Steps to Writing Well with Additional Readings

by Wyrick, Jean

• ISBN13: 9780155050983
• ISBN10: 0155050982
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-10-25
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Writing well is just a step away! Join the thousands of students who have learned to write well with Jean Wyrick's helpful instruction. STEPS TO WRITING WELL WITH ADDITIONAL READINGS, Seventh Edition, is the ultimate step-by-step guide to writing effective essays. With Wyrick's clear, practical advice and student-friendly tone, you'll find it easy to begin, organize, and revise your writing-from choosing a topic to developing your essay to polishing your prose. Interesting readings in a variety of styles offer useful examples of the types of essays you'll most often be assigned in your composition and other college classes.

Table of Contents

To the Teacher	iii
To the Student	ix
PART ONE THE BASICS OF THE SHORT ESSAY	1	(186)
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	(6)
Summary	29	(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	(6)
Practicing What You've Learned	43	(1)
Assignment	44	(2)
Summary	46	(1)
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	(3)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	81	(1)
Summary	81	(2)
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	(3)
Assignment	91	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	91	(1)
Summary	92	(1)
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	(5)
Summary	119	(2)
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	(9)
Practicing What You've Learned	145	(1)
Assignment	146	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	147	(1)
Summary	148	(1)
Word Logic	149	(26)
Selecting the Correct Words	149	(8)
Practicing What You've Learned	155	(2)
Selecting the Best Words	157	(18)
Practicing What You've Learned	169	(2)
Assignment	171	(1)
Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing	172	(1)
Summary	173	(2)
The Reading-Writing Connection	175	(12)
How Can Reading Well Help Me Become a Better Writer?	175	(1)
How Can I Become an Analytical Reader?	176	(6)
Sample Annotated Essay: ``Our Youth Should Serve''	179	(3)
Practicing What You've Learned	182	(1)
Assignment	182	(1)
Writing a Summary	182	(3)
Practicing What You've Learned	184	(1)
Summary	184	(1)
The Basics of the Short Essay: Part One Summary	185	(2)
PART TWO PURPOSES, MODES, AND STRATEGIES	187	(182)
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	(3)
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	(6)
``How to Write a Personal Letter''	221	(4)
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	(2)
Sample Student Essay: Point-by-Point Method	233	(4)
Sample Student Essay: Block Method	237	(3)
Professional Essays: ``Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts''	240	(4)
``Two Ways of Viewing the River''	244	(2)
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	(3)
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	(3)
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	(3)
A Revision Worksheet	285	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	286	(1)
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	(4)
Analyzing Advertisements	313	(6)
A Revision Worksheet	319	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	319	(2)
Description	321	(18)
How to Write Effective Description	321	(18)
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)
A Revision Worksheet	337	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	337	(2)
Narration	339	(16)
Writing the Effective Narrative Essay	339	(16)
Essay Topics	342	(1)
A Topic Proposal for Your Essay	343	(1)
Sample Student Essay	344	(4)
Professional Essay: ``Sister Flowers''	348	(5)
A Revision Worksheet	353	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	354	(1)
Writing Essays Using Multiple Strategies	355	(14)
Sample Student Essay	358	(4)
Professional Essay: ``Don't Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgments''	362	(4)
A Revision Worksheet	366	(1)
Reviewing Your Progress	367	(2)
PART THREE SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS	369	(108)
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)
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)
Sample Student Essay	429	(3)
Steps to Reading a Poem	432	(3)
Annotated Poem: ``When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer''	435	(4)
Sample Student Essay	436	(3)
Guidelines for Writing about Literature	439	(4)
Practicing What You've Learned: ``Those Winter Sundays''	441	(2)
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	(9)
Sample Student Essay	454	(3)
Practicing What You've Learned	457	(1)
Assignment	457	(2)
Writing in the World of Work	459	(18)
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 Resumes	470	(5)
Practicing What You've Learned	474	(1)
Assignment	474	(1)
Sample Resume	475	(2)
PART FOUR A CONCISE HANDBOOK	477	(50)
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)
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)
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)
PART FIVE ADDITIONAL READINGS	527	(108)
Exposition: Development by Example	529	(8)
``Darkness at Noon''	529	(2)
Harold Krents
``Black Men and Public Space''	531	(2)
Brent Staples
``Rambos of the Road''	533	(4)
Martin Gottfried
Exposition: Process Analysis	537	(8)
``Ditch Diving''	537	(2)
Tom Bodett
``The Jeaning of America''	539	(2)
Carin C. Quinn
``Autumn Leaves''	541	(4)
Diane Ackerman
Exposition: Comparison/Contrast	545	(8)
``Columbus and the Moon''	545	(2)
Tom Wolfe
``My Real Car''	547	(2)
Bailey White
``Still Connected to the Border''	549	(4)
Pat Mora
Exposition: Definition	553	(8)
``The Heroes Among Us''	553	(1)
Stephen M. Wolf
``Insulting the French: `Bistro-Style' Airplane Food''	554	(2)
Dave Barry
``What Is Poverty?''	556	(5)
Jo Goodwin Parker
Exposition: Division/Classification	561	(12)
``A Brush with Reality: Surprises in the Tube''	561	(2)
David Bodanis
``Party Manners''	563	(3)
Richard Grossman
``College Pressures''	566	(7)
William Zinsser
Exposition: Causal Analysis	573	(10)
``Kids in the Mall''	573	(4)
William Severini Kowinski
``The Violence Is Fake, The Impact Is Real''	577	(1)
Ellen Goodman
``The Teacher Who Changed My Life''	578	(5)
Nicholas Gage
Argumentation	583	(8)
Pro/Con Argument: The Extended School Year
``U.S. Kids Need More School Time''	583	(1)
Ellen Goodman
``The School Year Needs to Be Better, Not Longer''	584	(2)
Colman McCarthy
``A Scientist: `I Am the Enemy'''	586	(2)
Ron Kline
``Sack Athletic Scholarships''	588	(3)
Allen Barra
Description	591	(8)
``A Day at the Theme Park''	591	(1)
W. Bruce Cameron
``Hush, Timmy---This Is Like a Church''	592	(3)
Kurt Anderson
``The Man in the Water''	595	(4)
Roger Rosenblatt
Narration	599	(10)
``38 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police''	599	(3)
Martin Gansberg
``Take the Plunge...''	602	(2)
Gloria Emerson
``The Talkies''	604	(5)
James Lileks
Essays for Further Analysis: Multiple Strategies and Styles	609	(16)
``I Have a Dream''	609	(3)
Martin Luther King, Jr.
``Once More to the Lake (August 1941)''	612	(5)
E. B. White
``Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self''	617	(8)
Alice Walker
Literature	625	(10)
``We Real Cool''	625	(1)
Gwendolyn Brooks
``Ozymandias''	625	(1)
Percy Bysshe Shelley
``A Mystery of Heroism''	626	(9)
Stephen Crane
Copyright Acknowledgments	635	(4)
Index	639