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LCC Exercise - Noted and tutorial class
Proficiency English I (ZEU1113)
University of Selangor
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4 Main Ideas and
Supporting Details in Writing
A paragraph is a series of sentences that support a main idea, or point. A
paragraph typically starts with the main idea or point (also called the topic
sentence), and the rest of the paragraph provides specific details to support and
develop the point. The illustration below shows the relationship between point and
support.
Outlining
An outline is a helpful way to plan a paper or to analyze it. An outline shows at a
glance the point of a paper and a numbered list of the items that support the point.
Here is an example of a paragraph and an outline of the paragraph.
1 People in my family love our dog Punch. 2 However, I have several reasons for
wanting to get rid of Punch. 3 First of all, he knows I don’t like him. 4 Sometimes he
gives me an evil look and curls his top lip back to show me his teeth. 5 The message is
clearly, “Someday I’m going to bite you.” 6 Another reason to get rid of Punch is he
sheds everywhere. 7 Every surface in our house is covered with Punch hair. 8 I spend
more time brushing it off my clothes than I do mowing the lawn. 9 Last of all, Punch is
an early riser, while (on weekends) I am not. 10 He will start barking and whining to go
outside at 7 a., and it’s my job to take care of him. 11 When I told my family that I
had a list of good reasons for getting rid of Punch, they said they would make up a
list of reasons to get rid of me.
Point: I have several reasons for wanting to get rid of Punch.
Supporting detail: 1. He knows I don’t like him.
Supporting detail: 2. Punch sheds everywhere.
Supporting detail: 3. Punch is an early riser.
Suppor
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Suppor
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Suppor
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Suppor
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####### 100 PART ONE Reading and Writing Skills
####### 99
####### Look at each of the following five paragraphs and then complete the outline for
####### each paragraph. Notice that words such as first, also, another, and finally often
####### signal each new item of support.
- 1 Being a celebrity is often difficult. 2 First of all, celebrities have to look almost perfect all the time. 3 There’s always a photographer ready to take an unflattering picture of a famous person looking dumpy in old clothes. 4 Celebrities also sacrifice their private lives. 5 Their personal struggles, divorces, or family tragedies all end up as front-page news. 6 Last, and most frightening of all, celebrities are in constant danger of the wrong kind of attention. 7 Threatening letters and even physical attacks from crazy fans are things a celebrity must contend with.
####### Point: Being a celebrity is often difficult
####### Supporting detail: 1. Celebrities have to look almost perfect all the time.
####### Supporting detail: 2. Celebrities also sacrifice their private lives.
####### Supporting detail: 3. Celebrities are in constant danger of the wrong kind of attention.
####### ________________________________________________________________________
- 1 People lie for different reasons. 2 One common reason is to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. 3 For example, a friend might ask, “Do you like my new haircut?“ 4 If you think it’s ugly, you might still answer, “Yes.” 5 Another common reason for lying is to avoid a fight. 6 Say a friend angers you and then asks, “Are you upset with me?” 7 You might answer, “No,” to avoid an argument. 8 People also lie so that they’ll fit in, as when you listen to a boring person and politely say, “That’s interesting.” 9 In addition, people lie to avoid spending more time with someone. 10 For instance, you might lie, “I have to go now.”
####### Point: People lie for different reasons.
####### Supporting detail: 1. To avoid hurting someone’s feelings
####### Supporting detail: 2. To avoid a fight.
####### Supporting detail: 3. To fit in
####### Supporting detail: 4. to avoid spending more time with someone.
####### ____________________________________________________________________
####### PRACTICE 1
####### 102 PART ONE Reading and Writing Skills
- 1 Several factors can interfere with having a good memory. 2 For one thing, there can be a lack of motivation. 3 Without a real desire to learn or remember something, you probably won’t. 4 Also a factor is a lack of practice. 5 To stay sharp, memory skills, like any other skill, must be used on a regular basis. 6 Yet another factor that can hurt memory is self-doubt. 7 If you’re convinced you won’t remember something, you probably won’t. 8 In addition, distraction can interfere with memory. 9 If you’re distracted by a television or by conversation nearby, try to find a quiet environment before trying to commit something to memory.
####### Point: factors can interfere with having a good memory
####### Supporting detail: 1. lack of motivation.
####### Supporting detail: 2. lack of practice.
