Introduction
Learning how to write well is a lot like learning how to play tennis orother sports. You will never become good at tennis if you don’t practice alot. You will never learn how to play tennis well if you only think aboutplaying it or if you read books about it. The only way you learn how to
be a good tennis player is if you spend a lot of time actually playing
tennis. Beginning tennis players first learn how to hit the ball acrossthe net and then spend a lot of time practicing how to serve. Finally,
they can play a game with other people, but they are always trying to
improve their skills. Learning how to become a good writer follows thesame principles. Being a good writer requires a lot of practice. You can’t
learn how to write well by only thinking about writing or reading about
writing. You have to write!
The first edition of this book was published in 2001, and I am thrilledthat so many teachers and students over the years have turned to thistextbook to teach and learn English writing. The basic structure of thebook in this new edition remains the same, but the topics have been
updated to reflect the interests and needs of today’s students. Like thefirst edition, Simply Writing: Step-by-Step Guide to Good Writing—
New Edition— is designed to give you plenty of opportunity, not only towrite in English but also to develop your listening and speaking skills.
It is divided into three sections: Simply Useful, Simply Skillful, andSimply Successful. The first section introduces you to basic, everyday
English writing. You will learn how to write a diary, how to fill out
different kinds of forms, how to send e-mails and letters, and how towrite about travel. Once you gain confidence by learning these easy,
real-life writing skills, you will be ready to move on to the second partof the book: Simply Skillful. In this section, you will learn how to write
descriptively, make comparisons, describe how to do something, andexpress an opinion. Each chapter in these two sections also includes an
exercise that enables you to achieve a greater degree of accuracy in yourEnglish writing. The third section of the book introduces you to English
academic writing, starting with the basic paragraph. You will learn how
to write a topic sentence for a paragraph and how to provide supporting
details for that topic sentence. The last two chapters of the book show
you how to write a five-paragraph essay, which is the cornerstone ofcollegiate writing.

One important feature of this book is the appendix, which both you andyour teacher will find useful. The first appendix offers some instructions
and exercises on punctuation and capitalization. Appendix II shows
what an assignment should look like before submitting it for a class.
Appendix III gives a variety of salutations for emails and letters thatdiffer in formality. Finally, Appendix IV is a list of a wide variety ofpossible writing topics students can choose from.
This book would not be possible without Takahiro Imakado, whose
extraordinary editing skills and attention to details guided every stepin creating this new edition. I was very lucky to have him as an editor,
and the users of this book will certainly benefit from his contributions.
Finally, I have an important message for students. Becoming a good
writer involves a lot of hard work and dedication. It’s not an easy thing
to do, but it’s not an impossible task either. All you need to do is to say
to yourself that you can become a successful English writer! If youpractice hard enough, you will! All you have to do is work at it, step-bystep.
Good Luck!
Diane Hawley Nagatomo

CONTENTS

PART ONE

Simply Useful

Chapter

1

DAILY LIVES …………………………………………………………………………… 8

Chapter

2

DOCUMENTS ………………………………………………………………………… 16

Chapter3

BASIC COMMUNICATION ……………………………………………… 26

Chapter

4

TRAVEL ……………………………………………………………………………………… 34

PART TWO

Describing Events
Filling Out Forms

Writing Messages

Describing Places

Simply Skillful

Chapter

5

WHAT’S HE LIKE? ……………………………………………………………… 42

Chapter

6

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? ……………………………………… 50

Chapter

7

HOW DO YOU DO THAT? ………………………………………………… 58

Chapter8

WHAT DO YOU THINK? …………………………………………………… 66

Chapter9

WHAT ARE THE FACTS? ………………………………………………… 74

PART THREE
Chapter

10Chapter

11

Chapter

12

Chapter

13

Chapter

14

Describing People

Making Comparisons
Giving Instructions
Giving Opinions

Writing About Data and Facts

Simply Successful
WHAT’S A PARAGRAPH?

…………………………………… 82

WHAT’S A PARAGRAPH?

…………………………………… 89

Topic Sentences

Supporting Sentences and Concluding Sentence

PERSUASIVE PARAGRAPHS …………………………………… 97

Supporting Opinions

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY…………………… 105

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY…………………… 114

Thesis Statement

Introductions and Conclusions

Appendix …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 122(They will appear mainly in the conversations of the Try It Out section.)

Natsumi（Japan）

Loves travel and shopping. She has a brother
who wants to become an actor.

Kaiji（Japan）

Loves city life. He wants to work for an
American company and live abroad someday.

Emily

Rin

（Japan）

Loves meeting her friends. She is a little bit
messy. She has a sister living in America.

Akito（Japan）

Loves to explain things. He is funny andwants to become an English teacher.

Olivia（Philippines）（Australia）

Loves karaoke and nature. She thinks livingin the countryside would be wonderful.

