A mid-level worktext with readings and a handbook, Paragraphs and Essays provides an integrated approach to the writing process and the rhetorical modes typically covered in freshman composition classes. The Ninth Edition retains Brandon's friendly, informal tone, engaging exercises, and offbeat readings that encourage developmental students to persevere and become confident, competent writers. Since writing is not a one-step process or linear, Brandon compares it to the ebb and flow of tides. He uses this visual analogy to convey the recursive nature of writing, comparing the movement of advancing and retreating waves to rethinking, reordering, and rewriting. Icons stress the flow of writing and the critical importance of revision, showing rolling waves proceeding by degrees to students' main goal: a well-written essay. These waves appear at the beginning of each chapter to indicate which steps of the process are covered, and next to writing guidelines and the Writing Process Worksheet where students practice applying what they have learned. A three-step approach to writing asks students to explore, experiment, and gather information in step one; write the controlling idea and organize the supporting details in step two; and draft, revise, and edit their work in step three. Detailed student examples illustrate each stage of the process to reinforce key principles and model good writing. New! Forty-five percent of the reading selections are new. In addition, updated grammar exercises maintain student interest, motivating them to practice their skills. New! The chapter on reading-related writing (previously Chapter 6) now appears at the beginning of the text to stress how reading other texts forms the basis for most college writing. Students learn about underlining, annotating, outlining and summarizing outside sources. A chapter on research guides students through the process of finding and analyzing sources, creating an outline, and writing an essay. Students can model their work on the annotated sample outline, essay, and bibliography included in this chapter. Paired readings in several chapters promote critical thinking and inspire students to respond in writing. A complete handbook at the end of the text gives students a convenient place to turn for help on grammar and bibliographic citations.