Steps to Writing Well with Additional Readings (w/ MLA9E Updates)

by Jean Wyrick

Overview

Combining detailed coverage of the writing process with a wealth of professional readings, Wyrick's STEPS TO WRITING WELL WITH ADDITIONAL READINGS has helped thousands of students learn to write effective academic essays. Extremely student-friendly, it presents rhetorical strategies for composing essays in an easy-to-follow progression of useful lessons and activities. With over 70 student and professional readings and a variety of hands-on activities, it gives you the models and practice you need to write well-constructed essays with confidence. The 11th edition features useful visual learning aids, student writing samples on timely topics, assignments that promote using sources and multiple rhetorical strategies, and updated discussions of multimodal texts and online databases. It also reflects guidelines from the APA's 2020 Publication Manual. Now available: MindTap digital learning solution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781337899796
Publisher:	Cengage Learning
Publication date:	01/01/2021
Series:	MindTap Course List
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	768
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Jean Wyrick is Professor Emerita of English at Colorado State University, where she was director of composition for 11 years. She has more than 25 years of experience teaching writing, training writing teachers, and designing writing/writing-across-the-curriculum programs. Her other textbooks include THE RINEHART READER and DISCOVERING IDEAS. She has presented over 100 workshops and papers on the teaching of writing, American literature, American studies, and women's studies.