Loves studying literature and watchingmovies. She misses her grandma very much.

Michael（US）

Loves cooking. He is a big fan of Japanese
anime and manga.

Rahul（India）

Loves reading. He always gives good advice,
but he is not good at cooking.

PART ONE

Simply Usefulapter 1ChDAILY LIVES
Describing Events

apter 2Ch

DOCUMENTS
Filling Out Forms

apter 3
Ch

BASIC COMMUNICATION
Writing Messages

apter 4Ch

TRAVEL

Describing Places

PART ONE: Simply Useful7

Chapter

1

DAILY LIVES
Describing Events

Warming Up
Read the following sentences, match each sentence with the topic, and write thetopic down.

1.

2.

Today seven people showed up forsoccer practice. We played until it
got dark, and then five of us went out
for dinner. It was almost 10 o’clock by
the time I got home.

I wish my hometown wasn’t so far
away from Tokyo. I miss my family,
and I want to see them. Too bad thetrain tickets are so expensive!

4.
3.
Today was terrible! When I woke up,
I had a sore throat and a fever, so I
decided not to go to school.

The teacher asked us to make groupp re s e n t a t io n s n ex t we e k. W h a tshould I do? I don’t like speaking
English in front of everyone.

6.

5.
Emily wants to buy a new coat. She
wants me to come with her to help
her decide.

Our flight left at 11 o’clock, so we had
to arrive at the airport by nine. It was
hard getting up early, but we wereso excited. After all, it’s our first trip
abroad.

7.
I enjoyed myself last night eventhough it was a little expensive. The
food was delicious, and everyone
laughed a lot.

8.
I have wanted to work for a publishingcompany since I was a child. I wonder
if my dream will come true.

Topicsa. A party

b. Feeling homesick

e. English class8

f. Club activitiesc. Catching a coldg. Going shoppingd. Taking a triph. Dreams for the future

DAILY LIVES

Chapter 1

Getting Ready
Unscramble the words in parentheses in each sentence and choose the picturethat matches it best. Capitalize the first word of your sentence if necessary.
a. I met with Olivia in Shibuya today.
First, ( we / restaurant / at / a / had /Italian / lunch / small ). Then we went
shopping. Olivia bought a new pairof shoes. I didn’t have any money, so
I couldn’t buy anything.

1
（

）

2
（

）

b. Today was the first day in a longtime that I didn’t have to go to schoolor to my part-time job. I decided tostay home and clean my room. After
that, ( YouTube / concert / watched /favorite / singer’s / my / on / I ). In theevening, I played online video gameswith my friends.
c. ( us / the teacher / today / a test / in /class / gave ). He said we would haveto retake it next month if we failed. I’m
so worried because I didn’t study atall. I hope that I passed the test.

3
（

）

4
（

）

d. Today was terrible! I woke up with asore throat and a high fever. I called
my friend, and she advised me tostay home from school. ( the day /went / the doctor / bed / the rest /stayed / for / in / of / to / and / I ).
e. Tonight’s party was so much fun. I
didn’t know all of the members of theInternational Circle very well before,
but now I think I’m on good termswith everyone. ( soon / can / we /party / possible / another / as / have /hope / I / as ).

5（）
PART ONE: Simply Useful9Try It Out

1

There is a conversation and a diary entry on the next two pages. First, practicethese conversations with your partner. Then read the diary and fill in the blanks.
Use the past tense of the verbs. Some verbs are used more than once.
DL 02

1
Michael:
Rin:

CD 02

Hi Rin! What are you doing?
Hi Michael. I’m trying to do my homework. My teacher said we have to keep
an English diary this semester. We have to write at least 100 words a day.
I don’t know what to write about. My life is so boring.

Michael:People write about their daily activities in diaries. I’ve been keeping one
ever since I came to Japan because I don’t want to forget my life as an
exchange student.

Rin:

I suppose I could write about the International Student’s Association party
we had last week.

Michael:Rin:

Or you could write about your part-time job. Anything is okay!
I suppose so. But it’ll be hard writing so much English every day!

Rin’s diary
Today 1the ﬁrst day of this semester. I 2

my classes, but my English teacher
4

all ofus a difﬁcult assignment. She

we have to write an English diary. I 5

Michael about that, and he
That

3

7

6

my friendme to write about my daily activities.

good advice. It’ll be hard writing so many sentences every day,but I’ll do my best! I want to get a good grade. So, this morning I 8
up at seven and 9
advise10

the eight o’clock train for school. Then I …
be

catch

enjoy

give

say

tell

wake

Chapter 1

DAILY LIVES

DL 03

2

CD 03

Kaiji:

Hi Emily! How’s everything?

Emily:

Not so good. I tripped on the stairs at the station this morning, and I hurt myfoot.

Kaiji:Oh no! Did you break it?

Emily:

I’m not sure. It hurts a lot.

