The information contained within a paragraph is based on thetopic sentence of a paragraph. The topic sentence is generally thefirst sentence and expresses the main idea to be developed withinthe paragraph.

a) Look at the topic sentences below and discuss what kinds ofinformation you would expect to follow.

1. The government of the United States of America consists ofthree main branches.

2. The world-wide increase in road transport is a serious threatto the natural environment.

3. Deforestation has a direct effect on food supplies.

4. Although development in the Third World is intended toincrease self-reliance, the actual result is often increaseddependence on the West.

5. There is a mistaken idea that, because of pocket calculators,children no longer need to learn how to do basic arithmetic.

6. When it comes to the arts, there is a clear case forsubsidy.

7. There are no grounds for subsidizing the arts.

8. The British attitudes towards food are very different fromthe attitudes in my own country.

9. My grandfather/grandmother is/was very easy/difficult to geton with.

10. There are no justifications for any country possessingnuclear weapons.

11. There are a number of reasons to justify a countrypossessing nuclear weapons.

b) Take one of the sentences a write a paragraph.