####### Supporting detail: 3. self-doubt.
####### Supporting detail: 4. distraction
A Note on Topics
####### As you learned in Chapter 2, the topic is a general subject. A good reader looks for
####### the topic of a selection and then the idea that is expressed about that topic. A good
####### writer starts with a topic and then decides what idea to advance about that topic. In
####### the outlines you have just considered, it is easy to identify the topics and the ideas
####### about the topics:
####### Topic Topic sentence (main idea)
####### My dog Punch I have several reasons for wanting to get rid of
####### Punch.
####### Celebrities Being a celebrity is often difficult.
####### Why people lie People lie for different reasons.
####### Exercise There are several possible ways to encourage your
####### family to exercise more often.
####### Depression Serious depression has definite warning signs.
####### Memory Several factors can interfere with having a good
####### memory.
####### Here are fifteen topics. See if you can write main ideas about any five of them. Put your
####### topic sentences in the spaces provided.
####### PRACTICE 2
CHAPTER 4 Main Ideas and Supporting Details in Writing 103
####### Examples
####### Teacher My senior business teacher, Mrs. Catherine, was the best teacher I ever
####### had.
####### Fast-food restaurants Given a choice, I prefer a fast-food restaurant to a diner.
####### My dog Rusty, my golden retriever, has some odd habits.
Living at home College classes Night person TV commercials Boss My dog (or cat) Fast-food restaurant Exercise Texting Teacher Landlord Alcohol Drivers Sleep Bad habits
####### 1. Reasons why living at home is the best decision
####### 2. Teachers are like superheroes in the classroom
####### 3. Benefits of a good night's sleep for health and growth
####### 4. Why my cat is my best friend
####### 5. Ways to breaking the Cycle of a Destructive Bad Habit
####### One common mistake in writing a paper is to go off point. Think of your point as
####### the bull’s-eye in a target. Every sentence and detail in a paper should be relevant,
####### meaning that it hits the bull’s-eye—it supports your point. Otherwise, your paper
####### will not be convincing. Instead of hitting the target and proving your point, your
####### “support” will be irrelevant. In other words, it will miss the point completely.
####### Let’s say you decide your point is going to be that your family car is a lemon. If
####### you then provide details about the car’s good features, you are going off point. Or
####### perhaps your point is that your aunt is a generous person. If you provide details
####### about her sense of humor or odd habits, you are going off point. Or your point could
####### be that your apartment is not a good place to live. If you provide details about the
####### convenient location of the apartment, you’re missing the target.
CHAPTER 4 Main Ideas and Supporting Details in Writing 105
####### B. Fear of math is almost as widespread as fear of public speaking.
####### C. During my last math test, I “froze” and didn’t even try to answer most of
####### the questions.
####### D. I also have a great deal of anxiety when I sit down to write a paper.
####### E. I turned down a summer job as a salesclerk because I would have had to
####### figure out how much change customers should get back.
####### F. I used to be afraid to raise my hand in class, but now it’s easier for me to
####### answer questions.
####### Items that logically support the point: A_ _B_ C__
2. Point: Elephants are very intelligent animals.
####### A. For years, hunters shot elephants to obtain the ivory from their tusks.
####### B. Like chimps, elephants can recognize their reflections in mirrors.
####### C. Elephants tear off branches of trees to use as fly swatters.
####### D. Elephants have been seen keeping vigil over their dead companions.
####### E. An elephant can live as long as sixty-five years.
####### F. Elephants should not be forced to perform in circuses.
####### Items that logically support the point: B__ C__ D____
3. Point: Drinking coffee can be bad for people.
####### A. Some people don’t like the taste of decaffeinated coffees.
####### B. Coffee in the evening can interfere with sleep at night.
####### C. As addictions go, coffee is less dangerous than tobacco.
####### D. Too much coffee can cause the hands to shake.
####### E. Drinking too much coffee can lead to a faster heartbeat and light-
####### headedness.
####### F. Most coffees cost under five dollars a pound.
####### Items that logically support the point: B__ D E__
4. Point: If you think school is difficult, it’s even harder for older students.
####### A. Studies show that more and more adults are returning to school.
####### B. It takes a lot of work to re-learn study habits.
####### C. Many older students have family and job responsibilities in addition to classes.
####### D. Some older students are afraid of not “fitting in.”
####### E. It is never too late to gain new knowledge.
