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Steps to Writing Well : MLA Updates

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ISBN: 9781413001761 | 1413001769
Edition: 8th
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
Pub. Date: 6/9/2003

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SummaryTable of Contents
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.
To the Teacherv
To the Studentxi
PART ONE THE BASICS OF THE SHORT ESSAY1(186)
1 Prewriting
3(28)
... MORE
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 STRATEGIES187(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 ASSIGNMENTS369(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 HANDBOOK477(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 Acknowledgments527(2)
Index529

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