Kaiji:

Maybe you should go to the hospital to get an x-ray.

Emily:

That’s a good idea. I don’t have any classes this afternoon.

Kaiji:

I hope it’s nothing serious.

Emily:

Me, too. The International Club is going hiking next weekend, and I don’t want
to miss it.

Emily’s diary
On my way to school this morning, I 1
the station, and I
I

2

4

down. Iso embarrassed!

to my class as usual, but I
6walking. I

Kaiji and hehospital to get an x-ray. I
Luckily, I

on some stairs in3

me to go to theto visit the hospital after class.

break my foot. The doctor 10

some bandages and11

advisedecidebetrouble

7

8

9

5

call

me

me to take it easy for a few days.
do not

fall

give

go

have

trip

tell

PART ONE: Simply Useful11Try It Out

2

Listen to the conversations and circle the right answers to each question. Then readthe following sentences carefully and fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.
DL 04

1

CD 04

Q1. Why can’t Akito go out with Olivia today?
a. He’s waiting for the pizza delivery.
b. He already has a date.
c. He has many things to do at home.
Q2. What’s the first thing Akito is planning to do?
a. Talk to people about New Zealandb. Clean his roomc. Write a report about the furniture of New ZealandQ3. What’s the furniture company going to deliver this afternoon?
a. A deskb. A bookshelfc. A bed
Akito’s diary
Today was the first time in a long time that I didn’t have to go to1, so I did many things. First, I 2

3

from

my room. Then I had an
5

my clothes and4. We talked about ourwith some people
6

Zealand. Olivia came over in the afternoon, and weof movies. We

8on New

7

to order pizza fora couple9, but

we decided to go out for ramen instead.

2
Q1. What did Natsumi and Rahul do tonight?
a. They went to a movie and to dinner.
b. They went to dinner and to karaoke.
c. They went to a movie and to karaoke.

12

DL 05

CD 05

Chapter 1

DAILY LIVES

Q2. What kind of food did they eat tonight?
a. Turkishb. Italianc. Chinese
Q3. Where will they go next week?
a. To a movie
b. To a Turkish restaurantc. To an Italian restaurant
Natsumi’s diary
I had fun with Rahul tonight. First, we went to see an 1
It was a little scary but
so we had dinner
the price was2. After the movie, we were hungry,

3

4. The food was great and! We ate a huge pizza and had Italian ice cream fordessert. Next weekend, we’ll eat 5
our6

Simply Writing.

at a restaurant near

. I heard it’s delicious, so I’m really looking forward to that.

Past Tense

When you write in a diary you are often writing about events that have already takenplace and the verbs you use need to show that. Many verbs end in “ed” to show thepast. Sometimes the word changes completely. Check your dictionary if necessary.

Read the following sentences and change the verbs to past tense.
1. Today when I wake up I feel so bad. My head aches and my throat is sore. I go to
the doctor and stay home from school.

2. I have a date with my girlfriend tonight. We see a movie, and after that, we sing
karaoke.

PART ONE: Simply Useful13

3.	I play tennis all afternoon with my sister. We have a lot of fun.
		



		



4.	Emily call me up this morning and ask me to go shopping with her. I meet her at
the station at eleven thirty, and we spend all afternoon in Shinjuku.
		



		



5.	Today’s party isn’t much fun. It costs 5,000 yen and the people who are at the
party aren’t very interesting. The food isn’t good and some guys drink too much.
		



		



6.	I have a quiz in my history class this morning. I read the textbook last night andreview the notes I make in class, so I answer all the questions easily.
		



		



7.	I go to three companies this morning to get information about working at them. It
takes me three hours to finish everything.
		



		



8.	Today I don’t wake up on time, so I’m late for school. My teacher is mad at me
because I’m always late.
		



		



9.	Last weekend I go to a hot springs hotel with my friends. We take baths and eat a
lot of delicious food. I spend a lot of money, but I have a very good time.
		



		



10.	I’m very busy today at my part-time job. There are many customers, so I staybehind the cash register and take their money all day long.

14

		



		



DAILY LIVES

Chapter 1

Let’s Write
1 Pretend you are Akito and this is your online calendar. Then write his diarydescribing what he did today.
9:00

English Class

11:00

History Class

1:30

Tennis with my circle

4:30

Part-time job

9:00

Karaoke with Emily and Kaiji

11:30

English homework

Akito’s diary

2 Next write down six things you did yesterday. Then write your own diary.

’s diary

PART ONE: Simply Useful15

PART TWO

Simply Skillfulapter 5Ch

WHAT’S HE LIKE?
Describing People

apter 6
Ch

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Making Comparisonsapter 7Ch

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
Giving Instructions

apter 8Ch

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Giving Opinions

apter 9Ch

WHAT ARE THE FACTS?
Writing About Data and Facts

41

Chapter

5

WHAT’S HE LIKE?
Describing People

Warming Up
1 With your partner, add phrases to A from B to make as many sentence
combinations as possible and write down your sentences on a separate pieceof paper.

