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Part One Getting Started
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1 The Bases of Good Writing: The Four Cs
Culture Note: WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Recommended Readings, Good Writing Is . . ., Recognizing Concise Writing, Concise Writing Leads to Unity, In Your Own Writing, Making Sure Your Writing Is Concise, Identifying Concise Writing, Recognizing Credible Writing, In Your Own Writing, Making Sure Your Writing Is Credible, Practicing Credible Writing, Recognizing Clear Writing, In Your Own Writing, Making Sure Your Writing Is Clear, Identifying Clear Writing, Recognizing Correct Writing, In Your Own Writing, Making Sure Your Writing Is Correct, Identifying the Four Cs Together, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 2 Writing for a Reader and a Reason
Culture Note: VOTING
Recommended Readings, Writing for a Reader, Writing for a Reason, Writing to Inform, Writing to Entertain, Writing to Persuade, Chapter Summary
Part Two The Writing Process
CHAPTER 3 Prewriting: Coming Up with Ideas
Culture Note: THE ROARING TWENTIES
Recommended Readings, Getting Started, Freewriting, Listing, Questioning, Keeping a Journal, Clustering, Outlining, Using a Computer for Prewriting, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 4 Drafting: First to Final Drafts
Culture Note: TEXTING
Recommended Readings, Ready to Put Pen to Paper, Rough Drafts Are Not Perfect, Writing a Rough Draft, Your Topic Sentence, Your Support Points and Specific Details, Your Rough Draft, Using a Computer for Drafting, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 5 Revision: Making Changes
Culture Note: STOCK CAR RACING
Recommended Readings, Think You’re Done? Take Another Look, Doing Step-by-Step Revision, Making Sure Your Writing Is Concise, Making Sure Your Writing Is Credible, Making Sure Your Writing Is Clear, Using a Computer to Revise Your Draft, A Revised Draft, Exchanging Help with Your Peers, Remembering the Writer’s Feelings, Writing as a Response, Peer Review Guidelines, Making the Best Use of Other People’s Feedback, Setting Your Goals as a Writer, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 6 Editing for Clarity and Correctness
Culture Note: WINTER HOLIDAYS
Recommended Readings, The Importance of Editing, Editing for Smooth, Effective Writing, Proofreading for Sentence-Level Errors, Proofreading Sentence by Sentence, Proofreading Word by Word, Reading Your Paragraph Backward, Using a Computer for Editing, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 7 Putting the Writing Process Steps Together
Culture Note: RUNNING
Recommended Readings, The Writing Process in Action, Step 1: Prewriting Activities, Step 2: Drafting, Step 3: Revising, Step 4: Editing, How to Tell What Comes Next, Chapter Summary
Part Three The Elements of Good Writing
CHAPTER 8 Writing an Effective Topic Sentence
Culture Note: SCIENCE
Recommended Readings, What Is a Good Topic Sentence?, Guidelines for Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Choose a Topic You Care About, Let Your Topic Sentence Develop Slowly, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Is a Sentence, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Is Not Too Broad, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Is Not Too Narrow, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Expresses Your Purpose, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Is Complete, Making Your Topic Sentence the First Sentence of Your Paragraph, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 9 Using Specific Examples for Support and Illustration
Culture Note: COFFEE
Recommended Readings, Making Your Case, Three Types of Details, Descriptions of Objects or Events in Your Life, Accounts of Events in Other People’s Lives, Facts That You’ve Heard About or Read in Trusted Sources, Knowing What Details to Choose, Writing Vivid Details, Use Words That Appeal to the Five Senses, Use Descriptive Modifiers, Use Proper Names and Specific Nouns and Verbs, Use Specific Verbs, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 10 Organizing and Linking Your Ideas
Culture Note: INFLUENTIAL MUSICAL ENTERTAINERS, 1930—1960
Recommended Readings, Arranging the Pieces, Organizing for Clarity, Two Types of Order, Time Sequence Order, Emphatic Order, Using Transitions, Combining Organizing Strategies, Varying Transition Words and Terms, Other Ways to Link Ideas, Repeating Key Words, Using Pronouns, Using Synonyms, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 11 Choosing the Best Words for Sensitive Writing
Culture Note: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Recommended Readings, Understanding Language
