GREAT WRITING 3:FROM GREAT PARAGRAPHS TO GREAT ESSAYS
UNIT 1 Paragraphs
ELEMENTS OF GREAT WRITING
Activity 1, page 5
1. b 2. a 3. b 4. a 5. a
Activity 2, pages 6–7
1. Throughout history, explorers have been inspired to investigate land, space, and sea.
2. have been inspired to investigate land, space, and sea
3. three
4. c
Activity 3, page 8
1. air conditioners; a 2. biomedical engineering; b 3. snowboarding; b
Activity 4, page 9
1. a. Europeans drink far more coffee than people from other
parts of the world.
2. b. Roller coaster safety has improved tremendously over
the last 200 years.
3. c. The sport of track-and-field has increased in popularity in
recent years.
Activity 5, page 9
Possible answers:
1. Lying in the workplace can result in a number of problems.
2. Working hard is the first step to reaching your goals.
3. The Eiffel Tower, located in Paris, France, is significant for
several reasons.
Activity 6, pages 10-11
Possible answers:
Paragraph 1.2: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Paragraph 1.3: Acting can be categorized into three different
types: stage acting, television acting, and film acting.
Paragraph 1.4: Job-search websites can be a great tool to help a
job seeker find a new job.
Activity 7, page 12
Possible answers:
Paragraph 1.2: An Important Meal; Breakfast
Paragraph 1.3: Three Kinds of Acting; Acting Three Ways
Paragraph 1.4: The Benefits of Job-Search Websites; A Job
Search Tool
Activity 8, page 12
Answers will vary.
Activity 9, page 12
Answers will vary.
Activity 10, page 14
Possible answers:
1. What kinds of pesticides should not be used? Why should
we avoid using pesticides?
2. Why are coffee producers using environmentally friendly
farming methods? What are the benefits to using
environmentally friendly farming methods, if any?
3. What are the differences between snow skiing and water
skiing? What are the similarities between snow skiing and
water skiing?
4. Why is trophy hunting controversial? How might trophy
hunting actually help preserve endangered animals?
5. Why are extracurricular activities beneficial to children?
What extracurricular activities can children participate in to
improve their self-confidence?
Activity 11, pages 15–16
Paragraph 1.5
Sentence 1:Good
Sentence 2: Unrelated
Sentence 3: Good
Paragraph 1.6
Sentence 1: Good
Sentence 2: Unrelated
Sentence 3: Good
Activity 12, page 17
1. F; Students encounter an incredible amount of new
vocabulary in English every day.
2. F; Some learners solve this problem by using flash cards.
3. C; What are flash cards?
4. C; How do language learners use them?
5. F; A flash card is a small card for learning vocabulary.
6. C; Learners write the new word on one side of the card.
7. F; Then they write a definition on the other side.
8. C; Students test themselves on the vocabulary words by
guessing the meaning and then checking the answer.
9. C; Because learners create their own cards, they can focus
on words that are important for them.
10. F; Even though it is a traditional method, using flash cards
is extremely useful.
Activity 13, page 18
1. families 2. C 3. members 4. elders 5. women 6. hours
7. health 8. time
Activity 14, page 19
Answers will vary.
Activity 15, page 20
Answers will vary.
Activity 16, page 20
Answers will vary.
Activity 17, page 21
Possible answers:
1. In conclusion, all good restaurants share similar qualities.
(restates the main idea)
2. The monuments and museums in Washington, DC, provide
both inspiration and enjoyment to millions of visitors each
year. (gives an opinion)
Activity 18, pages 22–23
1. The purpose of this paragraph is to talk about why the
Summer Olympics are so popular.
2. There are many reasons for their popularity.
3. many reasons for their popularity.
4. Overall, this competition is one of the most popular
sporting events in the world. (restatement)
5. In the Winter Olympics, one of the most popular sports
is ice skating. This sentence doesn’t belong because it
talks about the Winter Olympics instead of the Summer
Olympics. It does not support the topic sentence.
6. The writer could provide an additional reason why the
Summer Olympics are so popular.
Activity 19, page 24
Topic sentence: Although tsunamis and hurricanes both cause a
lot of damage, they are each very different.