A• He’s a short, thin man• She’s slightly overweight• He’s balding• She’s tall
• He’s well-built• She’s in her twenties• Your idea

42

Bwith a mustache.
and has a lot of wrinkles.
with dark curly hair.
with long black hair.
and slim.
and your idea.

• She’s wearing a dark gray jacket

and a pair of jeans.

• He has on a baseball cap

and dark glasses.

• They’re wearing jogging clothes

and a striped sweater.

• She’s wearing a long black coatand a down jacket.

• They’re wearing sleeveless T-shirts.

and black high heels.

WHAT’S HE LIKE?

Chapter 52 	Join these expressions together to make sentences. Use the correct pronouns
and decide whether to use “and” or “but”. “And” shows an additional idea and“but” shows an opposite idea.
• She’s extremely kind,(and/but) he/she’s fun to be around.

• He’s a little selfish sometimes,(and/but) he/she always helps others.

• She’s somewhat messy,(and/but) he/she/everyone likes him/her.

• He’s talkative,(and/but) he/she makes everyone happy.

• She’s always cheerful,(and/but) he/she gets a lot done every day.

• He’s lazy,(and/but) he/she forgets to do his/her homework.

• She’s energetic,(and/but) he/she argues with others.

3 Match each occupation with the job description.
1. She’s a doctor.

a. He grows rice.

2. They’re teachers.

b. She’s on the cover of many magazines.

3. He’s a professional soccer player.

c. She works at a public library.

4. They’re students.

d. He plays for Japan.

5. She’s a librarian.

e. They major in economics.

6. He’s a farmer.

f . They work for a computer company.

7. She’s a model.

g. He directs love stories.

8. They’re computer engineers.

h. He drives passengers around the city.

9. He’s a movie director.

i . She works in a university hospital.

10. He’s a bus driver.

j . They teach junior high school English.

PART TWO: Simply Skillful

43Getting Ready
Unscramble the words in parentheses in each sentence and choose the picturethat matches it best. Be sure to capitalize the first word of your sentence.

1（

2（

）

4（

）

3（

）

5（

）

）

a. “What do you think of John?”“I think he’s handsome. ( and / he’s / slim / tall ) and has dark curly hair. ( cheerful /he’s / outgoing / also / and ). I like him a lot.”b. “I decided that ( going / I’m / become / teacher / a / to ).”“That’s a good idea. ( and / you’re / interesting / very / talkative ). I’m sure thestudents will like you very much.”c. “What does your grandfather do?”“He’s a farmer. ( he / potatoes / corn / grows / and ). He’s getting old now, but ( very /still / and / he’s / active / energetic ).”d. “What did the robber look like?”“He was short and fat. He had long blond hair and was wearing glasses. ( seemed /he / to / thirties / in / his / early / be ).”e. “( disorganized / your / messy / sister / and / is / so ). Her desk looks terrible.”“I know, Mom, ( reliable / but / is / organized / school / at / she / and ). Everyone inher club counts on her because she’s so responsible.”44

WHAT’S HE LIKE?

Try It Out

Chapter 5

1

Practice these conversations with your partner. Then read the paragraphs carefully
and fill in the blanks with the missing words.
DL 18

1
Olivia:Guess what! I saw Tom Crocks last week at a restaurant in Ginza.

Michael:You’re kidding! Does he look the same as he does in the movies?

Olivia:CD 18

Yes, except he’s shorter than I expected. And I think he wears a wig in
the movies because he doesn’t have much hair. But he’s very tall andhandsome with a muscular build. He was wearing a very expensive suit too.
I thought he looked pretty sexy.

Michael:Olivia:Was he eating alone?
No, he was having dinner with Roberta Julian.

Michael’s letter to his grandmother #1
Olivia saw Tom Crocks having dinner last week with Roberta Julian in a
Ginza restaurant. He was a little 1
2

than she expected, but he had a. Olivia was surprised to see that he had little hair.

In movies, he always has a lot more hair. Nevertheless, Olivia thought he was
3

.

DL 19

2

CD 19

Continued from Conversation 1

Michael:Olivia:What did Roberta Julian look like?
Well, she was as beautiful as she is in the movies. She had long curlybrown hair and was tall and slim. She was wearing a simple pink cotton
dress and white sandals.

Michael:Olivia:Michael:Olivia:Oh, I wish I could’ve been there. Do you remember anything else about her?
Oh yeah. She was wearing a pair of glasses.
Glasses? You’re kidding!
No, I’m not. I was surprised because she never wears glasses in her
movies. I guess she wears contact lenses when she’s working.
PART TWO: Simply Skillful45

Michael:
Olivia:Did you speak to them?
No, but I wish I had said hello.

