Table of Contents

Part One Getting Started

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1 The Bases of Good Writing: The Four Cs

Culture Note: WORLD GEOGRAPHY  

Recommended Readings, Good Writing Is . . ., Recognizing Concise Writing, Concise Writing Leads to Unity, In Your Own Writing, Making Sure Your Writing Is Concise, Identifying Concise Writing, Recognizing Credible Writing, In Your Own Writing, Making Sure Your Writing Is Credible, Practicing Credible Writing, Recognizing Clear Writing, In Your Own Writing, Making Sure Your Writing Is Clear, Identifying Clear Writing, Recognizing Correct Writing, In Your Own Writing, Making Sure Your Writing Is Correct, Identifying the Four Cs Together, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: VOTING

Recommended Readings, Writing for a Reader, Writing for a Reason, Writing to Inform, Writing to Entertain, Writing to Persuade, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: THE ROARING TWENTIES

Recommended Readings, Getting Started, Freewriting, Listing, Questioning, Keeping a Journal, Clustering, Outlining, Using a Computer for Prewriting, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: TEXTING

Recommended Readings, Ready to Put Pen to Paper, Rough Drafts Are Not Perfect, Writing a Rough Draft, Your Topic Sentence, Your Support Points and Specific Details, Your Rough Draft, Using a Computer for Drafting, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: STOCK CAR RACING

Recommended Readings, Think You’re Done? Take Another Look, Doing Step-by-Step Revision, Making Sure Your Writing Is Concise, Making Sure Your Writing Is Credible, Making Sure Your Writing Is Clear, Using a Computer to Revise Your Draft, A Revised Draft, Exchanging Help with Your Peers, Remembering the Writer’s Feelings, Writing as a Response, Peer Review Guidelines, Making the Best Use of Other People’s Feedback, Setting Your Goals as a Writer, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: WINTER HOLIDAYS

Recommended Readings, The Importance of Editing, Editing for Smooth, Effective Writing, Proofreading for Sentence-Level Errors, Proofreading Sentence by Sentence, Proofreading Word by Word, Reading Your Paragraph Backward, Using a Computer for Editing, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: RUNNING

Recommended Readings, The Writing Process in Action, Step 1: Prewriting Activities, Step 2: Drafting, Step 3: Revising, Step 4: Editing, How to Tell What Comes Next, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: SCIENCE

Recommended Readings, What Is a Good Topic Sentence?, Guidelines for Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Choose a Topic You Care About, Let Your Topic Sentence Develop Slowly, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Is a Sentence, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Is Not Too Broad, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Is Not Too Narrow, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Expresses Your Purpose, Making Sure Your Topic Sentence Is Complete, Making Your Topic Sentence the First Sentence of Your Paragraph, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: COFFEE

Recommended Readings, Making Your Case, Three Types of Details, Descriptions of Objects or Events in Your Life, Accounts of Events in Other People’s Lives, Facts That You’ve Heard About or Read in Trusted Sources, Knowing What Details to Choose, Writing Vivid Details, Use Words That Appeal to the Five Senses, Use Descriptive Modifiers, Use Proper Names and Specific Nouns and Verbs, Use Specific Verbs, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: INFLUENTIAL MUSICAL ENTERTAINERS, 1930—1960

Recommended Readings, Arranging the Pieces, Organizing for Clarity, Two Types of Order, Time Sequence Order, Emphatic Order, Using Transitions, Combining Organizing Strategies, Varying Transition Words and Terms, Other Ways to Link Ideas, Repeating Key Words, Using Pronouns, Using Synonyms, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Recommended Readings, Understanding Language
Choices, Choosing Language for Formal Writing Assignments, Slang, Clichés (Overused Expressions), Overly Formal Language, Wordiness, What Is Sensitive Language?, Using Sensitive Language, Don’t Exclude People, Don’t Make Assumptions About Groups of People, Don’t Call People by Names They Do Not Choose for Themselves, Don’t Assume That All Members of a Group Are the Same, Don’t Mention a Person’s Race, Sex, Age, Sexual Orientation, Disability, or Religion Unnecessarily, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: LOS ANGELES