Not a good supporting sentence: Tsunamis are very frightening.
Possible answer for concluding sentence: While both tsunamis
and hurricanes can be devastating, they are very different from
each other.
BUILDING BETTER VOCABULARY
Activity 20, page 25
1. like 2. thankful 3. good 4. type 5. make happen
6. find 7. perform 8. not have enough of 9. big 10. in general
Activity 21, pages 25–26
1. investigate 2. disaster 3. rely on 4. regardless of
5. characteristic 6. recommendation 7. appreciate
8. tend to 9. process 10. throughout
Activity 22, page 26
1. categories 2. categorize 3. entirely 4. entire
5. maintenance 6. maintain 7. occurred 8. occurrence
9. prediction 10. predicted
Activity 23, page 27
Answers will vary.
BUILDING BETTER SENTENCES
Activity 24, page 27
Sloths are amazing animals that live in Central and South
America. These animals are well known for their laziness.
Scientists believe that their slow movement helps them escape
from predators—animals that might hurt them. Because many
predators have sharp eyesight, they are looking for animals
that move quickly. When sloths see a predator, they actually
move more slowly, hoping that they will disappear in the
background. For sloths, being slow has its rewards.
Activity 25, page 28
Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. Sugary drinks are harmful to children’s teeth.
2. Drones can be used for fun, for exploration, or for
advertising.
3. The United Nations maintains international peace and
provides humanitarian aid to countries in need.
Activity 26, page 29
Answers will vary.
WRITING
Activities 27–28, pages 29–30
Answers will vary.
UNIT 2 Features of Good Writing
ELEMENTS OF GREAT WRITING
Activity 1, pages 34–35
Pre-Paragraph Questions
Possible answers:
1. Bees help pollinate plants, which helps plants reproduce.
2. Some extinct animals are the passenger pigeon (hunted to
extinction) and the woolly mammoth (may have died out
from climate change, hunting, and meteorites or comets).
Post-Paragraph Questions
1. The purpose of this paragraph is to persuade the reader
that the decline in bee populations is a serious problem.
2. Bee populations across the world have dropped
significantly, and this is a serious problem.
3. a. Farmers and gardeners can use alternatives to
dangerous pesticides. b. Beehives can be placed closer to
food crops.
Activity 2, page 37
Possible answers:
1. Purpose statement 1: The purpose of this paragraph is to
give reasons for the popularity of fast-food restaurants.
Purpose statement 2: The purpose of this paragraph is to
argue that there are negative effects of eating fast-food.
2. Purpose statement 1: The purpose of this paragraph is to
describe clean energy alternatives. Purpose statement 2:
The purpose of this paragraph is to argue the importance
of using clean energy.
3. Purpose statement 1: The purpose of this paragraph
is to describe the importance of the invention of the
Internet. Purpose statement 2: The purpose of this
paragraph is to describe the importance of the invention
of communications satellites.
4. Purpose statement 1: The purpose of this paragraph is to
explain steps you can take to improve your friendships.
Purpose statement 2: The purpose of this paragraph is to
describe different kinds of friendships.
5. Purpose statement 1: The purpose of this paragraph is to
summarize the best study habits. Purpose statement 2: The
purpose of this paragraph is to compare and contrast good
study habits and bad study habits.
Activity 3, page 39
Possible answers:
1. wonderful, incredible, delightful
2. awful, terrible, poor
3. extremely, incredibly, especially
4. gigantic, massive, enormous
5. engaging, fascinating, intriguing
6. friendly, admirable, agreeable
Activity 4, page 40
Possible answers:
1. the historic house in the mountain village
2. the long, windy road through the country
3. an amazingly generous gift from a friend
4. the majestic mountain range
5. an extremely long and complicated exam
Activity 5, page 40
Possible answers:
1. The network administrator has a great deal of knowledge
about programming computers.
2. The new student’s stylish clothing fits him well.
3. Tokyo is the largest city in the world with a population of
38 million people.
4. The start up business upgraded its communications sytems
to increase efficiency.