Michael’s letter to his grandmother #2
Olivia saw my favorite actress eating in a restaurant last week. She
said she was as 1in person as she is in her movies. She wore a2

and a 3

4

while she was reading the menu. That surprised. She also wore

Olivia because she had never seen Roberta Julian wearing glasses. Then she
realized that she probably wears 5

when she’s working.

Olivia wished she had been brave enough to say

Try It Out

6

to her.

2

Listen to the conversations and circle the right answers to each question. Then readthe following sentences carefully and fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.
DL 20

1

CD 20

Q1. What kind of cap was the thief wearing?
a. A blue knit cap
b. A green ski cap
c. A yellow baseball cap
Q2. What kind of clothes was the thief wearing?
a. A wool jacket and a pair of jeansb. A raincoat and gray slacksc. A red T-shirt and a pair of shorts
Q3. How old was the thief?
a. Mrs. Smith was sure he was in his twenties.
b. Mrs. Smith was sure he was in his thirties.
c. Mrs. Smith wasn’t sure how old he was.

Police report
According to Mrs. Smith, an eyewitness to yesterday’s robbery, the thief was talland wearing a 1
46. He had on a 2

Chapter 5

WHAT’S HE LIKE?

or 3

jacket and a pair of 4

wearing5. He was possibly. He had a mustache and was wearing dark 6

He was somewhere in his

7

or

8

.

. If you see this person

please call the police immediately. He’s a very dangerous criminal.
DL 21

2

CD 21

Q1. How old is Rahul’s brother?
a. He’s five.
b. He’s twenty-one.
c. He’s twenty-five.
Q2. What does Kamal look like?
a. He’s of medium height and muscular.
b. He’s short and has a slight build.
c. He’s tall and skinny.
Q3. Which of the following is true?
a. Kamal is handsome and fashionable.
b. Kamal works at a gym.
c. Kamal invites the elderly to his home.

Rahul’s Brother
Rahul has one brother in India. His name is Kamal and he’s 1
2. He goes to the3andevery day. He works in a department

store, so he can buy clothes at a discount. In addition to this, he 4

once

a week. He’s a very nice person and everyone seems to love him.

Simply Writing

Sexist Language

Writers need to learn how to avoid sexist language in their writing. Students used to betaught that masculine pronouns or nouns included both men and women. “Mankind”
was considered to be both male and female humans. The names of many jobs were
specifically for men. These days, however, people prefer to use gender-neutral words.
That means that the words include both men and women. Take a look at the following.

PART TWO: Simply Skillful47

OLD WORDS

NEW WORDS

chairmancoordinator, head, chairbusinessman

business person

firemanfirefighter

mailmanletter carrier / mail carrier / postal worker

steward and stewardessflight attendant

policeman and policewoman

police officer

ladies and gentlemenpeople, everyone

mankindhumankind, people

man-madesynthetic, machine-made, artificial

Simply Writing

DEALING WITH THIRD PERSON PRONOUNS

Pronouns are very important in English because they often determine the verb tense ina sentence. But when speaking about someone in general, like “a student,” “a doctor,”or “a teacher” it is difficult to decide whether or not that person is a “he” or a “she.”To avoid this problem, it is better to say “students,” “doctors,” or “teachers,” so the
pronoun can be a gender neutral “they.”48

OLD SENTENCENEW SENTENCE

Each student must submit his essay atthe end of the semester.

Students must submit their essays at theend of the semester.

If a student is worried about his or her
grades, he or she should ask the teacher
for advice.

If students are worried about their grades
they should ask the teacher for advice.

After a teacher grades a student’s essay,
she returns it to him or her.

After teachers grade students’ essays,
they re t ur n the m to the m. O R T heteacher returns students’ essays after
grading them.

A person who wants to buy a ticket
should bring his money tomorrow.

People who want to buy a ticket should
bring their money tomorrow.

Anyone who wants to apply for thisjob should submit his application
immediately.

Anyone who wants to apply for thisjob should submit their application
immediately.

WHAT’S HE LIKE?

Chapter 5

Read the following sentences and rewrite them so that they are all gender neutral.
1. Today’s scientific discovery was a huge step for mankind.
2. OK, children. Anyone who wants to go on the picnic this afternoon has to clean his
room first.
3. This is a special discount for businessmen.
4. Anyone who forgot his pencil needs to borrow one from his friend.
5. That building was saved by firemen.
6. The average college senior is worried about finding his job after graduation.
7. Being a stewardess is a lot harder than you might imagine.
8. This dress is made from man-made materials.
9. If a student doesn’t want to stay here, then he can go home.
10. Mailmen are extremely busy at the end of the year delivering holiday mail.

Let’s Write
1 Write a short paragraph on a separate piece of paper describing a friend or
family member.
2 Write a short paragraph on a separate piece of paper describing your favorite
actor.

