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Steps to Writing Well, Revised Edition (with Revised MLA)

by: Wyrick, Jean

Steps to Writing Well, Revised Edition (with Revised MLA)

by: Wyrick, Jean

ISBN 13:
9781413001761
ISBN 10:
1413001769
Edition: 8th
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 06/09/2003
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
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Summary

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 Teacher

To the Student

PART ONE THE BASICS OF THE SHORT ESSAY

(186)

1 Prewriting

(28)

Getting Started (or Soup-Can Labels Can Be Fascinating)

(1)

Selecting a Subject

(2)

Finding Your Essay's Purpose and Focus

(1)

Pump-Primer Techniques

(11)

After You've Found Your Focus

(1)

Practicing What You've Learned

(1)

Discovering Your Audience

(1)

How to Identify Your Readers

(5)

Practicing What You've Learned

(1)

Assignment

(2)

Keeping a Journal (Talking to Yourself Does Help)

(4)

Chapter 1 Summary

(2)

2 The Thesis Statement

(16)

What Is a Thesis? What Does a "Working Thesis" Do?

(1)

Can a "Working Thesis" Change?

(1)

Guidelines for Writing a Good Thesis

(4)

Avoiding Common Errors in Thesis Statements

(4)

Practicing What You've Learned

(1)

Assignment

(1)

Using the Essay Map

(5)

Practicing What You've Learned

(1)

Assignment

(2)

Chapter 2 Summary

(1)

3 The Body Paragraphs

(36)

Planning the Body of Your Essay

(3)

Composing the Body Paragraphs

(1)

The Topic Sentence

(9)

Practicing What You've Learned

(3)

Assignment

(1)

Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing

(1)

Paragraph Development

(5)

Paragraph Length

(2)

Practicing What You've Learned

(1)

Assignment

(1)

Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing

(1)

Paragraph Unity

(4)

Practicing What You've Learned

(2)

Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing

(1)

Paragraph Coherence

(9)

Practicing What You've Learned

(3)

Paragraph Sequence

(1)

Transitions between Paragraphs

(1)

Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing

(1)

Chapter 3 Summary

(2)

4 Beginnings and Endings

(10)

How to Write a Good Lead-In

(3)

Avoiding Errors in Lead-Ins

(1)

Practicing What You've Learned

(1)

How to Write a Good Concluding Paragraph

(2)

Avoiding Errors in Conclusions

(1)

Practicing What You've Learned

(1)

How to Write a Good Title

(2)

Assignment

(1)

Applying What You've Learned to Your Writing

(1)

Chapter 4 Summary

(1)

5 Drafting and Revising: Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking

(28)

What Is Revision?

(1)

When Does Revision Occur?

(1)

Myths about Revision

(1)

Preparing to Draft: Some Time-Saving Hints

(5)

Additional Suggestions for Writers with Word Processors

(2)

Computer Labs and Classrooms

(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 STRATEGIES

187

(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 ASSIGNMENTS

369

(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 HANDBOOK

477

(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)

527

(2)

Index

529

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Steps to Writing Well, Revised Edition (with Revised MLA)

Steps to Writing Well, Revised Edition (with Revised MLA)

9781413001761

1413001769

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Steps to Writing Well, Revised Edition (with Revised MLA)

Steps to Writing Well, Revised Edition (with Revised MLA)

9781413001761

1413001769

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

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