5. The French soccer team won the World Cup in 2018.
Activity 6, page 41
Activity 8, pages 43–44
1. Miami 2. Chicago’s 3. Miami
4. the residents of Chicago and Miami
5. the residents of Miami
Activity 9, page 45
Possible answers:
1. Before students choose a major, she they should always
speak to an academic advisor.
2. One should carpool if you want one wants to save on gas.
3. Doctors warn people that you they should watch the kind
of food you they eat every day.
4. The population of the United States has grown steadily over
the past century, and they continue it continues to grow.
5. Alligators and crocodiles are distinct in that it is they are
either a freshwater or saltwater reptile.
6. It is important for a company to respond quickly to
problems we it may face.
7. Many computer users hate software updates because of
the interruption to our their work.
Activity 10, page 45
Biomedical engineering is one of the fastest-growing
segments of the tech industry. Students who choose to study
this major are likely to have many job opportunities after her
their graduation. Biomedical engineering is a hybrid science.
They incorporate It incorporates engineering principles with
medicine and biology. Every year, biomedical engineers introduce
new technologies to help people overcome her their physical
handicaps. Biomedical engineering has also evolved to meet
the needs of people looking for alternative treatments—ones
that are very different from what her their doctors traditionally
provided in the past. They People say that this field of study is
perfect for people who are as interested in medicine as they are in
engineering and technology, as they it can satisfy needs for both.
These individuals are sure to thrive in this new and exciting field.
Activity 11, page 46
1. The purpose of this paragraph is to show the benefits of
cleaning up a messy workspace.
2. This may be a good time to think about saving money and
buying fewer office supplies.
Activity 12, page 47
1. There are many ways to classify movies, and one method is
by general category—fiction, true story, and hybrid.
2. 5, 10, 12
Activity 13, page 48
a. 4 b. 3 c. does not belong d. 7 e. 1 f. 5 g. 6 h. 2
Activity 14, page 49
Possible answers:
1. Physical fitness for college students
2. The purpose of this paragraph is to give two different ways
college students can stay in shape.
3. fit, fitness, active, college students, students
Activity 15, page 50
1. Before 2. First 3. In addition 4. For instance 5. Finally
BUILDING BETTER VOCABULARY
Activity 16, page 51
1. simply 2. decrease 3. thing 4. unreal 5. mixed up 6. normally
7. story line 8. dangerous 9. bring together 10. different
Activity 17, pages 51–52
1. alternative 2. reduce 3. major 4. decline 5. significantly
6. signal 7. productive 8. interfere 9. substance 10. release
Activity 18, pages 52–53
1. adaptive 2. adapt 3. concentration 4. concentrated 5. conflict
6. conflicting 7. permanent 8. permanently 9. stimulation
10. stimulate
Activity 19, page 53
Answers will vary.
BUILDING BETTER SENTENCES
Activity 20, page 54
Coffee and tea are two of the most popular beverages in
the world, but they are vastly different. First of all, tea is more
ancient than coffee. It was discovered thousands of years ago
in Asia. Coffee, on the other hand, originated in Yemen and
Ethiopia in the ninth century. Another difference between the
two drinks is their original form. Coffee is cultivated from a bean
while tea is made from tea leaves. This means that the method
of production also differs, with coffee being more difficult.
Finally, researchers have found some benefits to drinking
coffee but also some harmful effects. Tea, on the other hand,
contains tannins, which may reduce the risk of cancer and heart
disease. Regardless of personal preference, both of these drinks
are enjoyed by millions of people every day.
Activity 21, page 55
Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. Children should learn appropriate behavior in the
classroom.
2. Using cell phones during meetings is disruptive and
disrespectful.
3. A home can be permanently damaged by hurricane-force
winds.
Activity 22, page 55
Answers will vary. Possible answers:
1. Unlike some companies, Apple is a huge success because it
has been able to adapt.
2. If a room is left messy for a long period of time, it may stay
that way permanently.
3. Due to a major conflict, the two businessmen decided to
stop working together.
4. Reducing the price of a product can signal to customers
that the seller is desperate.
5. Social media can interfere with your work and make you
less productive.
WRITING
Activities 23–25, pages 56–57
Answers will vary.
