Focus on Writing

by Kirszner, Laurie G.; Mandell, Stephen R.

• ISBN13: 9781319207397
• ISBN10: 1319207391
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2019-10-08
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

Focus on Writing offers clear, thorough coverage of college writing, with a chapter design that puts writing first. The Focus on Writing strand in Chapters 2-17 prompts students to write, learn essential concepts as they follow a student model, and apply those concepts to their own writing in a series of manageable steps. The text also empowers students with a unique tool for assessing and revising their work: the easy-to-grasp, easy-to-remember TEST (Topic sentence or Thesis statement, Evidence, Summary statement, and Transitions). A complete three-in-one text, Focus on Writing not only covers the process of writing paragraphs and essays but also includes a grammar guide with exercises and an essay collection. Supplementary online grammar practice through LaunchPad Solo for Readers and Writers rounds out this complete package.

Table of Contents

UNIT 1 READING TO WRITE
1 Focus on Active Reading
*1a Before You Read
*Textbook excerpt, Time-Management Strategies
*1b As Your Read
*Colin Powell, What American Citizenship Makes Possible
*1c After You Read
1d Writing a Response
Chapter Review

UNIT 2 FOCUS ON WRITING PARAGRAPHS
2 Writing a Paragraph
2a Understanding Paragraph Structure
2b Focusing on Your Assignment, Purpose, and Audience
2c Finding Ideas to Write About
2d Identifying Your Main Idea and Writing a Topic Sentence
2e Choosing Supporting Points
2f Developing Supporting Points
2g Making an Outline
2h Drafting Your Paragraph
2i TESTing Your Paragraph
2j Revising Your Paragraph
2k Editing and Proofreading Your Paragraph
Chapter Review
3 TESTing Your Paragraphs
3a TESTing for a Topic Sentence
3b TESTing for Evidence
3c TESTing for a Summary Statement
3d TESTing for Transitions
Chapter Review
4 Exemplification Paragraphs
4a Understanding Exemplification
4b Case Study: A Student Writes an Exemplification Paragraph
TESTing an Exemplification Paragraph
5 Narrative Paragraphs
5a Understanding Narration
5b Case Study: A Student Writes a Narrative Paragraph
TESTing a Narrative Paragraph
6 Process Paragraphs
6a Understanding Process
6b Case Study: A Student Writes a Process Paragraph
TESTing a Process Paragraph
7 Cause-and-Effect Paragraphs
7a Understanding Cause and Effect
7b Case Study: A Student Writes a Cause-and-Effect Paragraph
TESTing a Cause-and-Effect Paragraph
8 Comparison-and-Contrast Paragraphs
8a Understanding Comparison and Contrast
8b Case Study: A Student Writes a Comparison-and-Contrast Paragraph
TESTing a Comparison-and-Contrast Paragraph
9 Descriptive Paragraphs
9a Understanding Description
9b Case Study: A Student Writes a Descriptive Paragraph
TESTing a Descriptive Paragraph
10 Classification Paragraphs
10a Understanding Classification
10b Case Study: A Student Writes a Classification Paragraph
TESTing a Classification Paragraph
11 Definition Paragraphs
11a Understanding Definition
11b Case Study: A Student Writes a Definition Paragraph
TESTing a Definition Paragraph
12 Argument Paragraphs
12a Understanding Argumen
12b Case Study: A Student Writes an Argument Paragraph
TESTing an Argument Paragraph

UNIT 3 FOCUS ON WRITING ESSAYS
13 Writing an Essay
13a Understanding Essay Structure
13b Moving from Assignment to Topic
13c Finding Ideas to Write About
13d Stating Your Thesis
13e Choosing Supporting Points
13f Making an Outline
13g Drafting Your Essay
13h TESTing Your Essay
13i Revising Your Essay
13j Editing Your Essay
13k Proofreading Your Essay
Chapter Review
14 Introductions and Conclusions
14a Writing Introductions
14b Writing Conclusions
Chapter Review
15 Patterns of Essay Development: Exemplification, Narration, Process, Cause and Effect, and Comparison and Contrast
15a Exemplification Essays
Farhad Manjoo, No, I Do Not Want to Pet Your Dog
15b Narrative Essays
*Junot Diaz, Watching Spider-Man in Santo Domingo
15c Process Essays
Russell Baker, Slice of Life
15d Cause-and-Effect Essays
Kathleen E. Bachynski and Daniel S. Goldberg, Facing the Concussion Risks of Youth Football
15e Comparison-and-Contrast Essays
Michael Martinez, Migrant vs. Refugee: What’s the Difference?
Review Checklist
16 Patterns of Essay Development: Description, Classification, Definition, and Argument
16a Descriptive Essays
*Trevor Noah, Soweto
16b Classification Essays
Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
16c Definition Essays
Judy Brady, I Want a Wife
16d Argument Essays
Ben Carson, Vaccinations Are for the Good of the Nation
Review Checklist
*17 Writing with Sources
17a Finding and Evaluating Information
17b Using Sources in Your Writing
17c Using Sources Ethically
17d MLA Documentation Style
17e APA Documentation Style
Chapter Review