Recommended Readings, Understanding Your Spelling
Habits, Improving Your Spelling, Reading, Using the Dictionary, Creating Your Own Spelling List, Understanding Basic Spelling Rules, Memorizing the Meanings of Words That Look or Sound Alike, Using a Computer’s Spelling Checker, Frequently Misspelled Words, Words That Look and Sound Alike, Understanding Homonyms, Other Commonly Confused Words, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: STEROIDS

Recommended Readings, Understanding the Value of a Wide Vocabulary, Stretching Your Vocabulary, Reading for Pleasure and Education, Using a Dictionary, Using a Thesaurus, Keeping a Personal Vocabulary Journal, Chapter Summary

Recommended Readings, What Is an Illustration and Example Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Illustration and Example, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: FAIRY TALES

Recommended Readings, What Is a Narrative Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Narrative, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details for
Narration, Background Details, Action Details, Sensory Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: INFLUENTIAL PAINTERS

Recommended Readings, What Is a Descriptive Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Description, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, What Are Sensory Details?, The Benefits of Sensory Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: FINANCIAL HABITS

Recommended Readings, What Are Classification and Division Paragraphs?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Classification and Division, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: GOING GREEN

Recommended Readings, What Is a Process Paragraph?, How-To Paragraphs, Explanation Paragraphs, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Explaining a Process, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: FLORIDA

Recommended Readings, What Is a Comparison or Contrast Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Contrast, A Model Paragraph: Comparison, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, All-of-One-Side Approach, Point-by-Point Approach, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: HEALTH AND FITNESS

Recommended Readings, What Is a Cause-and-Effect Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Cause and Effect, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: BASEBALL, THE AMERICAN PASTIME

Recommended Readings, What Is a Definition Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, Types of Definitions and Model Paragraphs, Formal Definition, Definition by Class, A Model Paragraph: Definition by Class, Definition by Negative Example, Definition by Extended Example, A Model Paragraph: Definition by Extended Example, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: CIVILITY

Recommended Readings, What Is an Argument Paragraph?, Real-Life Writing, A Model Paragraph: Argument, Choosing a Good Topic for Development, Choosing a Topic You Believe In, Writing an Effective Topic Sentence, Developing Specific Details, Making Your Side Stronger, Consulting Experts , Reading Up on Your Subject, Surfing the Net, Making the Opposing Side Weaker, Finding Incorrect Information in the Opposing Argument, Looking for Unsupported Claims in the Opposing Argument, Organizing and Linking Your Ideas, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: FEDERAL CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Recommended Readings, What Is an Essay?, Essay Form, A Model Essay, Writing an Effective Thesis Statement, Making Sure Your Thesis Statement Is a Complete Sentence, Making Sure Your Thesis Statement Is Broad Enough, Making Sure Your Thesis Statement Is Narrow Enough, Making Sure Your Thesis Statement Is Arguable, Making Sure You’re Clear on the Purpose of Your Thesis Statement, Consider Offering a “Map” of Your Essay, Developing the Paragraphs in an Essay, Introductory Paragraph, Providing Background Information, Using a Personal Anecdote, Beginning with a Quotation, Using Opposites, Asking Questions, Body Paragraphs, Making Connections to the Thesis Statement, Giving Support Points and Specific Details That Support the Thesis Statement, Conclusion, Adding Final Thoughts, Ending with a Question, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: RUNNING REVISITED 

Recommended Readings, Using the Writing Process with Essays, A Model Essay, Prewriting for Your Essay, Drafting Your Essay, Writing a Strong Introduction, Organizing and Connecting the Body Paragraphs Effectively, Repeating Key Words from the Thesis Statement, Repeating Key Words from the Preceding Paragraph, Using Transitional Terms to Signal Paragraphs, Using Transitional Sentences to Connect Paragraphs, Writing a Sharp Conclusion, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: PROCESSING CHOCOLATE

