Writing John Langan, English Skills s 27

26 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITING

Activity

For each point below, put a single linę under the topie and a double linę under the idea about the topie.

1.    Billboards should be abolished.

2.    Single life has several advantages for me.

3.    The middle child is often a negleeted member of the family.

4.    The apartment needed repairs.

5.    Television commercials use many propaganda techniąues.

6.    My parents have rigid racial attitudes.

7.    The language in many movies today is offensive.

8.    Homeowners today are morę energy-conscious than ever before.

9.    My friend Debbie. who is only nineteen. is extremely old-fashioned.

10.    Looking for a job can be a degrading experience.

11.    Certain regulations in the sehool cafeteria should be strictly enforced.

12.    My car is a temperamental machinę.

13.    Living in a one-room apartment has its drawbacks.

14.    The city's traffic-light system has both values and drawbacks.

15.    Consumers’ complaints can often have positive results.

3 WRITING A TOPIĆ SENTENCE: I Activity

This activity will give you practice in writing an accurate point, or topie sentence—one that is neither too broad nor too narrow for the supporting materiał in a paragraph. An added value of the activity is that sometimes you will construct your topie sentence after you have decided what details you want to discuss. You will need to know. then. how to write a topie sentence that will match exactly the details that you have developed.

I. Topie sentence:

a.    Some are caused by careless people tossing matches out car Windows.

b.    A few are started when lightning strikes a tree.

c.    Some result from campers who fail to douse cooking fires.

d.    The majority of forest fires are deliberately set by arsonists.