EXERCISE 2. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPIC SENTENCES AND DEVELOP IT...
8. Electricity does much of the work in our homes.
Model Paragraph
1
Americans are fond of ethnic foods.
2
Often, they go to Chinese restau-
rants for moo goo gai pan or shrimp lo mein.
3
When they visit a bakery,
they are quite likely to buy Danish pastry, French eclairs, or Jewish rye
bread.
4
On St. Patrick’s Day and at other times, they enjoy corned beef and
cabbage without necessarily being Irish.
5
They are especially fond of
D E V E L O P I N G A PA R A G R A P H W I T H E X A M P L E S 251Italian foods.
6
What American has not had spaghetti and meatballs, or mac-
aroni and cheese, or pizza?
Comments:S1 (the topic sentence) states: Americans are fond of ethnic foods.
S2–S6 (the rest of the paragraph) support that statement with examples:
Chinese food (S2)
Danish, French, and Jewish food (S3)
Irish food (S4)
Italian food (S5 and S6)
Note that Italian food, the writer’s strongest example, is discussed last.
Write your own paragraph.
Lesson 34 Varying
Sentence
Beginnings
Most English sentences begin with the subject.
Traffic is usually heavy in the morning.SUBJ.
In Lesson 19 (page 133), we learned that sentences do not always need to start with the
subject—nor should they. Sometimes there are good reasons for not beginning with the
subject. Here are two:
Reason 1: To emphasize something other than the subject.
Suppose, for example, that you wish to emphasize the TIME when traffic is usually
heavy. In that case, you may begin with the prepositional phrase in the morning.
In the morning, traffic is usually heavy.PREP. PHR.
Or suppose you want to emphasize that it is USUAL for traffic to be heavy in the
morning. In that case, you may begin with the adverb usually.
Usually traffic is heavy in the morning.ADV.
Reason 2: To hold the reader’s interest.
Think how boring it would be for the reader if sentence after sentence were to begin in
the same way—with the subject. Note how Thomas Hardy, in the following passage from
Tess of the D’Urbervilles, makes his writing more interesting by varying his sentence
beginnings:
1
He heard something behind him, the brush of feet.
2
Turning, he
saw over the prostrate columns another figure; then, before he was
aware, another was at hand on the right, under a trilithon, and another
on the left.
3
The dawn shone full on the front of the man westward, and
Clare could discern from this that he was tall and walked as if trained.
4
They all closed in with evident purpose.
5
Her story, then, was true!
6
Springing to his feet, he looked around for a weapon, loose stone,
means of escape, anything.
7