Writing Checklist

□
□
□
□
□
□
□

Is your name clearly written on the paper?
Is your paper neatly handwritten or typed?
Are all of the necessary words capitalized?
Are all of the words spelled correctly?
Did you use periods, commas, and other punctuation marks appropriately?
Did you use the right verb tense for each sentence?
Are all of your sentences complete sentences with a subject and a verb?
PART TWO: Simply Skillful49

PART THREEteh ap r 1

0

C

Simply Successful
WHAT’S A PARAGRAPH?

te
hap r 1

1

C

Topic Sentences

WHAT’S A PARAGRAPH?

teh ap r 1

2

C

Supporting Sentences and Concluding Sentence

PERSUASIVE PARAGRAPHS

hapter 1

3

C

Supporting Opinions

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY

hapter 1

4

C

Thesis Statement

THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY
Introductions and Conclusions

PART THREE: Simply Successful

Chapter

10

WHAT’S A PARAGRAPH? 1
Topic Sentences
What is an English paragraph? A paragraph is a group of sentences that discuss
one idea. The main sentence in the paragraph is called the topic sentence. It is
often at the beginning of the paragraph. The topic sentence has a topic and an
opinion about the topic. The opinion is also called the controlling idea because it
controls what will be said in the paragraph. Look at the topic sentence below.
My best friend Naomi is the busiest person I know.
The topic is “My best friend Naomi”, and the opinion is “she is the busiest person I
know”. All the sentences that follow need to be related to the topic sentence.

Try It Out

1

1 Read the sentences and put a “ ○ ” next to those that support the topic
sentence and an “╳” next to sentences that do not.

1.

My best friend Naomi is the busiest person I know.

She wakes up early every morning to work at the convenience store
next to the station.

2.

She has long black hair.

3.

She babysits her little brother every afternoon until her mother getshome from work.

82

4.

She goes to Korean conversation lessons several evenings a week.

5.

Most people like her because she’s very friendly.

6.

Her mother is very busy too.

7.

She volunteers at an animal shelter once a week.

8.

Naomi’s boyfriend works at a restaurant.

9.

She lives close to her grandparents.

10.

She’s active in her circle.

Chapter 10

WHAT’S A PARAGRAPH? 1

2 	Write a paragraph using the sentences that are related to the topic sentence.
My best friend Naomi is the busiest person I know.



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I’m certain that no one else I know is as busy as Naomi.

Try It Out

2

Put a “ ○ ” next to the sentences that can be a topic sentence and an “╳” next tothe sentences that can’t be topic sentences. Remember that a topic sentences
needs both a topic and an opinion. On a separate piece of paper, rewrite thesentences that are not topic sentences.
1.

My dog is the smartest dog in the world.

2.

Watching television is a waste of time.

3.

The teacher scolded the students for one hour.

4.

My teacher is one of the hardest teachers in the school.

5.

Tokyo is the capital of Japan.

6.

The school is located in the middle of the city.

7.

Everyone should do sports for their health.

8.

The biggest problem in the world today is climate change.

9.

My friend lives far from school.

10.

That store sells a wide variety of goods.

PART THREE: Simply Successful83Try It Out

3

1 	The following sentences are about pets. Some of them talk about cats and someof them talk about dogs. Put a “C” next to the sentence if it says something
about cats, and put a “D” if it says something about dogs. Underline the two
topic sentences.
1.

	I enjoy taking him for a walk every day because it helps me stay inshape.

2.

	They’re very quiet and won’t disturb the neighbors by making a lot ofnoise.

3.

	They never need to have their fur trimmed.

4.

	They can spend a lot of time alone at home.

5.

	My dog is a wonderful pet.

6.

	You never have to give one a bath because it will clean itself every day.

7.

	Cats are easy to take care of.

8.

	He always sits next to me when I watch television and keeps mecompany.

9.

	They don’t need to be taken for walks every day because they can gooutside by themselves.

10.

	He wags his tail and gets very excited when he sees me.

2 	Write two paragraphs about cats and dogs. Add transition words (see p.64) if

necessary. Be sure to start with the topic sentence you chose above.
CATS
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DOGS
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WHAT’S A PARAGRAPH? 1

Try It Out

Chapter 10

41 	Some of the following sentences talk about the academic side of university

life and some talk about the social side of university life. Put an “A” next tothe sentence if it says something about the academic side, and put an “S” if itsays something about the social side. Underline the two topic sentences.
1.

I also made many friends at university after I joined the International Club.

2.

In my English class I have to read twenty pages a week.

3.

 ot only have I become friends with students from my own university, butNI have met a lot of people from different schools.

4.

University classes are a lot harder than those I took in high school.

5.

The teachers assign a lot more homework.

6.

