Donald Pharr,
Saint Leo University Santi V. Buscemi,
Middlesex County College
ISBN: 007353322x Copyright year: 2009
Table of Contents
Preface Introduction ACHIEVING STUDENT SUCCESS
The Successful Student
A Serious Approach to College Life
Information Access
Preparation and Organization
Classroom Decorum
Study Habits
Time Management
Part 1: Approaches
Chapter 1
THE ESSAY: DETERMINING PURPOSE, AUDIENCE, AND APPROACH
Characteristics of the Essay
Rhetorical Context
Rhetorical Structures
Reading with a Writer's Eye
Consider the Writer's Rhetorical Context and Rhetorical Structures
Consider Your Purposes as a Reader
Suzanne Britt, Neat People vs. Sloppy People
Essay Analysis
Writing with a Reader's Eye
STUDENT ESSAY: A Very Secret Santa
The Writing Process
Chapter 2
SHAPING YOUR ESSAY: PREWRITING, FOCUSING, ORGANIZING, AND DRAFTING
Choosing Your Topic
Establishing Your Rhetorical Context
Prewriting Strategies
Considering Your Purpose and Audience
Considering Your Learning Style
Focusing Strategies
Establishing Your Working Thesis
Focusing Your Thesis
Organizational Strategies
Structuring Your Prewriting
Drafting Strategies
Drafting In-Class Essays
Drafting Out-of-Class Essays
Drafting with a Computer
Establishing Your Voice
STUDENT ESSAY: Verlinda's First Draft of A Very Secret Santa 47
Chapter 3
DEVELOPING STRONG PARAGRAPHS: EXPLORING YOUR OPTIONS 51
Paragraphs in Context
Introductory Paragraphs
Body Paragraphs
Concluding Paragraphs
Writing Effective Topic Sentences
Topic Sentence at the Paragraph's Beginning
Ending with the Topic Sentence
Topic Sentence Within the Paragraph
Topic Sentence Used for Two Paragraphs
The Implied Topic Sentence
Achieving Unity
Achieving Coherence
Using Effective Transitions to Improve Coherence
Achieving Coherence Through Careful Choice of Nouns and
Pronouns
Using Parallelism to Improve Coherence
Achieving Specificity Through the Use of Concrete Details
Chapter 4
RESHAPING YOUR ESSAY: GLOBAL REVISION, EDITING, AND PROOFREADING
Global Revision
Peer Response and Review
BOX: Peer Review Checklist
Responding to Suggestions for Revision 82
STUDENT ESSAY: Peer-Reviewed Draft of A Very Secret Santa
Using a Word Processor to Revise 85
Revising Essays
Checking for Unity
Improving Coherence
Using the Appropriate Language Level
Making Your Language More Concrete and Specific
Finding the Right Tone
Checking Your Introductory Paragraphs and Thesis
Checking Your Topic Sentences and Body Paragraphs
Checking Your Conclusion
Writing an Effective Title
BOX: Completing Your Essay on a Computer
Editing and Proofreading
Combining Sentences
Merging and Submerging Related Ideas
Coordinating and Subordinating Related Ideas
Using Hybrid Sentence Patterns
Using Periodic and Climactic Sentence Structure to Create Emphasis
Choosing Words Carefully
Striving for Parallelism
Including All Necessary Words
Avoiding Awkward Repetition
Avoiding Faulty Comparisons
Using Only Words That Matter
Avoiding Redundancy
Avoiding Euphemisms
Using Figurative Language Appropriately
Avoiding Clichés
Learning to Use Denotation and Connotation
Using Idiomatic English
Using Active, Specific Language
Part 2: Structures
Chapter 5
DESCRIPTION
How Does Description Work?
Reading the Descriptive Essay with a Writer's Eye
Thomas McGuane, Roanie
Maxine Hong Kingston, Photographs of My Parents
Hildegard Knef, from The Gift Horse
Writing the Descriptive Essay with a Reader's Eye
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
STUDENT ESSAY: Jennifer Janisz, Help! Anyone!
