GREAT WRITING 2:GREAT PARAGRAPHS

Unit 1 Paragraphs

ELEMENTS OF GREAT WRITING

Activity 1, pages 4–5

Before Paragraph 1.1

Possible answers:

1. in South America

2. Brazil has more people. Brazil is bigger.

3. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese. It is Spanish in

Chile.

After Paragraph 1.1

Possible answers:

1. This paragraph discusses the geography, the number of

people, and the languages of Brazil and Chile.

2. The most important difference between Brazil and

Chile (specified beginning) is language. This makes

communication between the countries more difficult.

Activity 2, page 6

1. be (is/are), differ, shows, takes up, have, live, speak

2. Because the paragraph states facts about the two

countries.

Activity 3, page 6

Answers will vary.

Activity 4, page 7

Before Paragraph 1.2:

Answers will vary.

After Paragraph 1.2:

Possible answers:

1. The purpose of this paragraph is to tell how to make an

egg salad sandwich.

2. First, Finally

3. By following all of these steps,

Activities 5–6, page 8

Answers will vary.

Activity 7, pages 8–9

Before Paragraph 1.3:

Answers will vary.

After Paragraph 1.3:

1. Yes.

2. Topic Sentence: At some point, parents must decide

whether or not to allow their children to have pets.

The writer wants to explain that parents have different

opinions about whether their children should have pets.

3. Cats are good pets, but I do not like it when their hair is on

the furniture.

4. Seven.

5. Concluding sentence: In sum, although many children

want a pet, parents are divided on this topic.

Possible answer: The topic sentence and the concluding

sentence both discuss the main idea of parents allowing

their children to have pets.

Activity 8, page 10

1. Topic sentences:

1.1 Brazil and Chile are near each other, but these two

South American countries differ in geography, population,

and language.

1.2 An egg salad sandwich is one of the easiest and most

delicious foods to make for lunch.

Possible answer: The topic sentence for “Brazil and Chile”

clearly states the three points in the paragraph. It’s not

as clear in “An Easy Sandwich” what the paragraph will be

about.

2. Concluding sentences:

1.1 These countries are near each other, but they are

clearly different in several important ways.

1.2 By following all of these steps, anyone can make this 

delicious sandwich.

Possible answer: The topic sentence and concluding

sentence in Paragraph 1.1 both state that the countries are

near each other, but different in several ways. The topic

sentence in Paragraph 1.2 talks about how easy it is to make

this sandwich, and the concluding sentence repeats this

idea by saying “anyone can make this delicious sandwich.”

Activity 9, pages 10–12

Possible answers:

Paragraph 1.4

1. For many students, e-readers are better than paper books.

2. My friend has an e-reader, and she convinced me to buy

one.

3. For these reasons, e-readers are better for students than

traditional books.

Possible answer: This sentence restates the main idea of

the topic sentence.

Paragraph 1.5

1. The main idea is that New York City is well-known.

2. No. Possible topic sentence: It is difficult to find anyone in

the world who does not know New York City.

3. Yes.

4. For these reasons, everyone knows about this city. 

Paragraph 1.6

1. The main idea is that Simón Bolívar was a great hero to

people in many countries in Latin America.

2. Yes. Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) was one of South America’s

greatest heroes and a very powerful man.

3. No. Spanish is the national language in at least 22

countries.

4. Although Bolívar’s name is not as well-known outside Latin

America, many people there believe that he is the most

important person in their history.

Activity 10, page 13

1. The geography of Turkey is unique. (3)

2. Most countries are on one continent, but Turkey lies in

both Asia and Europe. (4)

3. The Asian part of the country is much larger than the

European part. (5)

4. Two European countries that border Turkey are Bulgaria

and Greece. (5)

5. Turkey has coasts on the Mediterranean Sea and the Black

Sea. (5)

6. Half of its land is higher than 1,000 meters above sea

level. (3)

7. In fact, two-thirds of the country is higher than 800 meters

above sea level. (2)

8. The geography is one reason millions of tourists visit this

country every year. (2)

Activity 11, page 13

Possible title: The Unique Geography of Turkey

The geography of Turkey is unique. Most countries are

on one continent, but Turkey lies in both Asia and Europe. The

Asian part of the country is much larger than the European

part. Two European countries that border Turkey are Bulgaria

and Greece. Turkey has coasts on the Mediterranean Sea and

the Black Sea. Half of its land is higher than 1,000 meters above

sea level. In fact, two-thirds of the country is higher than 800

meters above sea level. The geography is one reason millions of

tourists visit this country every year.

