Page 2 - Mind Maps and Notes

relates to the broader argument. In the original and revised paragraphs below,
notice how a topic sentence expressing the controlling idea tells the reader the point
of all the evidence.
Original paragraph
Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic
plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not
attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by
people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t
bite humans.

Revised paragraph
Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for
the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they
eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’
first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far
more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the
fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Supporting sentence - To explain your topic sentence, you need to provide facts
and reasons. These sentences are supporting sentences. These fill up the body of

your paragraph. Sufficient supporting sentences can prove your point of view and
can convince the readers to agree with your point of view. Each supporting

sentence should relate to the topic sentence.

If the topic of the paragraph is One Person I Admire, then, the supporting ideas
will be the reasons why you admire this person, such as, caring, hardworking and

sense of humour.

Concluding sentence -: It is important to wrap the paragraph with a good closing
sentence. The concluding sentence of your paragraph should restate the idea
outlined in your topic sentence. You can write the Closing sentence in capital
letters or with a different colour pen.

Just like two or moresentences make a paragraph, two or more paragraphs make an
essay. If your topic has more than one main idea, each main idea can be elaborated
in one paragraph. For example, if the topic is ‘Morning Walk’, the main ideas could
be:

 Natural benefits of morning walk
 Physical benefits of morning walk
 The right time to do it