Question : the word “harvest” is similar to…
a. rise b. start
c. origin d. begin
e. crop Answer
: e. crop
The word “harvest” might be an unfamiliar word for the students, since the word “harvest” is used in agriculture field. However, by looking at the context of the text,
the students can imagine what is meant by the word “harvest”. Furthermore, by looking at the words stated before and after the word “harvest“, such as paddy,
seeds, plants, and grow, the students will get the meaning of the word easier. In this
case, the suitable synonym for the word “harvest” is crop.
2.2.2 Sentence Comprehension
Sentence is a group of words that has an idea and makes meaning. Comprehending sentence means understanding the whole words in order to get the
gist of the sentence. It will be very easy for the students to get an idea, if they know the core of the sentence. As Grellet 1996:15 states that it is very crucial to train the
students to look for the ‘core’ of the sentence that is subject+verb. By knowing the form of the sentence, the students will be able to catch up the idea stated by the
writer. If the students master each sentence well, they can comprehend the paragraph easily.
The example of sentence comprehension is taken from paragraph 2 in the text of “The Hermit”.
………. He went to a nearby village trying to get some food. At first, the villagers were happy to help him. However, when he came continually, they refused to give
him any more food . They told him to grow his own food.
Adapted from
http:bos-sulap.blogspot.co.id201009contoh-narrative-text- hermit.html
Question : What does the bold sentence mean?
a. He gave many foods to the villagers. b. He got some food from some villagers.
c. He did not like the food, so he refused the food from the villagers.
d. He did not get more food because he came to the village very often.
e. He and the villagers got no more food. Answer
: d. He did not get more food because he came to the village very often.
The bold sentence is very clear to be understood. The sentence means that the villagers did not want to give him some more food because he always came to the
village.
2.2.3 Paragraph Comprehension
Paragraph is a group of sentences that has one main idea. Wong 1998:366 defines that a paragraph is a combination of sentences that develops one main idea
about a specific topic. In line with this idea, Langan 2004:11 states that paragraph is a series of sentences about one main idea or point. From those definitions, it can be
concluded that a paragraph consists of some sentences that build a main idea of certain topic.
According to Wingersky et al. 1999:24, a good paragraph contains several related sentences that support one main idea, which is limited to and focused on one
sentences. They also say that there are three components that build a good paragraph, namely topic sentence, supporting sentence, and concluding sentence 1999:31.
1. Topic Sentence Topic sentence is a sentence that consists of the main idea of a paragraph,
which is normally be found in the first sentence of the paragraph in a text. However, it can also be found in the middle or in the last sentence of paragraph.
Understanding the topic sentence is a must for the students, since it provides a main idea of a paragraph. This idea is also supported by Grellet 1996:95 who
states that the students must be able to recognize the topic sentences of the text, since they have the main information. Without a clear topic sentence, the
paragraph may not show a clearly coherent or logical order of thoughts Leo, 2007:42.
2. Supporting Sentence Supporting sentences are sentences that give more explanations about a topic
sentence and strengthen the topic sentence. McWhorter 1989:113 cited in Febry 2013:11 explains that supporting details are those facts and ideas that
prove or explain the main idea of paragraph. Furthermore, Wong 1998:366 says that supporting details are facts, examples, explanations, definitions, and
any other kind of details that build or support the core information or topic sentence. It is necessary for the students to comprehend the supporting details in
order to gain the main idea, if it is not actually stated in the paragraph Grellet, 1996:98.
3. Concluding Sentence Concluding sentence is a sentence which is commonly presented in the last
paragraph. It explains the conclusion and restates the main idea of the paragraph. Wong 1998:366 confirms that concluding sentence is the last sentence which
restates or summarizes the main idea of the paragraph. Concluding sentence has two functions. According to Dietchs 2003:79, the first is as summary of the
points made in the support sentence, and the second is as a clincher, providing the paragraph with a sense of completeness by commenting on the subject in an
interesting, surprising, or humorous way. Here is the example of paragraph comprehension taken from paragraph 7 in
the text of “The Hermit”: One day, the hermit became so tired of harvesting the “paddy” then he
shouted,” Oh, stop growing” As soon as he had said this, the “paddy” plants turned into weeds.
Adapted from http:bos-sulap.blogspot.co.id201009contoh-narrative-text- hermit.html
Question : From the paragraph, we know that… a. The hermit was happy with the paddy.
b. The hermit asked the villagers to crop the paddy. c. The paddy was gone and it changed into weeds.
d. The paddy did not grow well. e. The hermit loved to eat weeds.
Answer : c. The paddy was gone and it changed into weeds.
From the paragraph, it is stated that the hermit was tired of harvesting and asked the paddy to stop growing. Then, the paddy changed into the weeds.
2.2.4 Text Comprehension
