Real Writing Interactive offers practical coverage of writing skills and step-by-step guidance on crafting paragraphs and essays in a brief, interactive, and affordable format. The print component offers the essentials of Anker’s accessible writing instruction along with select exercises; additional exercises are available online in LearningCurve, adaptive, game-like quizzing that helps students focus on the material they most need help with. As with all books in the Anker series, Real Writing Interactive motivates students with its message that writing is an essential and achievable skill and encourages students to connect what they learn with their own goals and with the needs and expectations of the larger world.

Susan Anker (BA, MEd, Boston University) brings a unique perspective to the teaching of the developmental writing course. She taught English and developmental writing before entering college publishing, where she worked for eighteen years: as a sales representative and English/ESL editor at Macmillan Publishing Company; as developmental English/ESL editor, executive editor, and editor in chief at St. Martin’s Press; and as vice president and editor in chief for humanities at Houghton Mifflin Company. In each of these positions, she worked with developmental writing instructors and students, maintaining her early interest in the field. Since the publication of the first edition of Real Writing in 1998, Anker has traveled extensively to campuses across the country, continuing her conversations with instructors and students and giving workshops and presentations. She believes that the writing course is, for many students, their first, best opportunity to learn the skills they will need to succeed in college and achieve their goals.

Table of Contents

Part One: College Thinking, Reading, and Writing

1. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: Making Connections

Critical Thinking

Critical Reading

Preview the Reading
Read the Piece: Find the Main Point and the Support
main point and purpose

support

Pause to Think
Review and Respond
A Critical Reader at Work
Writing Critically about Reading

Summary
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
2. Getting Ready to Write: Form, Process, and Purpose

Note: Avoiding Plagiarism
Paragraph and Essay Form

Paragraph Form
Essay Form
The Writing Process

Audience and Purpose

Finding, Narrowing, and Exploring Your Topic

Narrowing a Topic
Exploring Your Topic
freewriting

listing/brainstorming

discussing

clustering/mapping

using the internet

keeping a journal

3. Organizing Your Main Point and Support: Arranging Your Ideas
Topic Sentences and Thesis Statements

Fitting the Size of the Assignment
Focusing on a Single Main Point
Being Specific
Using an Idea You Can Show, Explain, or Prove
Being Forceful
Supporting for Your Main Point

Key Features of Good Support
Support in Paragraphs Versus Essays
Generating Support
Selecting the Best Primary Support
Adding Secondary Support
Arrange Your Ideas

Use Time Order to Write about Events
Use Space Order to Describe Objects, Places, or People
Use Order of Importance to Emphasize a Particular Point
Planning Your Draft

4. Drafting and Revising Paragraphs and Essays: Putting Your Ideas Together

Drafting Paragraphs

Use Complete Sentences
Consider Introductory Techniques
End with a Concluding Sentence
Title Your Paragraph
Sample Student Paragraph
Drafting Essays

Write Topic Sentences and Draft the Body of the Essay
Write an Introduction
Write a Conclusion
Title Your Essay

Sample Student Essay
Revising Paragraphs and Essays

Revise for Unity
Revise for Detail and Support
Revise for Coherence
Sample Student Paragraph: Revised
Sample Student Essay: Revised
Peer Reviewing

Part Two: Writing Different Kinds of Paragraphs and Essays

5. Narration

Understand What Narration Is

Main Point in Narration
Support in Narration
Organization in Narration
Read and Analyze Narration

Narration in the Real World
Student Narration Paragraph
Professional Narration Essay
Write Your Own Narration

Checklist: How to Write Narration

6. Illustration

Understand What Illustration Is

Main Point in Illustration
Support in Illustration
Organization in Illustration
Read and Analyze Illustration

Illustration in the Real World
Student Illustration Paragraph
Professional Illustration Essay
Write Your Own Illustration

Checklist: How to Write Illustration

7. Description

Understand What Description Is

Main Point in Description
Support in Description
Organization in Description
Read and Analyze Description

Description in the Real World
Student Description Paragraph
Professional Description Essay
Write Your Own Description

Checklist: How to Write Description

8. Process Analysis
Understand What Process Analysis Is

Main Point in Process Analysis
Support in Process Analysis
Organization in Process Analysis
Read and Analyze Process Analysis

Process Analysis in the Real World
Student Process Analysis Paragraph
Professional Process Analysis Paragraph
Write Your Own Process Analysis