BOX: Questions for Reviewing a Descriptive Essay
Description and Visual Representations
Chapter 6
NARRATION
How Does Narration Work? 174
Reading the Narrative Essay with a Writer's Eye 176
Lynda Barry, The Sanctuary of School 176
Sandra Cisneros, Only Daughter 179
Annie Dillard, The Chase 182
Writing the Personal Narrative with a Reader's Eye 190
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
BOX: Questions for Reviewing a Narrative Essay
STUDENT ESSAY: Claire Reid, After the Fray
Narration and Visual Representations
Chapter 7
EXEMPLIFICATION
How Does Exemplification Work?
Reading the Exemplification Essay with a Writer's Eye
Brent Staples, Just Walk on By
Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving
Harry F. Waters, Life According to TV
Writing the Exemplification Essay with a Reader's Eye
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
BOX: Questions for Reviewing an Exemplification Essay
STUDENT ESSAY: Jennifer Janisz, Three Families
Exemplification and Visual Representations
Chapter 8
PROCESS ANALYSIS
How Does Process Analysis Work?
Reading the Process Analysis Essay with a Writer's Eye
Jerry Jesness, Why Johnny Can't Fail
Malcolm X, My First Conk
Umberto Eco, How Not to Use the Fax Machine and the Cellular Phone
Writing the Process Analysis Essay with a Reader's Eye
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
BOX: Questions for Reviewing a Process Analysis Essay
STUDENT ESSAY: Manny Meregildo, Get the Right Job
Process Analysis and Visual Representations
Chapter 9
CAUSAL ANALYSIS
How Does Causal Analysis Work?
Reading the Causal Analysis Essay with a Writer's Eye
Barbara Ehrenreich, The Cult of Busyness
Gore Vidal, Drugs
Richard Rhodes, Hollow Claims About Fantasy Violence
Writing the Causal Analysis Essay with a Reader's Eye
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
BOX: Questions for Reviewing a Causal Analysis Essay
STUDENT ESSAY: Noelani Jones, Worlds Apart
Causal Analysis and Visual Representations
Chapter 10
DEFINITION
How Does Definition Work?
Reading the Definition Essay with a Writer's Eye
Judy Brady, Why I Want a Wife
William Raspberry, The Handicap of Definition
Annie Dillard, So This Was Adolescence
Writing the Definition Essay with a Reader's Eye
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
STUDENT ESSAY: Curtis Ray Mosley, My "Moment of Truth"
BOX: Questions for Reviewing an Extended Definition
Definition and Visual Representations
Chapter 11
CLASSIFICATION
How Does Classification Work?
Reading the Classification Essay with a Writer's Eye
Fran Lebowitz, The Sound of Music: Enough Already
Martin Luther King, Jr., Three Types of Resistance to Oppression
Paul Fussell, Notes on Class
Writing the Classification Essay with a Reader's Eye
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
BOX: Questions for Reviewing a Classification Essay
STUDENT ESSAY: Sam Leininger, Fraud Alert
Classification and Visual Representations
Chapter 12
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST
How Does Comparison/Contrast Work?
Reading the Comparison/Contrast Essay with a Writer's Eye
Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America
David Sedaris, Family Engineering
Barbara Mellix, From Outside, In
Writing the Comparison/Contrast Essay with a Reader's Eye
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
BOX: Questions for Reviewing a Comparison/Contrast Essay
STUDENT ESSAY: Sam Leininger, The Two Sides of the Aisle
Comparison/Contrast and Visual Representations
Chapter 13
ARGUMENT
How Does Argument Work?
Reading the Argument Essay with a Writer's Eye
Walter S. Minot, Students Who Push Burgers
Caryl Rivers, What Should Be Done About Rock Lyrics?
Michael Levin, The Case for Torture
Writing the Argument Essay with a Reader's Eye
Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
BOX: Questions for Reviewing an Argument Essay
STUDENT ESSAY: Sam Leininger, My Simple and Modest Plan
Argument and Visual Representations
Chapter 14
THE BLENDED ESSAY
How Does the Blended Essay Work?