####### F. Older students can contribute to class discussions by talking about their “real-
####### world” experiences.
####### Items that logically support the point: D B__ __C
5. Point: Workers in early American factories led difficult lives.
####### 106 PART ONE Reading and Writing Skills
####### A. The average work day was twelve hours long.
####### B. Early factory workers were paid pennies an hour.
####### C. Female factory workers often worked in textile mills.
####### D. The first American factories were built in the late 1700s.
####### E. All workers on power machines risked accidents that could maim or kill.
####### F. Labor unions have greatly improved conditions in today’s factories.
####### Items that logically support the point: B__ E____ A__
6. Point: Schools should eliminate the summer vacation.
####### A. It costs too much money for school buildings to remain empty in the summer
####### months.
####### B. Students have more energy than adults.
####### C. Year-round school can better prepare students for year-round work in the adult
####### world.
####### D. During summer classes, schools should be air-conditioned.
####### E. Students will learn more and forget less if they attend school twelve months a
####### year.
####### F. Students won’t be able to take summer jobs that would provide money for
####### college.
####### Items that logically support the point: ________ ________ ________
7. Point: Some people have very poor telephone manners.
####### A. They never identify themselves, but just begin the conversation.
####### B. They often make their calls on cordless phones.
####### C. They have an unlisted telephone number.
####### D. They conduct conversations with people around them at the same time they’re
####### talking on the phone.
####### E. Some people don’t like to talk on the phone.
####### F. They often call around 6 p., which is most people’s dinner hour.
####### Items that logically support the point: A____ D_ _F
8. Point: My father’s boss is an unpleasant man to work for.
####### A. He barks orders and never asks for an employee’s opinion.
####### B. His fashion-plate wife is said to be even nastier than he is.
####### C. His office is decorated in dull browns and grays.
####### D. Even when he invites employees out to lunch, he expects them to pick up their
####### own checks.
####### E. He changes his mind so often that an employee who pleased him on Friday
####### can be in the doghouse by Monday.
####### F. He once accumulated so many parking tickets that the police actually came to
####### his home to arrest him.
####### 108 PART ONE Reading and Writing Skills
_____ B. 1 His favorite word is “NO!” 2 He doesn’t start picking up his toys until the
fifth or sixth time he is told. 3 Mealtime is a battle to get him to eat properly.
__ ✓___ C. 1 He has taken apart all the clocks in the house to see how they work. 2 He
borrowed his father’s hammer to break rocks because he “wanted to see what they looked like inside.” 3 He is forever asking questions that start with “How” and “Why.”
####### 2. Point: Aunt Isabel is my least favorite relative.
####### ___✓ __ A. 1 When we meet, she always has something critical to say, such as “What
have you done with your hair?” or “You look terrible in that color.” 2 She calls my sister “the smart sister” and me “the dumb one.” 3 On my birthday, she said, “I didn’t think you wanted a present.”
_____ B. 1 She works as a billing clerk at a hospital. 2 She dropped out of high school,
but earned her GED and then attended community college. 3 She’s held the job for more than 15 years and has been the hospital’s “Employee of the Month” a number of times.
_____ C. 1 Isabel is about five foot seven and is a little on the heavy side. 2 She wears
her hair very short and always has on long dangly earrings. 3 She’s almost 50 but looks younger. 4 She wears very little makeup— just some mascara and sometimes lip gloss.
####### 3. Point: Our biology teacher is lazy.
####### __✓ ___ A. 1 He has his top students present the lessons to the class so he doesn’t
have to do anything. 2 If someone is having trouble in class, he tells him or her to get help from one of the other students. 3 So he doesn’t have to grade papers, he allows us to grade each other’s homework and test papers, even midterm and final exams.
_____ B. 1 His favorite saying is, “There is no such thing as partial credit. 2 Either the
answer is right or it isn’t.” 3 We can expect at least two hours of biology homework every night, and more on weekends and holidays. 4 Even the best students in class have trouble finishing his tests before the end of the period, and the average grade for his class is a C.
_____ C. 1 He always arrives exactly on time for class; you could set your watch by
him. 2 He predictably begins with two or three questions, then lectures for most of the period, and with five minutes to go, writes on the board exactly what he wants us to read before the next class.
####### 4. Point: Margo is a very rude worker.
