Locate the topic sentence. Tell which paragraph shape and pattern type this paragraph is. 1The art of letter writing seems to ha
ve declined sharply in recent years. 2Perhaps the rising cost of stationery and postage is a factor. 3Most people today are so busy with their jobs, their families, and their hobbies that they do not feel they have time to write letters. 4To a certain extent, television and personal computers have replaced communicating with friends as a form of entertainment. 5The advent of the telephone and the use of e-mail, however, are probably the most significant factor in the decrease of letter writing, because they give instant access to friends and loved ones. topic sentence: paragraph structure "shape": pattern:
1The art of letter writing seems to have declined sharply in recent years.
Shape and pattern type : the information has been organised in terms of cause-effect, however, the topic sentence has the effect and the other sentences unfold the possible causes. This is a top down approach.
Explanation:
The topic sentence holds the most important idea: the fact the art of writing has turned rapidly into an activity from the past has been well noticed in recent years: <em>effect.</em> Then, these are the possible <em>causes</em>: the high cost of stationary and postage; people's lack of time for writing; change of means of communicating with friends; and the instant access to friends and family members through other means of communication.