I have some free time during the day so I can meet my friends in thestudent cafeteria for a chat.

7.

I have to write many reports.

8.

In addition, I have made friends who are older and younger than me at
my part-time job.

9.

Many teachers are enthusiastic about teaching their specialties.

10.

 n important part of university life is being able to make all kinds ofA
friends.

2 	Write two paragraphs about both sides of university life. Add transition words(see p.64) if necessary. Be sure to start with the topic sentence you chose above.
Academic side of university life

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As I have described above, university classes are much more challenging than highschool classes.

PART THREE: Simply Successful85Social side of university life

Thanks to being a university student, I have become friends with many different
people.

Simply Writing

Topic Sentences

Thinking of a topic sentence is one of the hardest parts of writing a paragraph, but if
you have a good topic sentence, writing the rest of the paragraph will be easier. Hereare the steps that will help you make a topic sentence.

1

Think of a general topic.
Example: college

2

Narrow this idea down into smaller categories.
Example: school life, classes, friends, club activities, teachers, etc.

3

Choose one of the smaller categories and narrow it down again.
Example: classes: favorite class, boring teachers, some are too early inthe morning, some are interesting, but hard.

4

Choose one of the smaller categories and think of your opinion about the
topic.
Example: classes: interesting but hard

5Make a topic sentence. Don’t forget you need a topic and an opinion/
controlling idea.
Example:Some of my university classes are very interesting, but they are hard.
topic

86

opinionWHAT’S A PARAGRAPH? 1

Chapter 10

Follow these step-by-step directions to make your topic sentence.

1

Think of a general topic (Example: friendship, education, family, happiness).

2

Narrow this idea down into smaller categories.

3

Choose one of the smaller categories and narrow it down again.

4

Choose one of the smaller categories and think of your opinion about the
topic.

5

Make your topic sentence. Don’t forget you need a topic and an opinion/
controlling idea.

Let’s Write
Now that you know how to write a topic sentence, make three topic sentences foreach of these topics by changing the opinion
1. Pets

2. Movies

3. Homework

PART THREE: Simply Successful87

4. Careers

5. Money

Writing Checklist

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□
□
□
□
□
□

88

Is your name clearly written on the paper?
Is your paper neatly handwritten or typed?
Are all of the necessary words capitalized?
Are all of the words spelled correctly?
Did you use periods, commas, and other punctuation marks appropriately?
Did you use the right verb tense for each sentence?
Are all of your sentences complete sentences with a subject and a verb?
Does your paragraph have a clear topic sentence?
Does your topic sentence have a topic and an opinion?

APPENDIX I
Punctuation
1. End every sentence with a period (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation mark (!).
2. Use commasa) when you separate a series of items
I like biology, math, history, and English.
b) when you want to set off any word, phrase or clause that interrupts the flow of
the sentence
The student, sad that he failed his college exam for the third time, went home.
c) when you begin a sentence with an incomplete sentence (i.e. one that is
missing a verb or a subject) and join it with a complete sentence
Slowly walking home, Kaiji was sure that he had failed the university entrance
exam one more time.
d) when you begin a sentence with words such as when, although, because,
after, or whenever
Whenever I go to bed after midnight, I oversleep the next morning.
Although I studied hard for the test, I failed it.
e) when you combine two complete sentences with for, and, nor, but, or, yet, orso (You can use the acronym FANBOYS to remember this.)
He studied as hard as he could, but he was never able to pass the test.
3. Use an apostrophea) to show possession (Jiro’s book, Elsa’s brother). It’s preferable to showpossession this way rather than the long-winded, the book of Jiro.
b) to show that a word or words have been shortened (couldn’t, won’t, let’s, I’d).

Rewrite the following sentences using the correct punctuation.
1. Olivias books are missing
2. Shall we go to Rahuls apartment after school
3. Lets eat either Italian Chinese or French food tonight
4. I cant believe I won free tickets to my favorite singers concert
5. The dog ate its dinner and then it took a nap on the chair
6. All you need to make curry and rice is some meat carrots onions and potatoes
7. Although my sister is living in France I only visited England Spain and Switzerland
on my tour122

8. Didnt you say that we’re having a pop quiz in Ms. Greenes class tomorrow
9. After writing your name at the top of the page you should fill in all of the blankspaces
10. Emilys mother is coming to visit next month but I wont be here because I’m going
to my brothers wedding

Capitalization
Certain words in English need to be capitalized. The first word of every sentence, thepersonal pronoun “I,” and all proper nouns (the names of people, countries, cities,
rivers, mountains, streets, parks, historical events, languages) are capitalized.

Rewrite the following sentences using the correct punctuation.
1. my sister mary arrived yesterday from los angeles.
2. i wanted to study french, but i decided to study german instead.
3. tom and i are having a great time in new delhi, india.
4. the tallest mountain in japan is mount fuji.
5. our school has thai, korean, and chinese students.