_____ A. 1 She can barely stay awake while at work. 2 Almost every day, she arrives at
the store a few minutes late, having slept till the last minute. 3 She
CHAPTER 4 Main Ideas and Supporting Details in Writing 109 works in slow motion, and it takes her so long to do any one thing that people never ask for her help. 4 If she didn’t spend the day pumping herself full of caffeine, she probably would not be able to move at all.
_ ✓____ B. 1 She keeps customers waiting while she talks with a coworker. 2 When
someone asks her about a sale item, she snaps, “If it isn’t on the shelf, we don’t have it!” 3 When her boss isn’t watching her, she answers the telephone by saying, “Yeah, what do you want?”
_____ C. 1 She can answer the phone, ring up a customer’s purchases, and count
large amounts of money all at the same time. 2 She often volunteers to help customers bring their bags to their cars. 3 She does not mind taking time to answer a customer’s question or help someone stock a shelf.
####### 5. Point: That roller coaster is dangerous.
_____ A. 1 It is slower than any other roller coaster in the state. 2 The curves of its
track are so wide and the hills are so shallow that a ride on this roller coaster seems like a drive in the country. 3 People don’t scream when they ride it. 4 Instead, they enjoy the view from above the park.
_____ B. 1 It is known as one of the best roller coasters in the country. 2 People will
wait in lines for hours just to try it. 3 At certain points it reaches the same speeds as cars do on highways. 4 The track is so tall and long that you can see it miles away.
___ ✓__ C. 1 Last year, it broke down several times, leaving people stranded in their
cars sixty feet off the ground. 2 In most cars, the seatbelts are torn and don’t always buckle properly. 3 One area of the track shakes and makes a strange grinding sound whenever a car passes over it.
####### 6. Point: Greg is irresponsible.
_____ A. 1 He gives up his bus seat to elderly commuters. 2 When he sees people
carrying heavy packages or struggling with squirming children, he rushes to open doors to help them out.
_____ B. 1 No matter how much trouble I’m having with my English assignment, he
refuses to do any of it for me. 2 He says that between his own homework and his job, he doesn’t have time. 3 But he always gets B’s, and I have trouble getting C’s. 4 Furthermore, when I need someone to cover for me at work so that I can see my girlfriend, he’s always too busy with something else to help me out.
___✓ __ C. 1 He never pays his bills on time. 2 When he borrows things, he returns
them damaged, or not at all. 3 He is usually late for appointments, if he even remembers them at all.
CHAPTER 4 Main Ideas and Supporting Details in Writing 111 daughters about the dangers of drug addiction, but he is a heavy drinker and smoker.
_____ B. 1 He waits until December to put in winter storm windows, and his
Christmas tree is often still up in March. 2 He usually pays his bills a few days after they are due, and he never gets around to dental or medical checkups until real problems develop.
_____ C. 1 After thirty-seven years of marriage, he still writes love letters to his wife.
2 He took early retirement so he could stay home and care for her when an illness left her bedridden. 3 He never leaves the house without bringing her back something special.
####### 10. Point: My boss is considerate.
_____ A. 1 She greets employees and customers alike with a warm smile and a
hearty, “Hi! How are you today?” 2 She is forever telling us, “A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.”
__ ✓___ B. 1 Instead of giving us orders, she asks us to do things. 2 She always thanks
an employee for completing a task. 3 She often helps out when she sees that things are getting stressful.
_____ C. 1 Getting a raise out of her is impossible—even for long-term employees.
2 Her secretary is still using an old typewriter because the boss won’t buy anything new. 3 We had to have the retirement party for the office manager during our lunch hour, and the boss was waiting by the time clock when we got back—to make sure we weren’t a minute late.
Providing Enough Support
####### Another common mistake in writing a paper is not providing enough specific
####### details. Truly specific details excite the reader’s interest; they show what the writer
####### means. They are the opposite of dull, wordy writing that provides thin support for a
####### point.
####### Specific details, as shown in the illustration above, provide solid support for a
####### point. Thin and vague details do not. Lazy writers are content to produce
####### undersupported paragraphs, but good writers are willing to take the time needed to
####### think carefully about and to build a solid paper.
####### 112 PART ONE Reading and Writing Skills
####### Each of the ten points below is followed by two items of support. Put a check ()
####### next to the item that is specific and clearly shows us the writer’s point. By contrast,
####### the other item will be vague, dull, or wordy and lack sharp details.
1. I could tell I was coming down with the flu.
####### _____ A. 1 I began feeling lousy while I was at school. 2 By the time I got home, it was
even worse. 3 The symptoms kept developing, one after another. 4 I went to bed feeling horrible, and there was no doubt that I was really in for it. 5 I could tell I was going to feel awful for days. 6 Getting the flu is such a miserable experience that I really would not wish it on anyone.
####### __ ✓___ B. 1 I know exactly when the flu hit. 2 I was at my desk when I felt a tickle in
my throat. 3 I began to cough, and the cough refused to go away. 4 A few minutes later, the words on my computer screen began to swim. 5 I could feel a deep headache developing behind my eyes. 6 By the time I got home later that afternoon, I had a fever of 102. 7 I crawled into bed shivering, even with three blankets. 8 And I was aching so badly I felt as though I’d been hit by a truck.
2. My brother is accident-prone.
####### _____ A. 1 Once he tried to open a tube of Krazy Glue with his teeth. 2 When the cap
came loose, glue squirted out and sealed his lips shut. 3 They had to be pried open in a hospital ER.
####### _____ B. 1 Even when he does simple jobs, he seems to get into trouble. 2 This can
lead to funny but sometimes dangerous results. 3 Things never seem to go right for him, and he often needs the help of others to get out of one problem or another.
3. When money gets tight, our family finds ways to economize.
####### _____ A. 1 There are a lot of corners we can cut when we need to. 2 If you think about
it, there are plenty of unnecessary expenses every day that people can cut out when necessary. 3 Food and entertainment are two categories that eat up a lot of money needlessly. 4 Those expenses may not seem like a lot individually, but they can add up to quite a bit. 5 My family has gotten good at being aware of such small ways to save.
####### _ ✓____ B. 1 We have a simple breakfast like oatmeal rather than bacon and eggs. 2 We
pack lunches rather than eat in the school cafeteria or restaurants. 3 We plan ahead for those lunches, buying economy sizes of peanut butter, lunch meat, and fruit. 4 We cut back on buying impulse items like candy,
####### PRACTICE 5
####### 114 PART ONE Reading and Writing Skills
####### _____ B. 1 He seems to destroy everything he touches. 2 He’s always getting into
places where he doesn’t belong. 3 Sometimes he plays too roughly, and that can be painful.
8. Speaking before a group is a problem for many people.
####### _____ A. 1 Many people will go to almost any length to avoid speaking to a group. 2 If
they are forced to do it, they can feel so anxious that they actually develop physical symptoms. 3 If asked, people will often prefer that anything happen to them as an alternative to having to speak in public.
####### _____ B. 1 Some people will pretend to be ill to avoid speaking publicly. 2 Stage
fright, stammering, and blushing are frequent reactions. 3 When asked to rank their worst fears, people often list public speaking as even worse than death.
9. My uncle knew very little about cooking when he got his first apartment.
####### _____ A. 1 He had to live on whatever he had in the freezer for a while. 2 He was not
any good in the kitchen and went through a trial-and-error process of learning how to prepare things to eat. 3 More often than not with his meals, he would make mistakes first, and someone who knows what to do in preparing food would probably not believe some of the things that he did.
####### _____ B. 1 The only dinners he ate for the first three weeks were frozen turkey or
chicken dinners. 2 When he got tired of Cheerios for breakfast, he tried to cook an egg by putting a whole egg in the microwave, where it exploded. 3 Then for lunch one day, instead of a bologna sandwich, he attempted to make a grilled cheese sandwich by putting slices of cheese and bread in a toaster.
10. My family has real problems.
####### _____ A. 1 My mom was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hypertension, but we
cannot afford the medications she should now be taking. 2 Since my dad lost his job as an insurance agent, we’ve started to fall behind on our mortgage payments. 3 Then my sister was caught shoplifting cosmetics from our local drug store.
####### __ ✓___ B. 1 My mom has some serious health problems, and it is really going to be a
challenge for us to try to deal with them. 2 My dad is not employed at the present, and so there is no money coming in. 3 As a result, we’re having to deal with major financial difficulties. 4 Then my sister has been acting out because of all the stress in the family.
LCC Exercise - Noted and tutorial class
Course: Proficiency English I (ZEU1113)
University: University of Selangor
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