Topic and Concluding Sentences

 _{Every year, a different person in my family cooks the Thanksgiving feast. For this person, Thanksgiving is not much fun. The person who does all the cooking has to start preparing the meal the night before the holiday. Then, on Thanksgiving morning, the cook has to get up early to put the turkey in the oven. Everyone else usually sleeps in late and spends the day watching sports or visiting with friends and family. Every once in a while, someone will go into the kitchen to ask, "When are we going to eat?" But no one offers to help..
What is the best topic sentence?}

• Thanksgiving isn't a holiday for everyone in my family
• It's fun to watch sports on Thanksgiving.
• Thanksgiving is a lot of work.

When I was a kid, every Sunday, my whole family went to my grandparents' house for dinner. They had four children, and all of them were married, so there were often twenty or more people for dinner. The house was always filled with laughter. The young children sat at the "kiddie table" in the kitchen. You had to be over thirteen to sit with the adults. But no matter where you sat, the food was the same, and it was delicious. My grandparents were Italian, so we always had pasta. But the pasta was just one part of the meal. The pasta course was usually followed by a plate of fish or beef and vegetables. No one left the table hungry, that's for sure. After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to play games and visit. Around nine o'clock, everyone would finally start getting ready to go home, but no one ever wanted to leave.
What is the best topic sentence?

• Italian family meals are huge.
• It can be difficult to have a large family.
• One of my best childhood memories is Sunday dinner at my grandparents.

 I usually go skiing every weekend in the winter even though it is expensive. I love the feeling of flying down a mountain. The views are beautiful from the top of a mountain and along the trails. Even the danger of falling and getting hurt can’t keep me away from the slopes on a winter day.
What is the best topic sentence?

• Skiing is expensive. 
• Skiing is my favorite sport. 
• Skiing is dangerous.

North Americans send cards for many occasions. They send cards to family and friends on birthdays and holidays. They also send thank-you cards, get well cards, graduation cards, and congratulation cards. It is very common to buy cards in stores and send them through the mail, but turning on the computer and sending cards over the Internet is also popular.

What is the best topic sentence?

•  Sending cards is very popular in North America.
•  Birthday cards are the most popular kind of card. 
• It is important to send thank-you cards

 I enjoy summer sports like water skiing and baseball. The weather is usually sunny and hot, so I can go to the beach almost every day. Gardening is my hobby and I spend many summer days working in my garden. Unfortunately, the days pass too quickly in summer.

What is the best topic sentence?

• I like to garden in summer. 
• Summer is my favorite season. 
• Summer is too short.

For example, a person can have breakfast in New York, board an airplane, and have dinner in Paris. A businesswoman in London can instantly place an order with a factory in Hong Kong by sending an email. Furthermore, a schoolboy in Tokyo can turn on a TV and watch a baseball game being played in Los Angeles.  

What is the best topic sentence?

• Airplanes have changed our lives. 
• Advances in technology have made the world seem smaller.
• The internet was an important invention.

Read the paragraph and select the best conclusion.
  Everyone thinks puppies are cute, but having a puppy requires time,  patience and training.  A puppy has lots of energy and needs to be walked and played with everyday, often more than once a day. He needs to learn to use the bathroom outside not inside. This training requires a lot of patience. He also needs to learn basic commands like sit, stay, and heal

• I think everyone should have a puppy.
• In brief, although puppies are cute, there are a lot of responsibilities to having one.
• Looking back, I wish I had a puppy.
• Therefore, you must train your puppy well.

Colors reflect a person's moods. Yellow is a happy color. It is the color of the sun. Red shows an angry feeling. It is the color of fire and it just feels angry.Blue is the color of sadness. We often say "I have the blues" when we are depressed. Pink reflects excitement. People often where pink in the gym when they are exercising.
What is the best concluding sentence?

• That is to say, different colors make us feel happy, sad, angry or excited.
• I like wearing clothes of different colors to reflect how I feel.
• Therefore, colors can reflect different feelings.
• What colors do you like to wear?

Skiing on the mountain is great exercise. While sitting on the chairlift may not be very strenuous, once the skier begins descending the hill, s/he is using lots of energy. It takes great leg strength to keep the proper position. Also, skiers must use strength to keep the skis straight and forward. Furthermore, turning and weaving uses many muscles in the legs and back.
What is the best concluding sentence?

• If you want good exercise, try skiing.
• I love to ski.
• Skiing is something you should do.
• Skiing is difficult.