Exercise 1: Evaluate each of the following topic sentences and mark them as
follows:
E = effective
G = too general
N = not complete thought
A = announcement
S = too specific
This paper will discuss the life and politics of Simón Bolívar. (E)
2. Japanese culture is fascinating to study because its family traditions are so different
from American traditions.(E)
3. The admission test for the police academy includes vocabulary questions.(N)
4. The discovery of penicillin was a great step in the advancement of modern
medicine.(N)
5. I will talk about the reasons for the popularity of reality television shows.(A)
6. A habit leading to weight gain.(G)
7. Each year Americans are the victims of more than 1 million auto thefts.(S)
8. The White House has many famous rooms and an exciting history.(E)
9. There are three factors to consider when buying a flat-screen TV.(N)
10. Iraq has a long and interesting history.(E)
Exercise 2: Write a topic sentence for the following paragraphs (1 point)
1. __Life in the US is challenging for me as a foreign student____. First of all, I
must get used to a new kind of food. I am learning to eat a lot of hamburgers
because they are not expensive, and they are easy to buy. The people are
different and I am learning to meet new foreign friends. For example, two of my
new friends are from Pakistan. The weather requires another kind of adjustment.
Some days, it is hot just as in my country, but on other days it is cold, and this is
very strange to me. I am adjusting to the US in many ways, but it is not a
problem for me because I like to know about different places and people.
2. __Keyword Method is a interesting way of utilizing mnemonic cues to
effectively learn another language______. In the Keyword Method, language
learners make a connection between the sound of the word they are trying to
learn and a word in their first language. For example, a Japanese learner of
English might connect the English word hachet with the Japanese word hachi,
which means “eight,” because the two words have a similar sound. In the second
step, learners make a picture in their heads to help them remember the word. In
this case, the learner might imagine a person using a hatchet to cut down eight
trees. For many language learners, the Keyword Method is effective.
3. __Flight attendant is one of the most popular occupation for job seekers in any
countries____. First of all, flight attendants receive a large amount of training for
their job. They learn about interpersonal skills, customer service and safety.
Second, every time flight attendants go to work, their scenery changes. They
could be in Korea one day and New York the next. Sometimes they even get to
stay in a city one or two days before flying home. In addition, flight attendants
get bargain prices on airline tickets for vacation. Imagine spending no more than
a few dollars for a flight anywhere in the world! Finally, flight attendants get to
meet a wide variety of people from all over the world.
Exercise 3 : Write a concluding sentence for the following paragraphs
1. Although tsunamis and hurricane can both cause a lot of damage and result in
disaster, they are each very different. For one, tsunamis are formed by natural events
such as landslides, eruption from volcanoes, and, most typically, underwater
earthquake. Hurricanes, on the other hand, are powerful storms that form over warm
ocean water. The two storms also differ in how they are predicted. Tsunamis can only
be predicted about an hour in advance at most, while storms that can become hurricanes
can be carefully followed by meteorological technology weeks in advance. As a result,
people can more easily prepare for a hurricane than they can for tsunamis. Finally,
tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes, which are called by different names
depending on where they form, can develop in any ocean. (Therefore, both of the
disasters are given different names and seperate definitions from each other.)
2. When bad weather, thunder, and strong winds mix, the result is a dangerous
storm, but the name for that storm differs according to where the storm occurs. When a
big storm forms in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific Ocean, it is called a “hurricane” This
type of storm can be dangerous to people living in the United States, Mexico, Central
America, or the Caribbean Islands. When a large storm begins in the southern Pacific
Ocean, this same type of storm is called a “cyclone.” Cyclones are less common than
hurricanes due to the colder temperature of the water in the southern Pacific Ocean.
Finally, if this same storm begins in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, it is referred to as a
“typhoon.” Typhoon hit areas such as Japan, Guam, or the Philippines. (All of them are
storm variants and only differ from each other in geological sense)
4. This semester, I improved my study skills in college. First, I prepared more
carefully for class. Most of the time, I tried to finish my homework assignments.
I spent a lot of time studying for tests, especially the important ones. Also, I
joined study groups for some of my classes. Next, I participated more actively in
class. In order to do this, I had to stay awake, so I learned a few tricks that kept
me from falling asleep. Then, I took better notes, writing down a lot of useful
stuff. When I did not understand something, I would ask someone a question.
Last, I got help from people outside of class. I started working with a good tutor
in one of the campus labs. When I needed help on a big project, I talked to a
librarian. I also visited a couple of instructors during their office hours. After
midterm, I visited them nearly once a week. __Doing these activities help me
immensely in working out my study skills._______________
1. In conclusion, both of the disasters have their differences,
but overall, we must be thoroughly prepared when facing
natural disasters.
2. They are all variations of storms and are only different from
one another in a geological sense.
3. In conclusion,
Exercise 4: Identify run-on sentences and fragments in the following paragraph.
There are four mistakes.
Being a part-time receptionist in a hotel provides many useful work skills for young
people1. First, young people can learn about working with the public 2. Hotel
receptionists have to interact with guests every day, they also answer phone calls and
make reservations3. In addition, because there are travelers from different countries 4.
Hotel receptionists learn how to interact with people from different language and
cultural backgrounds5. They need to learn English, it is the language that most
international travelers are able to speak 6. They also learn about other cultures 7. Which
is a useful skill for a lot of international jobs in the future 8. Finally, hotel receptionists
have to deal with the guests’ complaints9. They also learn problem-solving skills10.
Run-on sentences:3,6
Fragments: 4,8