Activity 12, page 14

1. I: The main method of transportation in these five islands

are is the public bus system.

2. C: Everybody prefers to live near the ocean because it is

less dry.

3. I: The trees behind the new high school is are very tall.

4. C: Earth revolves around the sun.

5. I: According to the new rules, a pilot and a copilot flies fly 

this type of large plane.

6. I: The three baby elephants at the zoo weighs just under

300 pounds.

7. C: There are many interesting things to do in San Francisco.

8. I: Each player on both teams needs the ability to run very

fast.

9. C: Laughing with friends is a healthy way to spend time.

10. I: Everyone with five correct answers gets a passing grade.

Activity 13, page 15

1. is

2. are

3. is

4. are

5. does

6. moves

7. is

8. was

9. are

10. is; visit

Activity 14, page 15

Possible title: Two Great Japanese Cities

    One reason many people want to visit Asia is to see Japan.

In many people’s opinions, the best places to visit in Japan

are Tokyo and Kyoto. Tokyo is a very modern city with many

tall buildings. In fact, the skyscrapers in Tokyo are some of the

tallest buildings in the world. However, the city skyline with

these incredibly tall buildings does not look like the scenery in

Kyoto at all. Life in Kyoto moves more slowly than life in Tokyo.

Kyoto is not only smaller but also much older. Kyoto was the

capital of Japan a long time ago. There are still many historic

buildings in Kyoto, so tourists can see them all over the city. Life

in these two places is quite different, and tourists visit each city

for very different reasons.

Activity 15, page 16

The Hard Work of a Kindergarten Teacher

    Some people think that Mira Ahmed has an easy job, but

teaching a class of 22 very young children are is not easy. Mira

is a kindergarten teacher. Class begins at 8:00 a.m., but every

teacher arrives by 7:30. Before class, Mira sets up the room for

her students. The students arrive between 7:45 and 8:00, and

then the class begins. The young students in her class keeps

her extremely busy for the rest of the day. They play games

and learn new things. However, there is are always a few small

problems. Sometimes a child runs around the room or cry cries,

but Mira tries to be very patient with all of her students. After

school, she attends meetings and prepares lessons for the next

day. Mira says she loves her job, but it really is a great deal of

work.

BUILDING BETTER VOCABULARY

Activity 16, page 17

1. allow - let

2. attraction - popular place

3. boil - very hot water

4. contrast - differences

5. convenient - easy

6. ingredients - for a recipe

7. majority - more than half

8. population - people

9. remove - subtract

10. require - need

Activity 17, pages 17–18

1. a great deal of money

2. at least two people

3. a tourist attraction 

4. a patient teacher

5. extremely important

6. an obvious error

7. at approximately 2 p.m.

8. a convenient location

9. convince someone

10. a powerful earthquake

Activity 18, page 18

1. attract

2. differ

3. difference

4. different

5. divide

6. require

7. requirements

8. tradition

Activity 19, page 19

Answers will vary.

BUILDING BETTER SENTENCES

Activity 20, page 19

1. Many politicians in this country believes the law will to

change in the near future.

2. Cell phones are more advanced than they was were in the

past.

3. The normal retirement age for a teacher in the U.K. is 60,

but some teachers retire when they have are 55 years old.

4. What was were the political and economic effects of the

Great Wall of China?

5. A word that ends in -ing can be a noun, a verb, or an

adjective.

Activity 21, pages 19–20

Answers will vary.

Activity 22, pages 20–21

Possible answers:

1. The weather was extremely cold yesterday, so a majority of

the flights from Boston departed late.

2. Jim Thorpe won Olympic gold medals in 1912, but he was

not allowed to keep them.

3. Thailand and Malaysia are interesting countries in

Southeast Asia, but very few tourists from North or South

America visit them.