Recommended Readings, Revising Your Essay, Making Sure Your Essay Is Concise, Is This Thesis Statement Effective?, Do All the Support Points Support the Thesis Statement?, Do All the Specific Details Support the Thesis Statement?, Making Sure Your Essay Is Credible, Is There Enough Information?, Is More Support Needed?, Making Sure Your Essay Is Clear, Are Key Words Repeated?, Do Transitional Expressions Signal the Support Points?, Are Transitional Sentences Used to Connect Paragraphs?, Checking Each Paragraph Individually for the Four Cs, Editing Your Essay, Making Your Writing Smoother, More Interesting, and More Effective, Proofreading to Correct Sentence-Level Errors, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: HORROR FILMS

Recommended Readings, What’s Good About an Essay Exam?, Developing a Plan, Before the Exam, Know Your Subject Matter, Predict the Future, Answer Your Questions About the Subject, Make a Memory Plan, During the Exam, Read the Instructions, Budget Your Time, Make a Writing Plan, Relax, Write Neatly on Every Other Line, Write a Clear, Organized Essay, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: MALCOLM X

Recommended Readings, Summaries Are Useful, Writing an Effective Summary, Steps 1—8, A Model Summary, Chapter Summary

Culture Note: THE RÉSUMÉ

Recommended Readings, Employers Value Good Writing Skills, Crafting a Résumé, Making Your Résumé Look Professional, Emphasizing Your Good Points, Following a Logical Format, Being Brief, Omitting Unncessary or Negative Details, Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!, Mention That References Are Available, Writing a Letter to Apply for a Job, Writing and Sending E-mail, Chapter Summary

CHAPTER 29 Prepositional Phrases

Culture Note: FABLES

Identifying Prepositional Phrases, Using Prepositional Phrases to Identify the Subject and Verb of a Sentence, Watching out for Infinitives

Culture Note: PROVERBS AND IDIOMS

The Main Parts of a Sentence, Identifying Verbs, Complete Verbs, Linking Verbs, Identifying the Subject, Finding More Than One Subject or Verb, What to Watch out For, Nouns That Follow the Verb, Pronouns, Commands, No, Not, and Always  476  Words Ending in -ing, Infinitives

Culture Note: BREAD

Clauses and Sentences, What Is a Clause?, Independent Clauses, Dependent Clauses, Sentences Built with Clauses, Simple Sentences, Compound Sentences, Complex Sentences 

Culture Note: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

What Is a Run-On Sentence?, Fused Sentences, Comma Splices, Fixing Run-On Sentences, Making the Run-On into Two Separate Sentences, Using a Comma and a Coordinating Conjunction, Using a Semicolon, Creating a Dependent Clause

Culture Note: MARVELS OF MODERN CONSTRUCTION

What Is a Fragment?, Recognizing and Correcting Dependent Clause Fragments, Attaching the Fragment to Another Sentence, Eliminating the Dependent Word, Recognizing and Correcting Phrase Fragments, Correcting -ing Verb Fragments, Correcting to Fragments, Correcting Extra-Information Phrases, Recognizing and Correcting Missing-Information Fragments, Attaching the Fragment to the Sentence Before It, Turning the Fragment into a Sentence

Culture Note: PSYCHOLOGY

The Principal Parts of Regular Verbs, The Present Tense, The Past Tense, The Past Participle, The Present Participle, Forming the Tenses of Regular Verbs, Present Tense, Past Tense, Participles, The Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs, The Big Three: To Be, To Do, and To Have, Principal Parts, Tenses, Avoiding Common Errors

Culture Note: CLASSICAL MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement, Agreement When Words Come Between the Subject and the Verb, Agreement When the Verb Comes Before the Subject, Agreement When the Subject Has Two or More Parts, Agreement When the Subject Is an Indefinite Pronoun

