II Body: Decreased sunlight →……………………………………………………………..
Shorter, darker days → ……………………………………………………………
Decrease in the amount of sunlight → ……………………………………………
Combination of chemical imbalance and biological clock disturbance → ……….
III Conclusion: (suggest a solution)
In conclusion, ………………………………………………………...................................
CLASS WORK: Choose one of the topics and write a cause / effect essay of about 250
words.
● What are the causes / effects of overuse of the Internet?
● What are the causes / effects of obesity?
● What are the effects of studying in a big city on university students?
● Why is there so much damage in Turkey after an earthquake?

CAUSE / EFFECT ESSAY CHECKLIST

1. Does the introduction contain an opener and then the thesis?

2. Is there a clear thesis statement, which points out either the causes or the effects of
the topic will be mentioned at the end of the introductory paragraph?

3. Does the essay have a separate paragraph for each cause or each effect?

4. Does each body paragraph begin with a topic sentence related to the subject of the
paragraph and to the thesis of the paper?

5. Does each body paragraph break down its causes or effects?

6. Are the transition words and cause/effect expressions used effectively?

7. Does the conclusion begin with a rewritten thesis?

8. Does the conclusion offer insights into the significance of the causes/effects of the
event?

9. Does the essay have a suitable title?

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 WRITING CORRECTION SYMBOLS

Symbol Meaning Incorrect Correct

P Punctuation There was no bus. so she There was no bus, so she
walked home_ P walked home.
P
C Capitalization linda loves Cats. Linda loves cats.
C C
SP Spelling It’s a beatiful day. It’s a beautiful day.
SP
SVA Subject-verb The girl like chocolate. The girl likes chocolate.
agreement SVA
REF Reference My uncle is a doctor, and My uncle is a doctor, and he
word my uncle lives abroad. lives abroad.
REF
WW Wrong word I’m making my homework. I’m doing my homework.
WW
WF Wrong form The film is bored. The film is boring.
WF
He go shopping yesterday. He went shopping yesterday.
WF
That blue jacket is expensive That blue jacket is more
than the red one. WF expensive than the red one.
Wrong order I very much love you. I love you very much.

Close space Every body is at the meeting. Everybody is at the meeting.

⁄ Space needed Noone called you. No one called you.

/
# Singular / Man wear suit to work. Men wear suit to work.
Plural #
There is a bags on the table. There is a bag on the table.
#
Ø Omit I love the birds. I love birds.
Ø
( ) Not necessary Do you want to stay at home? Do you want to stay home?
( )
^ Something It is a very day. It is a very lovely day.
missing* ^
Symbol Meaning
Indentation needed
RW Rewrite
? Your ideas are not clear. If you can’t deal with it yourself, please see me.

*More guidance: Your teacher might use the following symbols along with the symbol
“^”(sth. missing).
A: article PR: preposition S: subject V: verb
O: object N: noun PRO: pronoun ADJ: adjective
ADV: adverb CONJ.: conjunction POSS: ’s

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