WRITING

Activities 23–24, pages 21–22

Answers will vary.

Unit 2 Developing Ideas for Writing

ELEMENTS OF GREAT WRITING

Activities 1–5, pages 26–28

Answers will vary.

Activity 6, page 29

Activity 7, page 30

Paragraph 2.1

1. major

2. busy

3. cool

4. modern

5. odd

6. loud

7. peaceful

8. lucky

Activity 8, page 31

Answers will vary.

Activity 9, page 32

Paragraph 2.2

    River A is an important part of the forest, and the quality of

the river affects the environment around it. The fresh, clear water

is home to a wide variety of fish and plants. The fish enjoy the

abundant supply of insects near the beautiful river. The tall trees

near the river are green and healthy. Wild animals come to drink

the cool water and rest in the shade of the trees along the river.

Paragraph 2.3

    River B is an important part of the forest, and the quality

of the river affects the environment around it. The slow, brown 

water does not contain fish or plants. The fish fight to catch the

very limited number of insects that live near the dirty river. The

old trees near the river are dying. They do not provide enough

cover for the wild animals that try to drink from the polluted river.

Activity 10, page 33

Possible answers:

1. The most common reason for getting a university degree is

to be able to get a(n) well-paying job in the future.

2. A(n) huge spider scared my younger brother.

3. In this picture, three brown and white cows are eating

grass on the beautiful mountain.

4. A good driver avoids dangerous situations by being very

alert at all times when driving.

5. Unfortunately, a new snack food will not sell well if it is not

tasty and cheap.

6. The food in Italy is delicious because it has various kinds of

pasta and amazing sauces.

7. Dogs are affectionate animals with a(n) incredible ability to

improve the lives of lonely people.

8. The water at the beach was warm, and the swimmers were

happy.

Activity 11, page 33

Possible answers:

Title: The Mystery Man 

    A 1 strange man entered the 2 lively party. He had 3 dark 

hair and wore 4 black clothing. The shoes he wore were very

5 odd. The man was not 6 friendly. Everyone in the room was

7 interested when they first saw him. He was a(n) 8 quiet man,

too. At first, the man seemed 9 angry, but then he became more

10 relaxed. He was actually very 11 interesting. The man soon left

and everyone was 12 happy that they met him.

Activity 12, pages 34–35

1. S Confusing words such as the verbs make and do 

Activity 15, page 36

Possible answers:

1. Washington, DC, is the capital of the country, but it is not

the most visited city.

2. Fast food is very cheap, so many people eat it more than

they should.

3. Learning new vocabulary is important, and there are many

ways to do it successfully.

4. Some students have a part-time job, and others spend

their extra time studying or volunteering.

5. September has 30 days, so it is shorter than August and

October.

Activity 16, page 37

1. √P Problems with Having a Pet Cat

2. √P How to Buy a Used Car

3.√ P The Best Holiday for Kids

4. √P The Health Benefits of Popcorn

5. √P Learning to Use U.S. Money

6. √P Three Good Websites for Cheap Travel

7. √P Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

8. √P Two Fast-Food Meals

BUILDING BETTER VOCABULARY

Activity 17, page 38

1. assistance - help

2. ancient - old

3. customers - buyers

4. final - last

5. function - work

6. highly - very

7. location - where

8. odd - unusual

9. provide - give

10. shade - no light

Activity 18, pages 38–39

1. to recommend a good restaurant

2. to function well

3. the children’s section in a bookstore

4. a website similar to YouTube

5. to affect your health

6. to provide help to someone

7. a contract between two businesses

8. very high fees

9. a polluted lake

10. a major problem

Activity 19, page 39

1. abundant

2. function

3. function

4. limit

5. limit

6. pollution

7. recommend

8. recommended

9. similar

10. similarities

Activity 20, page 40

Answers will vary.

BUILDING BETTER SENTENCES

Activity 21, page 40

Answers will vary.

Activity 22, page 41

Possible answers:

1. Chicago is a modern city with many tall buildings and

beautiful architecture.

2. Serious writers should make a list of interesting and

important ideas before they begin writing.

3. Wood is an abundant natural resource in Canada.

WRITING

Activities 23–24, pages 42–43

Answers will vary.