Choices, Choosing Language for Formal Writing Assignments, Slang, Clichés (Overused Expressions), Overly Formal Language, Wordiness, What Is Sensitive Language?, Using Sensitive Language, Don’t Exclude People, Don’t Make Assumptions About Groups of People, Don’t Call People by Names They Do Not Choose for Themselves, Don’t Assume That All Members of a Group Are the Same, Don’t Mention a Person’s Race, Sex, Age, Sexual Orientation, Disability, or Religion Unnecessarily, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 12 Improving Your Spelling and Learning Words That Look and Sound Alike
Culture Note: LOS ANGELES
Recommended Readings, Understanding Your Spelling
Habits, Improving Your Spelling, Reading, Using the Dictionary, Creating Your Own Spelling List, Understanding Basic Spelling Rules, Memorizing the Meanings of Words That Look or Sound Alike, Using a Computer’s Spelling Checker, Frequently Misspelled Words, Words That Look and Sound Alike, Understanding Homonyms, Other Commonly Confused Words, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 13 Expanding Your Vocabulary
Culture Note: STEROIDS
Recommended Readings, Understanding the Value of a Wide Vocabulary, Stretching Your Vocabulary, Reading for Pleasure and Education, Using a Dictionary, Using a Thesaurus, Keeping a Personal Vocabulary Journal, Chapter Summary
PART FOUR Strategies for Paragraph Development
CHAPTER 14 Illustration and ExampleCulture Note: NEW YORK CITY
Recommended Readings, What Is an Illustration and Example Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Illustration and Example, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 15 Narration
Culture Note: FAIRY TALES
Recommended Readings, What Is a Narrative Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Narrative, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details for
Narration, Background Details, Action Details, Sensory Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 16 Description
Culture Note: INFLUENTIAL PAINTERS
Recommended Readings, What Is a Descriptive Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Description, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, What Are Sensory Details?, The Benefits of Sensory Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 17 Classification and Division
Culture Note: FINANCIAL HABITS
Recommended Readings, What Are Classification and Division Paragraphs?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Classification and Division, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 18 Explaining a Process
Culture Note: GOING GREEN
Recommended Readings, What Is a Process Paragraph?, How-To Paragraphs, Explanation Paragraphs, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Explaining a Process, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 19 Comparing and Contrasting
Culture Note: FLORIDA
Recommended Readings, What Is a Comparison or Contrast Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Contrast, A Model Paragraph: Comparison, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, All-of-One-Side Approach, Point-by-Point Approach, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 20 Cause and Effect
Culture Note: HEALTH AND FITNESS
Recommended Readings, What Is a Cause-and-Effect Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Cause and Effect, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 21 Definition
Culture Note: BASEBALL, THE AMERICAN PASTIME
Recommended Readings, What Is a Definition Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, Types of Definitions and Model Paragraphs, Formal Definition, Definition by Class, A Model Paragraph: Definition by Class, Definition by Negative Example, Definition by Extended Example, A Model Paragraph: Definition by Extended Example, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 22 Argument
Culture Note: CIVILITY
Recommended Readings, What Is an Argument Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Argument, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Choosing a Topic You Believe In, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Making Your Side Stronger, Consulting Experts , Reading Up on Your Subject, Surfing the Net, Making the Opposing Side Weaker, Finding Incorrect Information in the Opposing Argument, Looking for Unsupported Claims in the Opposing Argument, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary
PART FIVE Writing Essays
CHAPTER 23 The Essay and the Thesis Statement