UNIT 4 REVISING AND EDITING YOUR WRITING
18 Writing Simple Sentences
18a Identifying Subjects
18b Identifying Prepositional Phrases
18c Identifying Verbs
Chapter Review
19 Writing Compound Sentences
19a Using Coordinating Conjunctions
19b Using Semicolons
19c Using Transitional Words and Phrases
Chapter Review
20 Writing Complex Sentences
20a Identifying Complex Sentences
20b Using Subordinating Conjunctions
20c Using Relative Pronouns
Chapter Review
21 Writing Varied Sentences
21a Varying Sentence Types
21b Varying Sentence Openings
21c Combining Sentences
21d Mixing Long and Short Sentences
Chapter Review
22 Using Parallelism
22a Recognizing Parallel Structure
22b Using Parallel Structure
Chapter Review
23 Using Words Effectively
23a Using Specific Words
23b Using Concise Language
23c Avoiding Slang
23d Avoiding Clichés
23e Using Similes and Metaphors
23f Avoiding Sexist Language
23g Commonly Confused Words
Chapter Review
24 Run-Ons
24a Recognizing Run-Ons
24b Correcting Run-Ons
Chapter Review
25 Fragments
25a Recognizing Fragments
25b Missing-Subject Fragments
25c Phrase Fragments
25d -ing Fragments
25e Dependent-Clause Fragments
Chapter Review
26 Subject-Verb Agreement
26a Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement
26b Compound Subjects
26c Be, Have, and Do
26d Words between Subject and Verb
26e Collective Noun Subjects
26f Indefinite Pronoun Subjects
26g Verbs before Subjects
Chapter Review
27 Illogical Shifts
27a Shifts in Tense
27b Shifts in Person
27c Shifts in Voice
Chapter Review
28 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
28a Correcting Misplaced Modifiers
28b Correcting Dangling Modifiers
Chapter Review
29 Verbs: Past Tense
29a Regular Verbs
29b Irregular Verbs
29c Problem Verbs: Be
29d Problem Verbs: Can/Could and Will/Would
Chapter Review
30 Verbs: Past Participles
30a Regular Past Participles
30b Irregular Past Participles
30c The Present Perfect Tense
30d The Past Perfect Tense
30e Past Participles as Adjectives
Chapter Review
31 Nouns and Pronouns
31a Identifying Nouns
31b Forming Plural Nouns
31c Identifying Pronouns
31d Understanding Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
31e Identifying Problem Areas with Agreement
31f Vague and Unnecessary Pronouns
31g Understanding Pronoun Case
31h Identifying Problem Areas with Pronoun Case
31i Identifying Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
Chapter Review
32 Adjectives and Adverbs
32a Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs
32b Understanding Comparatives and Superlatives
Chapter Review
33 Grammar and Usage for Multilingual Writers
33a Subjects in Sentences
33b Count and Noncount Nouns
33c Determiners with Count and Noncount Nouns
33d Articles
33e Negative Statements and Questions
33f Verb Tense
33g Stative Verbs
33h Gerunds
33i Choosing Prepositions
33j Prepositions in Phrasal Verbs
Chapter Review
34 Using Commas
34a Commas in a Series
34b Commas with Introductory Phrases and Transitional Words and Phrases
34c Commas with Appositives
34d Commas with Nonrestrictive Clauses
34e Commas in Dates and Addresses
34f Unnecessary Commas
Chapter Review
35 Using Apostrophes
35a Apostrophes in Contractions
35b Apostrophes in Possessives
35c Incorrect Use of Apostrophes
Chapter Review
36 Understanding Mechanics
36a Capitalizing Proper Nouns
36b Punctuating Direct Quotations
36c Setting Off Titles
36d Using Semicolons, Colons, Dashes, and Parentheses
Chapter Review

UNIT 5 READING ESSAYS
37 Readings for Writers
Naomi S. Baron, The Case against E-Readers: Why Reading Paper Books Is Better for Your Mind
*John Carlson, Real Solutions for Curtailing Gun Violence
*Olivia Goldhill, Should Driverless Cars Kill Their Own Passengers to Save a Pedestrian?
Tom Hanks, I Owe It All to Community College
*Alex Hern, Don’t Know the Difference between Emoji and Emoticons? Let Me Explain
*Rebecca Johnson, If You Want Women to Move Up, You Have to Accommodate Mothers
Caroline Knapp, How to Have a Dog’s Life
Eileen Pollack, What Really Keeps Women Out of Tech
*Roger Spranz, Make Your Own Waste Pie Chart
*Sherry Turkle, The Flight from Conversation
*Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, My First Police Stop
*Jacqueline Woodson, When a Southern Town Broke a Heart