Reading the Blended Essay with a Writer's Eye
Scott Russell Sanders, The Men We Carry in Our Minds
Anthony Bourdain, Don't Eat Before Reading This
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On the Fear of Death
Writing the Blended Essay with a Reader's Eye
Prewriting
Organizing
Drafting
Revising Your Draft
BOX: Questions for Reviewing a Blended Essay
STUDENT ESSAY: Kevin Hunkovic, Three Years Without Liberty
Blended Approaches and Visual Representations
Part 3: Applications
Chapter 15
WRITING PROPOSALS
From Problem to Solution
Purpose: Understand the Problem and Propose a Solution
Scope: Decide How Far to Go and Consider Alternatives
Audience: See the Problem from the Reader's Perspective
Preparing to Write: Issues to Keep in Mind
Choosing a Topic: Determining Purpose and Scope
Writing and Research
Organizing
Other Aspects to Consider When Writing Proposals
Sample Internal Proposal
Revising Your Draft
Chapter 16
WRITING CRITIQUES
Reviewing, Evaluating, and Persuading
What Is the Purpose of a Critique?
What a Critique Is Not
Deciding on Criteria for Evaluation
Planning the Critique
Focus on a Topic
Decide on a Preliminary List of Criteria
Gather Information and Formulate a Thesis
Develop Your Critique by Using Appropriate Methods
BOX: A Guide to Critiquing Written Texts
Reading Critiques
Manohla Dargis, A Ghastly Conflagration, A Tormented Aftermath
Brooks Atkinson, First Night at the Theater: A Review of Tennessee Williams' A
Streetcar Named Desire
Is Fox News "Fair and Balanced"? Two Critiques of the Popular News Network
Brian C. Anderson, Fox News: Enraging Liberals for 10 Years
Steve Rendall and Julie Hollar, Still Failing the "Fair & Balanced" Test
Chapter 17
BUSINESS FORMATS
E-mail, Memos, and Business Letters
E-mail
Memos
Business Letters
Résumés and Letters of Application
Elements of a Résumé
Submit Your Résumé Online
Elements of an Application Letter
Chapter 18
GROUP PROJECTS AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Working in Groups
Define Your Group's Purpose
Assign Roles
Work Toward Greater Accountability
Developing Effective Oral Presentations
Creating a Script
Developing the Final Script
Using Visual Aids
The Group Oral Presentation
Chapter 19
ESSAY EXAMINATIONS
Study for the Exam
Read the Directions
Short Answers
Paragraphs
Essays
Allocate Your Time
Interpret Key Words
Prewriting Essay Responses
Drafting Essay Responses
Sample Essay Exam Response
Chapter 20
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
Narrowing Your Topic and Framing a Research Question
Beginning with Tools from the Reference Room
Using Primary and Secondary Sources
Creating a Working Bibliography
Locating Books and Articles on Your Topic
Computerized Book Catalogues
The Traditional Card Catalogue
Periodical Indexes
Electronic Databases
Searching the Internet
Internet Search Tools: URLs, Directories, and Search Engines
Evaluating Sources
Tips on Evaluating Sources for Your Research Paper
Tips on Evaluating Electronic Sources for Your Research Paper
Taking Notes
Avoiding Plagiarism
Quoting Text
Incorporating Direct Quotations: MLA Guidelines
Incorporating Direct Quotations: APA Guidelines
Chapter 21
THE RESEARCH PAPER
General Strategies for the Research Paper
The MLA-Style Research Paper
Parenthetical (In-Text) Citations
The Works-Cited List
MLA Research Paper Format
SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPER IN MLA FORMAT: Valerie Richfield, Child Care
and the Working Poor
The APA-Style Research Paper
In-Text Citations
The Reference List
APA Research Paper Format
Chapter 22
WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE
Writing About Fiction
Useful Terms for Writing About Fiction
Naguib Mahfouz, The Answer Is No
STUDENT RESPONSE: An Ongoing Equilibrium
Writing About Poetry
Useful Terms for Writing About Poetry
William Wordsworth, Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802
STUDENT RESPONSE: Beauty in a Strange Context
Part 4: Grammar and Mechanics
Chapter 23
PARTS OF SPEECH
24g Creating Emphasis and Variety: Compound Sentences
24h Creating Emphasis and Variety Through Subordination
Chapter 25
MAJOR SENTENCE ERRORS
Sentence Fragments
25a Phrases as Fragments
25b Dependent Clauses as Fragments
25c Intentional Fragments
Avoiding "Run-ons": Fused Sentences and Comma Splices
25d Use a "Full Stop" (Period, Semicolon, or Colon) Between the IndependentClauses
25e Use a Comma and Coordinating Conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) to
Connect the Two Independent Clauses
25f Change One of the Two Independent Clauses to a Dependent Clause or to a
Phrase
Other Sentence-Level Problems
25g Problems with Parallelism
25h Avoiding Faulty Comparisons
25i Avoiding Mixed Constructions
Chapter 26
PROBLEMS WITH VERBS
Subject-Verb Agreement
26a Subjects Connected by and
26b Compound Subjects Treated as Singular Constructions
26c Subjects Connected by or, nor, either ... or, neither ... nor, and not only ...