Culture Note: AMERICAN LEGENDS

Consistency in Verb Tense, Changing Verb Tense

Culture Note: THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Recognizing Pronouns, Subject Pronouns, Using a Subject Pronoun as Part of a Compound Subject, Using a Subject Pronoun After Forms of To Be, Using a Subject Pronoun After Then and As, Object Pronouns, Possessive Pronouns, Pronouns Ending in -Self or -Selves, Reflexive Pronouns, Intensive Pronouns, Demonstrative Pronouns

Culture Note: TEXAS

Pronoun Agreement, Personal Pronouns, Indefinite Pronouns, Pronoun Reference, Pronoun Consistency and Point of View

Culture Note: SLEEP

What Is an Adjective?, Types of Adjectives, Using Adjectives for Comparison, What Is an Adverb?, Correcting Common Errors with Adjectives and Adverbs, Good and Well

Culture Note: TORNADOES

What Is a Misplaced Modifier?, Correcting Misplaced Modifiers

Culture Note: MILK

What Is a Dangling Modifier?, Correcting Dangling Modifiers

Culture Note: COOKIES

What Is Parallelism?, Recognizing Special Sentence Structures, Balanced Word Order

Culture Note: CHICAGO

Understanding Commas, Setting Apart Items in a Series, Comma Before a Conjunction in a Series, Commas in a Series of Adjectives, Setting Off Introductory Material, Setting Off Information That Interrupts the Main Ideas in a Sentence, Interruptions in the Middle of a Sentence, Essential and Unessential Information, Additional Material at the End of a Sentence, Direct Address, Joining Two Independent Clauses Linked by a Coordinating Conjunction, Setting Off Direct Quotations, Clarifying Everyday Information

Culture Note: VIRUSES

Understanding the Apostrophe, Showing the Omission of Letters, Showing Possession or Ownership, Singular Nouns, Plural Nouns, Unnecessary Apostrophes, Do Not Use Apostrophes with Possessive Pronouns, Do Not Use Apostrophes with Simple Plurals

Culture Note: FEMINISM AND GLORIA STEINEM

Understanding Quotation Marks, Setting Off Direct Quotations, Using Parts of Quotations, Indirect Quotations, Setting Off Titles of Short Works, Setting Off Special Words or Expressions, Single Quotation Marks

Culture Note: MARILYN MONROE, AN AMERICAN ICON

Understanding Other Punctuation Marks, Semicolons, Colons, Hyphens, Dashes, Parentheses

Culture Note: NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Main Uses of Capital Letters, Additional Uses of Capital Letters, Unnecessary Capitalization

Culture Note: THE BATTLE OF LITTLE BIG HORN

Using Numbers, Spelling Numbers, Using Numerals for Everyday Information, Using Abbreviations

Culture Note: DR. SEUSS

Recognizing Your Writing Style, Coordination: Adding Equally Important Ideas, Subordination: Adding Less Important Ideas, Combining Sentences for Brevity and Variety, Combining Sentences to Avoid Repetition, Combining Sentences for Variety

READING 1 “A Homemade Education,” Malcolm X

READING 2 “What Is Intelligence, Anyway?” Isaac Asimov

READING 3 “Learn How to Make Your Own Luck,” Meryl Davids Landau

READING 4 “Education,” E. B. White

READING 5 “How to Write with Style,” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

READING 6 “ ‘Blaxicans’ and Other Reinvented Americans,” Richard Rodriguez

READING 7 “Money for Morality,” Mary Arguelles

READING 8 “The Ways We Lie,” Stephanie Ericsson

READING 9 “Manners Matter,” Judith Martin

READING 10 “Too Much Information,” Anne Taylor Fleming

READING 11 “My Mother’s English,” Amy Tan

READING 12 “The Plot Against People,” Russell Baker

READING 13 “The Price We Pay,” Adam Mayblum

READING 14 “A Generation’s Vanity Heard Through Lyrics,” John Tierney

READING 15 “The New Gender Gap,” Lisa Belkin