Steps for Writers Composing Essays, Volume 2

by Eggers, Phillip

• ISBN13: 9780205074631
• ISBN10: 0205074634
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-10
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

Every developing writer is different and has specific needs. Whether students lack confidence, are overconfident, or come to the course under prepared in grammar and process, writing their own event. By organizing Steps for College Writersaround three phases of college writingfinding one's own writing process, writing essays based on one's own experience and perceptions, and writing essays involving texts and research, Phil Eggers aims to transform writing into an intrinsic experience for today's developing writers. His graduated approach to grammar and writing teaches students the basic of composing solid paragraphs and essays by allowing students to mature in the process and build confidence. Grammar correctness and peer review are heavily emphasized, and student and professional models are incorporated throughout the text to show "real" writing. As part of the Penguin Academic Series, Steps for College Writersoffers a compact, trade-format size and streamlined narrative to make this book both easy to handle and easy to read. Its brevity and low cost allows instructors to easily supplement the basic text with other books, including those on the list of Penguin titles offered at a deep discount as part of the Longman-Penguin Program.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Visualizing the Essay

Student Essay

Step One: Developing Your Own Thinking, Writing, and Learning Process

1. Prewriting

Prewriting Experiments: Freewriting, Focused Writing, Brainstorming, Outlining, Clustering, Cubing

Interacting with Your Readers

Identifying Your Purpose

Prewriting Activities: A Glimpse of a Student Writer at Work

Writing Tip #1Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Proofreading Practice: Identifying Sentence Divisions in Your Prewriting

Activities: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

2. Making a Point

Thesis Statements

Introductory Paragraph

Writing Tip #2

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Proofreading Practice: Agreement of Subjects/Verbs: Basic, Int., Challenge

3. Developing Your Body Paragraphs and Making Conclusions

Explaining and Illustrating Ideas in Your Body Paragraphs

Applying Techniques of Development

Choosing Modes of Development

Writing Tip #3

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Concluding Paragraphs

Proofreading Practice: Special Problems with Agreement: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

4. Global Revising: Doing an Extreme Makeover

Moving from Draft to Essay: A Glimpse of a Student Writer at Work

Testing Your Thesis: Looking for Digressions and Weak Spots

Achieving Continuity through Transitions

Improving Your Style: Breaking up, Varying and Combining Sentences

Interacting with Your Reader (reading aloud to others)

Peer Review Questions

Writing Tip #4

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge Proofreading Practice: Subordination: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

5. Putting on the Final Touches

Improving Word Choice; Eliminating Wordiness

Proofreading Aloud; Locating Your Patterns of Error

Using Your Spelling and Grammar Check

Writing Tip #5

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Proofreading Practice: Spelling: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge:

Step Two: Writing Essays Based on Your Own Experience and Perceptions

6. Describing a Situation, Person, or Group

Visualizing Your Subject and Giving It Meaning

Student Essay

Organizing a Description

Example by a Published Author: Using Details

Writing Tip #6

Writing Exercises:Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Descriptive Writing

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Adjectives & Adverbs: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

7. Telling a Story to Make a Point

Organizing Chronologically

Telling a Meaningful Story

Student Essay: Telling a Story to Make a Point

Example by a Published Author

Writing Tip #7

Writing Exercises:Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Narration

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Past Tense: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

8. Enumerating Examples

Student Essay

Example by a Published Author

Writing Tip #8

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Illustrating with ExamplesPeer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Parallelism: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

9. Defining a Term

Student Essay

Example by a Published Author

Examples of Short Definitions

Limiting the Scope of Your Definition

Examining Your Subject from Different Angles

Giving Examples of the Concept

Writing Tip #10Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Definition

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Who and Which Clauses: Basic, Int., Challenge

Step Three: Writing Essays Based on Your Reading and Research

10. Making a Comparison

Comparing and Contrasting as a Way of Knowing

Types of Comparison

Gathering Facts on Both Subjects

Exploring Similarities and Differences: A Student Writer at Work

Organizing Your Material

Student Essay: Exploring Similarities and Differences

Example by a Published Author

Writing Tip #9

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Comparison and Contrast

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Modifiers in Comparisons: Basic, Int., Challenge

11. Explaining a Process or Procedure

“How To” Writing: Giving Clear Instructions

Student Essay: Explaining a Procedure

Analyzing a Process: Making the Connections

Researching Facts on the Process

Example by a Published Author: Analyzing a Process

Writing Tip #11

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Procedural Writing

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Present and Progressive Tenses: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

12. Analyzing Cause and Effect

Student Essay Example by a Published Author

Being Logical: Causes vs. Coincidences

Identifying all the Causes and Effects

Finding the Necessary Information

Writing Tip #12

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Cause and Effect

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Compound and Complex Sentences

13. Arguing Persuasively

Student Essay

Example by a Published Author

Guidelines for Persuasive Writing

Stressing the Argument, Not the Personalities

Approaching the Argument from Several Angles

Researching and Presenting Supporting Material

Writing Tip #13

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Arguing Persuasively

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Sentence Combining: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

14. Writing a Research Paper

Making Sense with Sources Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Quoting: the Long and Short of It

Using the Library and Internet

Analyzing Source Material; Evaluating Web Sites

Avoiding Plagiarism

Writing a Bibliography

Sample Short MLA paper

Writing Tip #14

Research Paper Checklist

Writing Exercises:Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Research Paper

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: MLA Form: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

15. Writing about Literature

Methods of Interpreting a Story, Play, or Poem

Student Essay

Example by a Published Author

Analyzing vs. Paraphrasing

Developing a Point by Using the Text

Writing Tip #15

Writing Exercises: Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Essay Topics: Writing about Literature

Peer Review Questions

Proofreading Practice: Quoting Correctly from Literary Works,

Basic, Intermediate, Challenge

Appendix: Punctuation Handbook

 

Index of Grammar Topics

Adjectives and Adverbs

Agreement of Subject and Verb

Comma Splice

Compound and Complex Sentences

D Endings

Fragments

Irregular Verbs

Parallelism

Past Tense

Present and Progressive Tenses

Pronoun Case

Quoting

Run-on Sentences

S Endings

Sentence Combining

Sentence Divisions

Spelling

Subordination

Who and Which Clauses

Wordiness