Go to Google and type in quotations about your topic. If you use one, be sure you make a connection between
the point of the quotation and your topic as I did in the preceding example.
NOTE that none of these examples used the expression, "This quotation means that (says that)..." or "These
words by Mark Twain show that..." Be smoother.
3) Start with a verbal picture that relates to the topic. Do not begin "Picture this.." or "Imagine this.."
The young driver turns up the stereo louder and smiles as he dreams of the fun he had at the party—plenty of good
music and beer. Suddenly a tree appears from out of nowhere. He grabs at the wheel to turn the car. Headlights swerve
in the darkness. But it's too late. A patrol car screams to find the twisted body of another kid who drank and drove.
(TS) Teenagers need to understand the effects of alcohol on their adolescent bodies.
Volcanoes spewed gases into the sky. As heat and gas rose into the atmosphere, massive clouds formed, blotting out
the sun. From one end of the globe to the other, lightning storms cracked and flashed. This is what the earth was like
four and a half billion years ago. As if that scene isn' t amazing enough, it's even moreso that scientists know this.
(TS)The techniques they use to establish theories like this are fascinating .
4) Start with a contrast.
A third-grade class gallops through a daisy-filled meadow with butterfly nets. A ninth-grade Latin class floods the zoo
for a lesson in scientific names. High school seniors ride the Demon at Great America for physics class. (TS) A field
trip may look like time set aside for fun and games, and most students prefer them to regular classes, but serious
examination will show that they educate in a way textbooks and lectures never can.
If you think being big is the name of the game in the NBA, you're right. (Some may think being big is the name of the
game in the NBA, and they are right.) The typical pro basketball player looks like a skyscraper wearing size 18
sneakers. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for the little guy with big talent. (TS) Muggsy Bogues. at 5'5" tall. has
played an integral part in the success of his team.
The adrenaline rush that accompanies a fast, successful run down the ski hill stays with skiers a long time. They feel
alive and powerful as they take on the mountain. However, that feeling can be short-lived, literally, if they don't take
suitable precautions. (TS) Skiers must respect the rules of the ski hills and use common sense to ski safely.
5) Start with an anecdote—an incident.
I. Shuddaseenit in Cambridge, Massachusetts, took his neighbor to court because the neighbor hadn't cut his grass in
fourteen years. Kay Mart of Madison, Wisconsin, sued her neighbor because the leaves from his tree fell in her yard,
and she had to rake them. Perhaps if lines of communication had been open or if each had shown a little more
compassion to each other, it wouldn't have gone so far. (TS) Neighbors can be a curse, but establishing a good
relationship with them is important.
Almost from the time the downtown No. 4 subway train began its 21-mile run below New York City at 11:38 PM on
Tuesday, August 27, something seemed amiss. Heading from the Bronx to Manhattan, the train overshot the platform
at a couple of stations. At times it slowed to a crawl and then accelerated to breakneck speeds. The conductor
contacted the motorman, Robert Ray, 38, several times on the intercom to find out if everything was all right. Ray
replied that he was fine. But that was clearly not the case. It was soon discovered that Ray was being held hostage by
gunman. If he'd been allowed to carry a gun himself, neither Ray nor the passengers would have been in any danger.
(TS) Subway officials need to implement more safety procedures.
NOTE: You can also make up incidents for your topic. Check with me for effectiveness.
7) Different introductions for the same topic sentence.
And they're off. It's another desperate struggle to beat the bell. Although packrats are rare in Wisconsin, you will find
them in every high school, scrounging through their lockers.(TS) The lockers of this species are disasters.
Humor: Newspaper Headline: High School Evacuated Due to Mysterious Respiratory Illness. Yes, you should feel
guilty. It's not a virus going around. It's the stench from your locker. Particles of God-knows-what are sent into the air
every time you open the metal hope chest (you're hoping it will be magically cleaned). Lockers of high school kids
can be disaster.
Anecdote: Quincy LaRue had disappeared from school. That night the custodian heard a frantic rapping and muffffled
yelling. He opened the locker to find Quincy pale, emaciated, and generally annoyed. His parents were at first relieved
and then upset at what happened. While looking frantically for an important math assignment, Quince had fallen head-
first into the messy locker, passing out as he hit his head on the hooks, and an unsuspecting passerby slammed the
door shut. Surprisingly, incidents like this are common. Thousands of high school students' lockers are disasters.