Culture Note: FEDERAL CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Recommended Readings, What Is an Essay?, Essay Form, A Model Essay, Writing an Effective Thesis Statement, Making Sure Your Thesis Statement Is a Complete Sentence, Making Sure Your Thesis Statement Is Broad Enough, Making Sure Your Thesis Statement Is Narrow Enough, Making Sure Your Thesis Statement Is Arguable, Making Sure You’re Clear on the Purpose of Your Thesis Statement, Consider Offering a “Map” of Your Essay, Developing the Paragraphs in an Essay, Introductory Paragraph, Providing Background Information, Using a Personal Anecdote, Beginning with a Quotation, Using Opposites, Asking Questions, Body Paragraphs, Making Connections to the Thesis Statement, Giving Support Points and Specific Details That Support the Thesis Statement, Conclusion, Adding Final Thoughts, Ending with a Question, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 24 Prewriting for and Drafting an Essay
Culture Note: RUNNING REVISITED
Recommended Readings, Using the Writing Process with Essays, A Model Essay, Prewriting for Your Essay, Drafting Your Essay, Writing a Strong Introduction, Organizing and Connecting the Body Paragraphs Effectively, Repeating Key Words from the Thesis Statement, Repeating Key Words from the Preceding Paragraph, Using Transitional Terms to Signal Paragraphs, Using Transitional Sentences to Connect Paragraphs, Writing a Sharp Conclusion, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 25 Revising an Essay
Culture Note: PROCESSING CHOCOLATE
Recommended Readings, Revising Your Essay, Making Sure Your Essay Is Concise, Is This Thesis Statement Effective?, Do All the Support Points Support the Thesis Statement?, Do All the Specific Details Support the Thesis Statement?, Making Sure Your Essay Is Credible, Is There Enough Information?, Is More Support Needed?, Making Sure Your Essay Is Clear, Are Key Words Repeated?, Do Transitional Expressions Signal the Support Points?, Are Transitional Sentences Used to Connect Paragraphs?, Checking Each Paragraph Individually for the Four Cs, Editing Your Essay, Making Your Writing Smoother, More Interesting, and More Effective, Proofreading to Correct Sentence-Level Errors, Chapter Summary
PART SIX Writing for Different Purposes
CHAPTER 26 Essay Exams
Culture Note: HORROR FILMS
Recommended Readings, What’s Good About an Essay Exam?, Developing a Plan, Before the Exam, Know Your Subject Matter, Predict the Future, Answer Your Questions About the Subject, Make a Memory Plan, During the Exam, Read the Instructions, Budget Your Time, Make a Writing Plan, Relax, Write Neatly on Every Other Line, Write a Clear, Organized Essay, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 27 Writing Summaries
Culture Note: MALCOLM X
Recommended Readings, Summaries Are Useful, Writing an Effective Summary, Steps 1—8, A Model Summary, Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 28 Writing to Get a Job
Culture Note: THE RÉSUMÉ
Recommended Readings, Employers Value Good Writing Skills, Crafting a Résumé, Making Your Résumé Look Professional, Emphasizing Your Good Points, Following a Logical Format, Being Brief, Omitting Unncessary or Negative Details, Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!, Mention That References Are Available, Writing a Letter to Apply for a Job, Writing and Sending E-mail, Chapter Summary
PART SEVEN Writing Correct Sentences
CHAPTER 29 Prepositional Phrases
Culture Note: FABLES
Identifying Prepositional Phrases, Using Prepositional Phrases to Identify the Subject and Verb of a Sentence, Watching out for Infinitives
CHAPTER 30 Subjects and Verbs
Culture Note: PROVERBS AND IDIOMS
The Main Parts of a Sentence, Identifying Verbs, Complete Verbs, Linking Verbs, Identifying the Subject, Finding More Than One Subject or Verb, What to Watch out For, Nouns That Follow the Verb, Pronouns, Commands, No, Not, and Always 476 Words Ending in -ing, Infinitives
CHAPTER 31 Clauses
Culture Note: BREAD
Clauses and Sentences, What Is a Clause?, Independent Clauses, Dependent Clauses, Sentences Built with Clauses, Simple Sentences, Compound Sentences, Complex Sentences
CHAPTER 32 Run-On Sentences
Culture Note: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
What Is a Run-On Sentence?, Fused Sentences, Comma Splices, Fixing Run-On Sentences, Making the Run-On into Two Separate Sentences, Using a Comma and a Coordinating Conjunction, Using a Semicolon, Creating a Dependent Clause
CHAPTER 33 Fragments
Culture Note: MARVELS OF MODERN CONSTRUCTION
What Is a Fragment?, Recognizing and Correcting Dependent Clause Fragments, Attaching the Fragment to Another Sentence, Eliminating the Dependent Word, Recognizing and Correcting Phrase Fragments, Correcting -ing Verb Fragments, Correcting to Fragments, Correcting Extra-Information Phrases, Recognizing and Correcting Missing-Information Fragments, Attaching the Fragment to the Sentence Before It, Turning the Fragment into a Sentence
CHAPTER 34 Regular and Irregular Verbs
Culture Note: PSYCHOLOGY
The Principal Parts of Regular Verbs, The Present Tense, The Past Tense, The Past Participle, The Present Participle, Forming the Tenses of Regular Verbs, Present Tense, Past Tense, Participles, The Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs, The Big Three: To Be, To Do, and To Have, Principal Parts, Tenses, Avoiding Common Errors