Table of Contents

Part I: THE BASICS OF THE SHORT ESSAY. 1. Prewriting. Getting Started. Selecting a Subject. Finding Your Essay’s Purpose and Focus. Pump-Primer Techniques. After Youve Found Your Focus. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Discovering Your Audience. How to Identify Your Readers. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Keeping a Journal (Talking to Yourself Does Help). Chapter 1 Summary. 2. The Thesis Statement. What Is a Thesis? What Does a Working Thesis Do? Can a Working Thesis Change Guidelines for Writing a Good Thesis. Avoiding Common Errors in Thesis Statements. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Using the Essay Map. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Chapter 2 Summary. 3. The Body Paragraphs. Planning the Body of Your Essay. Composing the Body Paragraphs. The Topic Sentence. Focusing Your Topic Sentence. Placing Your Topic Sentence. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing. Paragraph Development. Paragraph Length. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing. Paragraph Unity. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing. Paragraph Coherence. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Paragraph Sequence. Transitions between Paragraphs. Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing. Chapter 3 Summary. 4. Beginnings and Endings. How to Write a Good Lead-In. Avoiding Errors in Lead-Ins. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. How to Write a Good Concluding Paragraph. Avoiding Errors in Conclusions. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. How to Write a Good Title. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing. Chapter 4 Summary. 5. Drafting and Revising: Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking. What Is Revision? When Does Revision Occur? Myths about Revision. Can I Learn to Improve My Revision Skills? Preparing to Draft. Some Basic Tips for Drafting. Some Hints When Drafting on a Computer. Some Hints When Handwriting a Draft. Writing Centers, Computer Classrooms, and Electronic Networks. Procrastination: Enemy of Critical Thinking, Thief of Time. I. Revising for Purpose, Thesis, and Audience. II. Revising for Ideas and Evidence. What Is Critical Thinking? Thinking Critically as a Writer. Critical Thinking and Visual Literacy. III. Revising for Organization. IV. Revising for Clarity and Style. V. Editing for Errors. VI. Proofreading. A Final Checklist for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay: The Fear No One Talks About. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing. Collaborative Activities: Group Work, Peer Revision Workshops, and Team Projects. Benefiting from Collaborative Activities. Guidelines for Peer Revision Workshops. Guidelines for Small-Group Work. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Some Last Advice: How to Play with Your Mental Blocks. Chapter 5 Summary. 6. Effective Sentences. Developing a Clear Style. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Developing a Concise Style. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Developing an Engaging Style. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Developing an Emphatic Style. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing. Chapter 6 Summary. 7. Word Logic. Selecting the Correct Words. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Selecting the Best Words. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Applying What You’ve Learned to Your Writing. Chapter 7 Summary. 8. The Reading-Writing Connection. How Can Reading Well Help Me Become a Better Writer? How Can I Become an Analytical Reader? Steps to Reading Well. Sample Annotated Essay: College for Grown-Ups. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. How Can I Read Multimodal Texts Analytically? Steps to Reading Multimodal Texts Well. Sample Annotated Advertisement. Writing a Summary. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Benefiting from Class Discussion. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Chapter 8 Summary. Part One Summary: The Basics of the Short Essay. Part II: PURPOSES, MODES, AND STRATEGIES. 9. Development by Example. Why and How to Use Examples In Your Writing. Developing Your Essay. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: If You Want to Get to Know a New Place, Go For a Run. Sample Student Essay 2: A Small Guy with a Big Heart. Professional Essay: So What’s So Bad about Being So-So?. A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 10. Process Analysis. Types of Process Analysis Essays. Developing Your Essay. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: An Experiment in Spending Less. Sample Student Essay 2: From the Shower to the Stage. Professional Essay (Informative Process): To Bid the World Farewell. Professional Essay (Directional Process): “Preparing for the Job Interview: Know Thyself.” A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 11. Comparison and Contrast. Developing Your Essay. Which Pattern Should You Use? Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay (Point-by-Point Pattern): “When It’s Time to Study, Get Out of Your Pajamas.” Sample Student Essay (Block Pattern): “More Than Just the Crust: New York and Chicago Style Pizza.” Professional Essay (Point-by-Point Pattern): “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts.” Professional Essay (Block Pattern): “Two Ways of Viewing the River.” A Revision Worksheet. A Special Kind of Comparison: The Analogy. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 12. Definition. Why Do We Define? Developing Your Essay. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: “"Slang Rebels" Sample Student Essay 2: "Oxford English Dictionary: Laureate" Professional Essay: "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage".” A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 13. Division and Classification. Division. Classification. Developing Your Essay. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: “The Native American Era at Mesa Verde.” Sample Student Essay 2: "Online Learning-Effects on Students" Professional Essay (Classification): “The Plot against People.” Professional Essay (Division): “What Is REALLY in a Hot Dog?” A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 14. Causal Analysis. Developing Your Essay. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: "To Fish and Be Fished: A Tinder-fied Game of Love". Sample Student Essay 2: "Online Learning-Effects on Students" Professional Essay: “Why Are Young People Ditching Cars for Smartphones?” A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 15. Argumentation. Developing Your Essay. Problems to Avoid. Common Logical Fallacies. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: “Better Information Equals Healthier Eating.” Sample Student Essay 2: "Is Our Ground Water Supply in Danger?" Professional Essays (Paired): “Mandatory Voting Won’t Cure Dismal Turnout” and “Required Voting Yields Benefits.” Analyzing Advertisements. Divergent Viewpoints: Gun Ownership in America. Competing Products: Sources of Energy. Popular Appeals: Spending Our Money. Practicing What You’ve Learned. A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 16. Description. How to Write Effective Description. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment: “Birthday” by Marc Chagall. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: “Treeclimbing.” Sample Student Essay 2: "Thanksgiving Joys". Professional Essay: "The Story of an Eyewitness". A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 17. Narration. Writing the Effective Narrative Essay. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned: “Tornado Over Kansas” by John Steuart Curry. Essay Topics. A Topic Proposal for Your Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: "Sole Provider". Sample Student Essay 2: "How I Got to Japan" Professional Reading: “The Most Important Day”. A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. 18. Writing Essays Using Multiple Strategies. Choosing the Best Strategies. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Sample Student Essay: “Pass the Broccoli—Please!” Professional Essay: “Courage in Greensboro.” A Revision Worksheet. Reviewing Your Progress. Using Strategies and Sources. Part III: SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS. 19. Conducting Research and Using Sources. Focusing Your Topic. Beginning Your Library Research. General Reference Works. Library Catalogs. Databases. Special Collections. Beginning Your Online Research. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Conducting Primary Research. The Personal Interview. The Questionnaire. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Preparing a Working Bibliography. Choosing and Evaluating Your Sources. Preparing an Annotated Bibliography. Taking Notes. Distinguishing Paraphrase from Summary. Incorporating Your Source Material. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Avoiding Plagiarism. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. 20. Documenting Sources. MLA Style. MLA Citations in Your Essay. Compiling a Works Cited List: MLA Style. Sample Works Cited Entries: MLA Style. Electronic Sources: MLA Style. Practicing What You’ve Learned. APA Style. APA Citations in Your Essay. Compiling a Reference List: APA Style. Sample Reference List Entries: APA Style. Electronic Sources: APA Style. Footnote and Bibliography Form. Using Supplementary Notes. Examples (MLA Style). Sample Student Essay Using MLA Style: “Pervasive Computing and Privacy Rights: Who Owns Your Emotions?” Sample Student Essay Using APA Style: “Pervasive Computing and Privacy Rights: Who Owns Your Emotions?” 21. Classroom Writing Assignments: Exams, Timed Essays, and Presentations. Writing Well under Pressure. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Writing the Summary-and-Response Essay. Sample Student Essay 1: Summary and Response Essay on “College for Grown-Ups.” Sample Student Essay 2: "The Moon is Down". Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Writing for Classroom Presentations. Steps to Effective Presentation. Guidelines for Effective Delivery. Practicing What You’ve Learned. 22. Writing about Literature. Using Literature in the Composition Classroom. Suggestions for Close Reading of Literature. Steps to Reading a Story. Annotated Story: “The Story of an Hour.” Sample Student Essay 1: “A Breath of Fresh Air.” Steps to Reading a Poem. Annotated Poem: “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer.” Sample Student Essay 2: “Two Ways of Knowing.” Guidelines for Writing about Literature. Problems to Avoid. Practicing What You’ve Learned (Story): “Geraldo No Last Name” by Sandra Cisneros. Practicing What You’ve Learned (Poems): “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden; “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Suggestions for Writing. 23. Writing in the World of Work. Composing Business Letters. Traditional Business Letter Format. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Sample Business Letter. Creating Memos. Sending Professional E-Mail. Problems to Avoid. Writing Cover Letters and Designing Resumes. Effective Cover Letters. Effective Resumes. Problems to Avoid. Sample Resumes. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Preparing Interview Notes and Post-Interview Letters. MindTap Online Chapter. Writing about Film. Using Film in the Composition Classroom. Guidelines for Writing about Film. Problems to Avoid. Sample Student Essay: “Catch the Blackbird.” Practicing What You’ve Learned. Professional Essay: “The Theory of Everything.” Suggestions for Writing. Glossary of Film Terms. Part IV: A CONCISE HANDBOOK. Parts of Speech. Sentence Components and Classifications. 24. Major Errors in Grammar. Assessing Your Skills: Grammar (Self-scored Diagnostic Test). Errors with Verbs. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Errors with Nouns. Errors with Pronouns. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Errors with Adverbs and Adjectives. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Errors in Modifying Phrases. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Errors in Sentences. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Answers to the Grammar Assessment. 25. A Concise Guide to Punctuation. Assessing Your Skills: Punctuation (Self-scored Diagnostic Test). Punctuation Guidelines. The Period. The Question Mark. The Exclamation Point. Practicing What You’ve Learned. The Comma. Practicing What You’ve Learned. The Semicolon. Practicing What You’ve Learned. The Colon. Practicing What You’ve Learned. The Apostrophe. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Quotation Marks. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Parentheses. Brackets. The Dash. Practicing What You’ve Learned. The Hyphen. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Italics and Underlining. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Ellipsis Points. The Slash. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Answers to the Punctuation Assessment. 26. A Concise Guide to Mechanics. Assessing Your Skills: Mechanics (Self-scored Diagnostic Test). Capitalization. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Abbreviations. Numbers. Practicing What You’ve Learned. Assignment. Spelling. Answers to the Mechanics Assessment. Part V: ADDITIONAL READINGS. 27. Development by Example. “Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples. "Six Myths About Choosing a College Major" by Jeffrey J. Selingo. 28. Process Analysis. “College Students: Protect Yourself from Identity Theft” by Luanne Kadlub. “"Some Friendly Advice" by Jesse McKinley. 29. Comparison and Contrast. “Us and Them” by David Sedaris. “The Myth Of The Latin Woman: I Just Met A Girl Named Maria” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. “Once More to the Lake (August 1941)” by E. B. White. 30. Definition. “The Exam Dream” by Eric Hoover. “What Is Poverty?” by Jo Goodwin Parker. "The Virtual Wallet" by Audrey Wick. 31. Division/Classification. “The Colorful Plate” by Dianne Moeller. “Four Kinds of Chance” by James Austin. "How Facebook Figures Out Everyone You've Ever Met" by Kashmir Hill 32. Causal Analysis. “Some Lessons from the Assembly Line” by Andrew Braaksma. “Mystery” by Nicholas Meyer. “Mind Game” by Joshua Bell. 33. Argumentation. “Putting Up with Hate” by the Denver Post Editorial Board. “Judging by the Cover” by Bonny Gainley. 34. Description. “Still Learning from My Mother” by Cliff Schneider. “A Day at the Theme Park” by W. Bruce Cameron. “Battle of the Ants” by Henry David Thoreau. 35. Narration. “38 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” by Martin Gansberg. “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. “Arrival at Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. 36. Essays for Further Analysis: Multiple Strategies and Styles. “Why Parents Need to Let Their Children Fail” by Jessica Lahey. “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift. 37. Literature. “Bilingual/Bilingüe” by Rhina Espaillet. “Poem for an Inked Daughter” by Jane Wheeler. “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell.