Steps to Writing Well, Revised Edition (with Revised MLA)

by Wyrick, Jean

• ISBN13: 9781413001761
• ISBN10: 1413001769
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-06-09
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

The informal, student-friendly tone of these rhetorically-organized rhetoric/reader/handbooks provides step-by-step instructions on writing a variety of 500-800-word essays.

Table of Contents

To the Teacher	v
To the Student	xi
PART ONE THE BASICS OF THE SHORT ESSAY	1	(186)
1 Prewriting	3	(28)
Getting Started (or Soup-Can Labels Can Be Fascinating)	3	(1)
Selecting a Subject	4	(2)
Finding Your Essay's Purpose and Focus	6	(1)
Pump-Primer Techniques	7	(11)
After You've Found Your Focus	18	(1)
Practicing What You've Learned	18	(1)
Discovering Your Audience	19	(1)
How to Identify Your Readers	20	(5)
Practicing What You've Learned	23	(1)
Assignment	23	(2)
Keeping a Journal (Talking to Yourself Does Help)	25	(4)
Chapter 1 Summary	29	(2)
2 The Thesis Statement	31	(16)
What Is a Thesis? What Does a "Working Thesis" Do?	31	(1)
Can a "Working Thesis" Change?	32	(1)
Guidelines for Writing a Good Thesis	33	(4)
Avoiding Common Errors in Thesis Statements	37	(4)
Practicing What You've Learned	40	(1)
Assignment	41	(1)
Using the Essay Map	41	(5)
Practicing What You've Learned	43	(1)
Assignment	44	(2)
Chapter 2 Summary	46	(1)
3 The Body Paragraphs	47	(36)
Planning the Body of Your Essay	47	(3)
Composing the Body Paragraphs	50	(1)
The Topic Sentence	50	(9)
Practicing What You've Learned	56	(3)
Assignment	59	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	59	(1)
Paragraph Development	59	(5)
Paragraph Length	64	(2)
Practicing What You've Learned	65	(1)
Assignment	65	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	66	(1)
Paragraph Unity	66	(4)
Practicing What You've Learned	68	(2)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	70	(1)
Paragraph Coherence	70	(9)
Practicing What You've Learned	76	(3)
Paragraph Sequence	79	(1)
Transitions between Paragraphs	80	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	81	(1)
Chapter 3 Summary	81	(2)
4 Beginnings and Endings	83	(10)
How to Write a Good Lead-In	83	(3)
Avoiding Errors in Lead-Ins	86	(1)
Practicing What You've Learned	87	(1)
How to Write a Good Concluding Paragraph	87	(2)
Avoiding Errors in Conclusions	89	(1)
Practicing What You've Learned	90	(1)
How to Write a Good Title	90	(2)
Assignment	91	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	91	(1)
Chapter 4 Summary	92	(1)
5 Drafting and Revising: Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking	93	(28)
What Is Revision?	93	(1)
When Does Revision Occur?	94	(1)
Myths about Revision	94	(1)
Preparing to Draft: Some Time-Saving Hints	95	(5)
Additional Suggestions for Writers with Word Processors	97	(2)
Computer Labs and Classrooms	99	(1)
A Revision Process for Your Drafts	100	(2)
What Is Critical Thinking?	102	(1)
Thinking Critically as a Writer	103	(6)
A Final Checklist for Your Essay	109	(1)
Benefiting from Revision Workshops	110	(6)
Practicing What You've Learned	113	(3)
Assignment	116	(1)
Some Last Advice: How to Play with Your Mental Blocks	116	(3)
Chapter 5 Summary	119	(2)
6 Effective Sentences	121	(28)
Developing a Clear Style	122	(6)
Developing a Concise Style	128	(8)
Practicing What You've Learned	133	(2)
Assignment	135	(1)
Developing a Lively Style	136	(4)
Practicing What You've Learned	140	(1)
Assignment	140	(1)
Developing an Emphatic Style	140	(8)
Practicing What You've Learned	145	(1)
Assignment	146	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	147	(1)
Chapter 6 Summary	148	(1)
7 Word Logic	149	(26)
Selecting the Correct Words	149	(8)
Practicing What You've Learned	155	(2)
Selecting the Best Words	157	(16)
Practicing What You've Learned	169	(2)
Assignment	171	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	172	(1)
Chapter 7 Summary	173	(2)
8 The Reading-Writing Connection	175	(10)
How Can Reading Well Help Me Become a Better Writer?	175	(1)
How Can I Become an Analytical Reader?	176	(3)
Sample Annotated Essay: "Our Youth Should Serve"	179	(3)
Practicing What You've Learned	182	(1)
Assignment	182	(1)
Writing a Summary	182	(2)
Practicing What You've Learned	184	(1)
Chapter 8 Summary	184	(1)
The Basics of the Short Essay: Part One Summary	185	(2)
PART TWO PURPOSES, MODES, AND STRATEGIES	187	(182)
9 Exposition	189	(98)
The Strategies of Exposition	189	(1)
Strategy One: Development by Example	190	(14)
Essay Topics	195	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	196	(1)
Sample Student Essay	197	(3)
Professional Essay: "So What's So Bad about Being So-So?"	200	(1)
The drive for perfection is preventing too many people from enjoying sports and hobbies, says author Lisa Wilson Strick (who proudly plays the piano badly but with great pleasure).
A Revision Worksheet	203	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	204	(1)
Strategy Two: Development by Process Analysis	204	(22)
Essay Topics	207	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	208	(2)
Sample Student Essay	210	(5)
Professional Essays: "To Bid the World Farewell"	215	(1)
By describing the embalming process in vivid, step-by-step detail, social critic and author Jessica Mitford questions the value-and necessity-of the entire procedure.
"How to Write a Personal Letter"	221	(1)
Radio host and author Garrison Keillor offers encouragement and practical directions for composing letters to friends-words certain to be enjoyed now and perhaps treasured in the future.
A Revision Worksheet	225	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	225	(1)
Strategy Three: Development by Comparison and Contrast	226	(21)
Essay Topics	230	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	231	(1)
Sample Student Essay: Point-by-Point Method	233	(1)
Sample Student Essay: Block Method	237	(1)
Professional Essays: "Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts"	240	(1)
Noted historian Bruce Catton compares and contrasts the two great generals of the Civil War, concluding that their roles at Appomattox made possible "a peace of reconciliation."
"Two Ways of Viewing the River"	244	(1)
One of the United States' most beloved writers, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), contrasts his earlier, romantic view of the Mississippi River to his later, more practical view as an experienced riverboat pilot.
A Revision Worksheet	246	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	247	(1)
Strategy Four: Development by Definition	247	(14)
Essay Topics	251	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	252	(1)
Sample Student Essay	253	(4)
Professional Essay: "The Munchausen Mystery"	257	(1)
A Harvard professor of psychiatry explains a perplexing "medical nIadness" in which patients use extreme and sophisticated measures to fake illnesses-in some cases, all the way to the operating room.
A Revision Worksheet	260	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	260	(1)
Strategy Five: Development by Division and Classification	261	(12)
Essay Topics	264	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	265	(1)
Sample Student Essay	266	(3)
Professional Essay: "The Plot Against People"	269	(1)
According to well-known columnist Russell Baker, all inanimate objects may be classified into three categories: those that clout work, those that get lost, and those that break down.
A Revision Worksheet	272	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	272	(1)
Strategy Six: Development by Causal Analysis	273	(14)
Essay Topics	276	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	277	(1)
Sample Student Essay	278	(4)
Professional Essay: "Mystery!"	282	(1)
Noting that millions of readers love to "curl up" with murderers and corpses every night, novelist Nicholas Meyer explains why mysteries appeal to so many people, regardless of their social, educational, or economic background.
A Revision Worksheet	285	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	286	(1)
10 Argumentation	287	(34)
Developing Your Essay	287	(10)
Common Logical Fallacies	297	(24)
Practicing What You've Learned	300	(2)
Assignment	302	(1)
Essay Topics	302	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	303	(2)
Sample Student Essay	305	(4)
Pro/Con Professional Essays: "Grandparents' Rights"	309	(1)
Should grandparents have a legal right to visit their grandchildren even when the children's parents object? No, argues the Editorial Board of the USA Today newspaper, parents should retain the right to raise their children without intrusion or interference, despite the pain that decision may cause grandparents. Yes, counters Richard S. Victor, founder of the Grandparents Rights organization, who maintains that the loss of loving grandparents deprives children of meaningful family ties and a sense of heritage.
Analyzing Advertisements	313	(6)
A Revision Worksheet	319	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	319	(2)
11 Description	321	(18)
How to Write Effective Description	321	(5)
Essay Topics	326	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	327	(2)
Sample Student Essay	329	(5)
Professional Essay: "Still Learning from My Mother"	334	(3)
Not only did Mom throw a mean fast ball in her younger days, at almost 80 she continues to achieve new goals with determination and spirit, as described by son Cliff Schneider in this charming tribute.
A Revision Worksheet	337	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	337	(2)
12 Narration	339	(16)
Writing the Effective Narrative Essay	339	(3)
Essay Topics	342	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	343	(1)
Sample Student Essay	344	(4)
Professional Essay: "Sister Flowers"	348	(5)
Multi-talented writer and performer Maya Angelou recalls a special time in her life and shows how one person's kindness and respect can dramatically change a child's life for the better.
A Revision Worksheet	353	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	354	(1)
13 Writing Essays Using Multiple Strategies	355	(16)
Sample Student Essay	358	(4)
Professional Essay: "Don't Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgments"	362	(4)
Are Gloria and Richard better looking than Bertha or Cuthbert? Do you vote for the candidate who looks like a winner? Can you really identify the Italian (or Swede or Mexican or American) in the group picture? In this essay, Professor Robert L. Heilbroner addresses the complex issue of stereotyping, first by citing some fascinating experiments that illustrate the problem. He then analyzes the causes of type-casting, explains the harmful effects, and offers some steps for changing this negative behavior.
A Revision Worksheet	366	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	367	(2)
PART THREE SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS	369	(108)
14 Writing a Paper Using Research	371	(50)
Focusing Your Topic	371	(1)
Beginning Your Library Research	372	(6)
General Reference Works	372	(1)
Computer/Card Catalogs	373	(1)
Indexes	374	(1)
CD-ROMs and Databases	375	(1)
The Internet	376	(2)
Preparing a Working Bibliography	378	(3)
Choosing and Evaluating Your Sources	381	(2)
Preparing an Annotated Bibliography	383	(1)
Taking Notes	384	(3)
Incorporating Your Source Material	387	(2)
Avoiding Plagiarism	389	(5)
Practicing What You've Learned	392	(1)
Assignment	393	(1)
Choosing the Documentation Style for Your Essay	394	(16)
MLA Style	394	(11)
APA Style	405	(4)
Footnote/Bibliography Form	409	(1)
Using Supplementary Notes	410	(11)
Sample Student Paper Using MLA Style	411	(10)
15 Writing about Literature	421	(22)
Using Literature in the Composition Classroom	421	(1)
Suggestions for Close Reading of Literature	422	(1)
Steps to Reading a Story	423	(1)
Annotated Story: "The Story of an Hour"	424	(8)
In this ironic story by Kate Chopin, a woman receives some bad news about her husband-not once, but twice.
Sample Student Essay	429	(3)
Steps to Reading a Poem	432	(3)
Annotated Poem: "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"	435	(4)
Poet Walt Whitman contrasts two ways of knowing and responding to the marvels of the night sky.
Sample Student Essay	436	(3)
Guidelines for Writing about Literature	439	(2)
Practicing What You've Learned: "Those Winter Sundays"	441	(2)
In this poem by Robert Hayden, a son remembers his father's early morning chores-and only now understands the significance of these actions.
16 Writing In-Class : Exams and "Response" Essays	443	(16)
Steps to Writing Well Under Pressure	443	(7)
Practicing What You've Learned	450	(1)
Assignment	450	(1)
Writing the Summary-and-Response Essay	450	(10)
Sample Student Essay	454	(3)
Practicing What You've Learned	457	(1)
Assignment	457	(2)
17 Writing in the World of Work	459	(20)
Composing Business Letters	460	(5)
Practicing What You've Learned	464	(1)
Assignment	464	(1)
Sample Business Letter	465	(1)
Creating Memos	466	(1)
Sending Professional E-Mail	467	(3)
Designing Résumés	470	(5)
Practicing What You've Learned	474	(1)
Assignment	474	(1)
Sample Résumé	475	(2)
PART FOUR A CONCISE HANDBOOK	477	(50)
18 Major Errors in Grammar	479	(20)
Errors with Verbs	479	(6)
Practicing What You've Learned	483	(2)
Errors with Nouns	485	(1)
Errors with Pronouns	485	(4)
Practicing What You've Learned	489	(1)
Errors with Adverbs and Adjectives	489	(2)
Errors in Modifying Phrases	491	(1)
Practicing What You've Learned	491	(1)
Errors in Sentences	492	(7)
Practicing What You've Learned	493	(1)
Practicing What You've Learned	494	(3)
Practicing What You've Learned	497	(2)
19 A Concise Guide to Punctuation	499	(20)
The Period	499	(1)
The Question Mark	500	(1)
The Exclamation Point	500	(1)
The Comma	500	(6)
Practicing What You've Learned	505	(1)
The Semicolon	506	(1)
The Colon	507	(1)
Practicing What You've Learned	507	(1)
The Apostrophe	508	(1)
Quotation Marks	509	(3)
Practicing What You've Learned	511	(1)
Parentheses	512	(1)
Brackets	513	(1)
The Dash	513	(1)
The Hyphen	514	(1)
Underlining	515	(1)
The Ellipsis Mark	516	(3)
Practicing What You've Learned	517	(2)
20 A Concise Guide to Mechanics	519	(8)
Capitalization	519	(1)
Abbreviations	520	(1)
Numbers	521	(2)
Practicing What You've Learned	522	(1)
Spelling	523	(4)
Copyright Acknowledgments	527	(2)
Index	529