SUPPORTING SENTENCES

Write the topic sentence, circle the controlling ideas, and then list the support

1. Smoking cigarettes is hazardous to your health. Several years ago, a United States
government study was released that linked the intakes of tar and nicotine, found in
cigarettes, with the development of cancer in laboratory animals. The evidence was so
overwhelming that the United States government required cigarette manufacturers to put
a warning on the outside of each package of cigarettes, which says, “Warning: The
Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is hazardous to your health.”
Aside from the most serious and dreaded disease, cancer, cigarette smoking also can
aggravate or promote other health problems. For example, smoking can increase the
discomfort for people with asthma and emphysema. It can give one a “smoker’s cough”
and contribute to bronchitis. Finally, recent studies have shown that cigarette smokers
are more susceptible to common colds and flu. Whether you get an insignificant cold or
the major killer, cancer, smoking cigarettes is hazardous. Is it worth it?

2. As we approached our house so hurriedly abandoned the night before, we first saw the
shrubs and flowers we had carefully planted last spring broken off at their bases and
scattered in the pools of muddy water. Also in these dark pools, bits of window panes lay
shattered. Looking at the house, I saw only gaping holes where windows had once been.
Inside, the hurricane waters, which has by now receded, has washed everything a dirty
brown. In the living room, chairs lay on their sides, the stereo system was propped up
against the sofa, and my favorite lamp lay broken on the floor. Upon seeing all this, I sat
down and wept.

3. Anyone who saw him once never forgot his nose and his body. The first time anyone
saw him, they were very surprised. The second time, they looked at his nose with
admiration, as if it were a valuable treasure. His nose, which was longer than Barba
Streisand’s, occupied most of his face. When he smiled, nothing but his nose was
visible. He was recognized by it even in a crowd. The treasure made one think that in his
previous life, he has been a collie or an anteater. In addition, his nose was as thin as a
razor. If he had flown like a jet, he could have divided the clouds. His body was also very
skinny. He looked as if he had eaten for ten days. He was a heavy eater, but one
couldn’t imagine where he kept his food in his body. Finally, on a windy day, he was
blown away and gone, like Mary Poppins.

4. Another reason students panic during final exams is that they suddenly become aware
that they have not really learned anything all semester. These students spend the
semester going to classes, taking notes, and reading the assigned chapter without ever
really spending time to review their notes or make sure that they understand the
material. As a result, they do not learn the material during the term. When the final exam
period approaches, they find themselves overwhelmed with pages of notes they scarcely
recognized and chapters in the book that they do not remember reading. Since they are
faced with the task of learning fourteen weeks of material in a few hours, is it any wonder
that they panic?
 UNITY
Read the following paragraphs. Underline the topic sentence for each paragraph and
cross out any sentences that do not belong on the paragraph. There may be one or
more irrelevant sentences

1. Another problem facing a number of elderly people is living on a reduced income. Upon
retiring, old people may receive a pension from their company or Social Security from
the government. The amount of their monthly checks is often half the amount of the
checks they received when they were employed. Suddenly, retirees find that they can no
longer continue the lifestyle that they had become accustomed to, even if that lifestyle
was a modest one. Many find, after paying their monthly bills, that there is no money left
for a movie or a dinner out. Of course, sometimes that can’t go out because of their
health. Maybe they have arthritis or rheumatism and it is painful for them to move
around. This can also change their lifestyle. Some older people, however, discover that
the small amount of money they receive will not even cover their monthly bills. They
realize with horror that electricity, a telephone, and nourishing food are luxuries that can
no longer afford. They resort to shivering in the dark, eating cat food in order to make
ends meet.

2. Despite their reputation, some workers in American factories take pride in helping their
companies. A good example of this is the 14,400 employees of the Lokheed-Georgia
Company who submit ideas to management to help reduce production costs. In one
year, these ideas, ranging form a new way to recharge a dead battery to a more effiecint
way to paint airplane wings, saved the company of $57.5 million. Since 1979, employee
suggestions have resulted in savings of over $190 million. While we may think that
workers submit ideas in order to receive large rewards, this is not the case. According to
Executive Vice President Alex Lorch, the financial benefit is minimum. The employee
with the best ideas each year receives only $100. The employees, Lorch says submit
ideas because they are motivated by a desire to do a good job. Japanese workers, on
the other hand, are generally considered the best example of workers who are loyal to
their company.

3. In our prisons today, some people are falsely accused of crimes. A solution to certain
kinds of crime, restitution is becoming more popular and rightly so. It works like this. If
someone is convicted of defacing or destroying property, he or she is required to repaint
or restore the property rather than simply sit in jail a certain length of time. In another
example, a person disabling a wage earner would be made partially responsible for that
wage earner’s dependents until the wage earner has recovered. Another way of dealing
with this criminal is to make him or her pay a fine. In other words, restitution requires the
criminal to restore the damage to the person who has been hurt. The criminal will
contribute something useful to society rather than simply sit in jail, being clothed and fed
with tax dollars of law-abiding citizens. Perhaps through contributing to society by
restitution instead of being dependent on society by sitting in jails, criminals will be more
likely to become useful, working members of society after that have paid for their crime.