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Succeed IELTS-WRITING-070-0112-Sentence-Paragraph-Essay_Chapter-1-WLS-ECPE.qxd 25/5/2015 9:24 μμ Page 71

1
Step
Writing Guide

Activity 1-1
Study the following topic sentences. UNDERLINE the topic and CIRCLE the controlling idea in each one.
The first one is done as an example.
1. Being defeated by a less experienced team was a humiliating experience.

2. Living in the city has given me opportunities to improve my work options.
3. The reason I admire Amnesty International is that they help free innocent people.
4. When I was a child, my father's stories took me to magical places.
5. The first year of learning English was the hardest.

A paragraph is a short piece of writing; therefore, the topic sentence There are various aspects to modern life and they each cause a
must be precise. A topic sentence that is too broad will be difficult variety of environmental threats. The writer should limit the topic
to develop effectively in one paragraph. to a particular type of lifestyle and focus on a particular environ-
Look at this topic sentence: mental problem. Here the sentence is more focused:
Modern living is an environmental threat. Dumping oil from ocean tankers is polluting our seas.

Activity 1-2
Study the following pairs of topic sentences. Underline the better topic sentence in each pair.

1. A Divorce creates problems for parents and children.
B When their parents divorce, children often feel insecure.

2. A Athens is an interesting place to visit.
B The ancient ruins of the Acropolis is the most popular sightseeing destination in Athens.

3. A Eating fresh fruit and vegetables will keep you slim and healthy.
B The food we choose to eat is important.

Activity 1-3
Study the following paragraph. Rewrite the topic sentence for the paragraph and circle the controlling idea.

It's easier to learn a language if you visit the country of that lan-
guage's origin rather than learn it in a classroom. For example, if you
want to learn Spanish, visiting Spain and listening to the locals will
give you a better understanding of the language and a greater
knowledge of vocabulary and intonation. It will also force you to
speak the language day and night. By practice, after all, is how we
learn. Learning languages from books or in a classroom will teach
you a language, but only to a limited degree, and it will take longer
to learn. When you leave the class room, you don't necessarily keep speaking that language.
Actually, in most cases you revert back to your own language. So, to speak fluently, visit a country
you have an interest in, such as Spain, and it will enrich your learning experience in many more ways
than you can imagine.

Topic Sentence:
Topic sentence: It's easier to learn a language if you visit the country of that language's origin rather
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than learning it in a classroom.
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Controlling idea: easier ways to learn a language
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