but also
26d Subjects That Are Indefinite Pronouns
26e Subjects That Are Collective Nouns
26f Other Collective Nouns That Cause Agreement Problems
Special Situations
26g Subjects Separated from Their Verbs
26h Subjects and Linking Verbs
26i Subjects That Follow Verbs: Inverted Sentence Structures
Chapter 27
PROBLEMS WITH PRONOUNS
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Determining Whether the Antecedent Is Singular or Plural
27a Antecedents That Use and and Other Connectors
27b Antecedents Joined by or, nor, either ... or, neither ... nor, and not only ...
but also
27c Antecedents That Are Indefinite Pronouns
27d Antecedents That Are Collective Nouns
27e Other Collective Nouns That Cause Agreement Problems
Pronoun Reference
27f Pronouns Without Appropriate Antecedents
27g Pronouns with Unclear Antecedents
27h Avoiding Shifts of Person
Pronoun Case
27i The Subjective Case, the Objective Case, and the Possessive Case
27j Pronouns That Are Subject Complements
27k Pronouns in Comparisons
27l Pronouns That Are Subjects of Clauses
27m Reflexive Pronouns and Intensive Pronouns
Chapter 28
PROBLEMS WITH MODIFIERS
28a Misplaced and Ambiguous (Squinting) Modifiers
28b Dangling Modifiers
28c Incorrect Substitution of Adjectives and Adverbs
28d Problems with Comparatives and Superlatives
28e Problems with Adjective Order
28f Problems with Split Infinitives
28g Problems with Articles
Chapter 29
PUNCTUATING SENTENCES WITH COMMAS
29a Commas with Independent Clauses
29b Commas with Introductory Clauses, Phrases, and Words
29c Commas and Nonessential Elements
29d Commas and Items in a Series
29e Commas with Coordinate Adjectives
29f Commas with Other Expressions
29g Commas and Conventional Uses
29h Unnecessary Commas
Chapter 30
PUNCTUATING SENTENCES WITH OTHER PUNCTUATION MARKS
30a Periods
30b Semicolons
30c Question Marks and Exclamation Marks
30d Colons
30e Dashes
30f Parentheses
30g Brackets
30h Double Quotation Marks
30i Single Quotation Marks
30j Quotation Marks with Other Punctuation
30k Apostrophes
30l Slashes
Chapter 31
MECHANICS
31a Capitalization
31b Italics and Underlining
31c Numbers and Numerals
31d Hyphens
Chapter 32
DICTION, USAGE, AND SPELLING
32a Using the Right Word
32b Denotation and Connotation
32c General Versus Specific Nouns and Verbs
32d Writing Lean Sentences
32e Avoiding Sexist Language
32f Using Figurative Language and Avoiding Clichés
32g Avoiding Fillers, Euphemisms, and Jargon
32h Using the Appropriate Language Level
32i Using a Consistent Language Level
32j Using the Correct Idiom
32k Improving Your Spelling
A GLOSSARY OF USAGE
APPENDIX: DESIGNING DOCUMENTS
Credits
Index
To obtain an instructor login for this Online Learning Center, ask your local sales representative.
If you're an instructor thinking about adopting this textbook, request a free copy for review.
2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education