Checklist: How to Write Process Analysis

9. Classification

Understand What Classification Is

Main Point in Classification
Support in Classification
Organization in Classification
Read and Analyze Classification

Classification in the Real World
Student Classification Paragraph
Professional Classification Essay
Write Your Own Classification

Writing about College, Work, and Everyday Life
Writing Critically about Classification
Checklist: How to Write Classification

10. Definition

Understand What Definition Is

Main Point in Definition
Support in Definition
Organization in Definition
Read and Analyze Definition

Definition in the Real World
Student Definition Paragraph
Professional Definition Essay
Write Your Own Definition

Checklist: How to Write Definition

11. Comparison and Contrast

Understand What Comparison and Contrast Is

Main Point in Comparison and Contrast
Support in Comparison and Contrast
Organization in Comparison and Contrast
Read and Analyze Comparison and Contrast

Comparison and Contrast in the Real World
Student Comparison-and-Contrast Paragraph
Professional Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
Write Your Own Comparison and Contrast

Checklist: How to Write Comparison and Contrast

12. Cause and Effect

Understand What Cause and Effect Is

Main Point in Cause and Effect
Support in Cause and Effect
Organization in Cause and Effect
Read and Analyze Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect in the Real World
Student Cause-and-Effect Paragraph
Professional Cause-and-Effect Essay
Write Your Own Cause and Effect

Checklist: How to Write Cause and Effect

13. Argument

Understand What Argument Is

Main Point in Argument
Support in Argument
Organization in Argument
Read and Analyze Argument

Argument in the Real World
Student Argument Essay 1
Student Argument Essay 2
Write Your Own Argument

Checklist: How to Write Argument

Part Three: Grammar, Punctuation, and Mechanics

14. Basic Grammar
The Parts of Speech

The Basic Sentence

Subjects
Verbs
action verbs

linking verbs

helping verbs

Complete Thoughts
Six Basic English Sentence Patterns

15. Four Most Serious Errors
Fragments

Fragments That Start with Prepositions
Fragments That Start with Dependent Words
Fragments That Start with –ing Verb Forms
Fragments That Start with to and a Verb
Fragments That Are Examples or Explanations
Run-Ons

Correct Run-on by Adding a Period or a Semicolon
Correct Run-on by Adding a Comma and a Coordinating Conjunction
Correct Run-on by Adding a Dependent Word
Problems with Subject-Verb Agreement

The Verb Is a Form of Be, Have, or Do

Words Come between the Subject and the Verb
prepositional phrase between the subject and the verb

dependent clause between the subject and the verb

The Sentence Has a Compound Subject
The Subject Is an Indefinite Pronoun
The Verb Comes before the Subject
Problems with Verb Tense

Regular Verbs
present-tense endings: -s and no ending

past tense ending: -ed or –d
Irregular Verbs
Past Participles

16. Other Grammar and Style Concerns
Pronouns

Check for Pronoun Agreement
indefinite pronouns

collective nouns

Make Pronoun References Clear
repetitious pronoun reference

Using the Right Type of Pronoun
subject pronouns

object pronouns

possessive pronouns

pronouns used with compound subjects and objects

pronouns used in comparisons

choosing between who and whom
Make Pronouns Consistent in Person
Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives and Adverbs in Comparisons
Good, Well, Bad, and Badly

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling Modifiers
Coordination and Subordination

Coordination
Subordination
Parallelism

Sentence Variety

Start Some Sentences with Adverbs
Join Ideas Using an –ing Verb
Join Ideas Using a Past Participle
Join Ideas Using an Appositive
Join Ideas Using an Adjective Clause
Word Choice

Vague and Abstract Words
Slang
Wordy Language
Clichés
Sexist Language

17. Punctuation and Capitalization
Commas

Commas between Items in a Series
Commas between Coordinate Adjectives
Commas in Compound Sentences
Commas after Introductory Words
Commas around Appositives and Interrupters
Commas around Adjective Clauses
Commas with Quotation Marks
Commas in Addresses
Commas in Dates
Commas with Names
Commas with Yes or No

Apostrophes

Apostrophes to Show Ownership
Apostrophes in Contractions
Apostrophes with Letters, Numbers, and Time
Quotation Marks

Quotation Marks for Direct Quotations
No Quotation Marks for Indirect Quotations
Quotation Marks for Certain Titles
Semicolon

Colon

Parentheses

Dash

Hyphen

Capitalization

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Real Writing Interactive

9781457654114

1457654113

Supplemental Materials

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

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