Now read the following paragraph and rewrite it by providing the proper
capitalization.
dear aunt jane,
it was great seeing you in tokyo last month. i’m so glad that you had time
to come and see me even though you were on a business trip to hong kong. you
picked the best time to come to japan for a visit. the cherry blossoms werereally beautiful, weren’t they? did you enjoy going to shinjuku park with myfriends, Natsumi and Rin? i think they’re studying english now harder than everafter meeting you because they want to visit you in Australia some day. i hope
you had a good ﬂight home. say hello to uncle ron and to mary and jim.
love,
Olivia123

APPENDIX II
IWhat an Assignment Should Look Like

Student Name
Student Number
Assignment’s Name
TITLE OF ESSAY

If students want to get good grades on writing assignments,
they should take steps to make sure their assignment looks
proper. Even if a paragraph or essay is well-written, points might
be taken off if it looks sloppy or if it is incorrectly formatted. Thisessay will describe how to submit a paper that will impress yourteacher.
First, make sure your name, student number, and theassignment’s name are at the top left-hand side of the paper.
The title of your essay is below that, in the center of the page.
All the lines in your assignment should be double-spaced. Thatmeans there should be a space between each line. You should be
able to find line spacing options like this in your word processing
program.

124

Your assignment should also be formatted so that your writing
is lined up against the left side of your paper. Here is an example ofwhat the setting might look like in your word processing program.

The first sentence in every new paragraph is always indented.
That means that the sentence does not start right at the lefthand margin, but in about three spaces. Do not start a newparagraph for every sentence. (You only start a new paragraphwhen the topic changes or goes in a different direction.) The
margins of your paragraph should be about five centimeters on
both sides. If you are handwriting your assignment, make sure
you use the right side of the paper. The notebook holes should
be on the left, not the right. You should skip every line andmake sure your writing is neat and readable.
If you follow these guidelines on what your assignment shouldlook like, your paper will be neat and easy to read. You will still
have to be careful with your grammar and content, but you will
not lose any points for improper formatting.
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APPENDIX IIII
Email and letter greetings
There are several ways to address someone in an email. Look at the following list,
which starts with the most formal style and ends with the most informal style. You
should only use an informal style if you are very close to the person you are contacting.

1. Dear Professor Smith,
2. Dear Dr. Smith,
3. Dear Mr./Ms. Smith,
4. Dear Personnel Manager,
5. Dear Mary Smith, / Dear John Smith, (this is if you don’t know if they prefer tobe called Mr. or Ms.)
6. Dear Mary, / Dear John,
7. Hi Mary, / Hi John, / Hi Grandma,
8. Hey Mary! / Hey John!

The following are examples of sentences you can use in the beginning of a formal email.
1. I hope this email finds you well.
2. I hope you had a nice weekend.
3. I hope you are surviving this terrible hot weather.

Then move into the purpose of a formal email.
1. I’m emailing you because…
2. I’m sending you this mail because I’d like to tell you…
3. I’m writing to ask you…

The following are a few examples of how to end your email.
1. Sincerely,
2. Yours truly,
3. Your student,
4. Thank you for your help.
5. Thank you for your help. I’m looking forward to your reply.
6. Love, (for a close friend or relative)

126

APPENDIX IV
Writing Topics to Consider
1. If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?
2. If there’s one thing you could change about your family, what would you change
and why?
3. When you were a child, what did you want to become when you grew up?
4. If you could be any television character, who would you be and why?
5. If you could be the character in a book, who would you want to be and why?
6. What would you do if you suddenly won 1,000,000 yen?
7. What’s the most difficult decision you ever had to make?
8. What’s your most embarrassing experience?
9. Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?
10. If you could make three wishes, what would you wish for and why?
11. Is a lie always bad? Why or why not?
12. What’s the most interesting gift you’ve ever received?
13. What are the advantages of keeping pets?
14. What are some specific things people can do to help protect the environment?
15. Which do you prefer, going out on the weekends or staying home?
16. Have you ever done anything dangerous? What was it? Would you do it again?
17. Describe a time you’ve gotten lost. Where was it and what did you do?
18. What’s important to consider when one is job hunting?
19. Name two jobs that you’d never want to have and why.
20. Describe three famous people that have inspired others by their achievements.
21. What famous person, alive or dead, would you like to meet and why?
22. Describe how one invention in the past changed the world.
23. If you had a robot that could only do three things, what three things would you likeit to do and why?
24. Describe the best teacher you’ve ever had and what made him/her such a goodteacher.
25. Do you think that college entrance exams should be abolished? Why or why not?
26. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you
do there?
27. What five things would you bring with you if you were stranded on an island?
28. If you could travel in a time machine, what era would you visit and why?
29. How different is your college life from your high school life?
30. What’s more important in life, talent or luck?
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