CHAPTER 35 Subject-Verb Agreement
Culture Note: CLASSICAL MUSIC AND MUSICIANS
Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement, Agreement When Words Come Between the Subject and the Verb, Agreement When the Verb Comes Before the Subject, Agreement When the Subject Has Two or More Parts, Agreement When the Subject Is an Indefinite Pronoun
CHAPTER 36 Verb Tense and Tense Consistency
Culture Note: AMERICAN LEGENDS
Consistency in Verb Tense, Changing Verb Tense
CHAPTER 37 Pronoun Types
Culture Note: THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Recognizing Pronouns, Subject Pronouns, Using a Subject Pronoun as Part of a Compound Subject, Using a Subject Pronoun After Forms of To Be, Using a Subject Pronoun After Then and As, Object Pronouns, Possessive Pronouns, Pronouns Ending in -Self or -Selves, Reflexive Pronouns, Intensive Pronouns, Demonstrative Pronouns
CHAPTER 38 Pronoun Agreement, Pronoun Reference, and Point of View
Culture Note: TEXAS
Pronoun Agreement, Personal Pronouns, Indefinite Pronouns, Pronoun Reference, Pronoun Consistency and Point of View
CHAPTER 39 Adjectives and Adverbs
Culture Note: SLEEP
What Is an Adjective?, Types of Adjectives, Using Adjectives for Comparison, What Is an Adverb?, Correcting Common Errors with Adjectives and Adverbs, Good and Well
CHAPTER 40 Misplaced Modifiers
Culture Note: TORNADOES
What Is a Misplaced Modifier?, Correcting Misplaced Modifiers
CHAPTER 41 Dangling Modifiers
Culture Note: MILK
What Is a Dangling Modifier?, Correcting Dangling Modifiers
CHAPTER 42 Errors in Parallelism
Culture Note: COOKIES
What Is Parallelism?, Recognizing Special Sentence Structures, Balanced Word Order
PART EIGHT Punctuation and Mechanics
CHAPTER 43 Commas
Culture Note: CHICAGO
Understanding Commas, Setting Apart Items in a Series, Comma Before a Conjunction in a Series, Commas in a Series of Adjectives, Setting Off Introductory Material, Setting Off Information That Interrupts the Main Ideas in a Sentence, Interruptions in the Middle of a Sentence, Essential and Unessential Information, Additional Material at the End of a Sentence, Direct Address, Joining Two Independent Clauses Linked by a Coordinating Conjunction, Setting Off Direct Quotations, Clarifying Everyday Information
CHAPTER 44 Apostrophes
Culture Note: VIRUSES
Understanding the Apostrophe, Showing the Omission of Letters, Showing Possession or Ownership, Singular Nouns, Plural Nouns, Unnecessary Apostrophes, Do Not Use Apostrophes with Possessive Pronouns, Do Not Use Apostrophes with Simple Plurals
CHAPTER 45 Quotation Marks
Culture Note: FEMINISM AND GLORIA STEINEM
Understanding Quotation Marks, Setting Off Direct Quotations, Using Parts of Quotations, Indirect Quotations, Setting Off Titles of Short Works, Setting Off Special Words or Expressions, Single Quotation Marks
CHAPTER 46 Other Punctuation Marks: Colons and Semicolons, Parentheses, Dashes, and Hyphens
Culture Note: MARILYN MONROE, AN AMERICAN ICON
Understanding Other Punctuation Marks, Semicolons, Colons, Hyphens, Dashes, Parentheses
CHAPTER 47 Capitalization
Culture Note: NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Main Uses of Capital Letters, Additional Uses of Capital Letters, Unnecessary Capitalization
CHAPTER 48 Numbers and Abbreviations
Culture Note: THE BATTLE OF LITTLE BIG HORN
Using Numbers, Spelling Numbers, Using Numerals for Everyday Information, Using Abbreviations
CHAPTER 49 Sentence Variation
Culture Note: DR. SEUSS
Recognizing Your Writing Style, Coordination: Adding Equally Important Ideas, Subordination: Adding Less Important Ideas, Combining Sentences for Brevity and Variety, Combining Sentences to Avoid Repetition, Combining Sentences for Variety
PART NINE Readings for Informed Writing
Tips for Reading Critically
How We Learn
READING 1 “A Homemade Education,” Malcolm X
READING 2 “What Is Intelligence, Anyway?” Isaac Asimov
READING 3 “Learn How to Make Your Own Luck,” Meryl Davids Landau
READING 4 “Education,” E. B. White
READING 5 “How to Write with Style,” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
What We Value
READING 6 “ ‘Blaxicans’ and Other Reinvented Americans,” Richard Rodriguez
READING 7 “Money for Morality,” Mary Arguelles
READING 8 “The Ways We Lie,” Stephanie Ericsson
READING 9 “Manners Matter,” Judith Martin
READING 10 “Too Much Information,” Anne Taylor Fleming
Challenges We Face
READING 11 “My Mother’s English,” Amy Tan
READING 12 “The Plot Against People,” Russell Baker
READING 13 “The Price We Pay,” Adam Mayblum
READING 14 “A Generation’s Vanity Heard Through Lyrics,” John Tierney
READING 15 “The New Gender Gap,” Lisa Belkin
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