Strategies for Successful Writing

Strategies for Successful Writing keeps instruction brief and to-the-point so that students spend less time reading about writing and more time writing. Instruction delivered through extensive examples helps students see what different strategies look like when applied in real texts.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Preface To The Student
 
Rhetoric
 
Chapter 1 Writing: A First Look
The Purposes of Writing
The Audience for Your Writing
The Qualities of Good Writing
Writing and Changing Media
Writing and Ethics
 
Chapter 2 Strategies for Successful Reading

Orienting Your Reading
A First Reading
Additional Readings
Mastering Reading Problems
Reading to Critique
Reading Assignments Carefully
Reading as a Writer
“The Appeal of the Androgynous Man” by Amy Gross
Writing About What You Read
 
Chapter 3 Planning and Drafting Your Paper

Understanding the Assignment Zeroing In on a Topic
Gathering Information
Organizing the Information
Creating an Outline
Developing a Thesis Statement
Writing the First Draft
Case History:  Cell Phone Use Rough Draft
 
Chapter 4 Revising and Editing Your Paper: Courageous Transformations
Preparing to Revise
Considering the Whole Essay
Case Study:  Cell Phone Use Rough Draft Marked Up
Case Study:  Cell Phone Use Second Draft
Strengthening Paragraph Structure and Development
Sharpening Sentences and Words
Writing the Introduction and Conclusion
Selecting a Title
Peer Evaluation of Drafts
Case History:  The Reasons for College Cell Phone Fever Final Draft
Proofreading Your Draft
Collaborative Writing
Maintaining and Reviewing a Portfolio
 
Chapter 5 Paragraphs
Characteristics of Effective Paragraphs
Paragraphs with Special Functions
 
Chapter 6 Effective Sentences
Sentence Strategies
 
Chapter 7 Achieving Effective Style and Tone through Word Choice
Selecting the Right Words
Achieving the Desired Rhetorical Effect
Special Stylistic Techniques
Eliminating Flawed Diction
 
Chapter 8 Narration: Relating Events
Purpose
Action
Conflict
Point of View
Key Events
Dialogue
Ethical Issues
Writing a Narrative
Sample Student Essay of Narration: “Joy Through the Tears” by Brittany Coggin
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 9 Description: Presenting Impressions
Purpose
Sensory Impressions
Dominant Impression
Vantage Point
Selection of Details
Arrangement of Details
Ethical Issues
Writing a Description
Sample Student Essay of Description: “My Serenity” by Rachel Harvey
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 10 Process Analysis: Explaining How
Kinds of Process Analysis Papers
Ethical Issues
Writing a Process Analysis
Sample Student Essay of Process Analysis: “Basic Song Writing Techniques” by Hannah Hill
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 11 Illustration: Making Yourself Clear
Selecting Appropriate Examples
Number of Examples
Organizing the Examples
Ethical Issues
Writing an Illustration
Sample Student Essay of Illustration: “If It Is Worth Doing” by Janice Carlton
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 12 Classification: Grouping into Categories
Selecting Categories
Number of Categories
Developing Categories
Ethical Issues
Writing a Classification
Sample Student Essay of Classification: “Types of Video Games for Children” by Kyra Glass
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 13  Comparison: Showing Relationships
Selecting Items for Comparison
Developing a Comparison
Organizing a Comparison
Using Analogy
Ethical Issues
Writing a Comparison
Sample Student Essay of Comparison: “Differences Between Korean and English” by Sunho Lee
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 14  Cause and Effect: Explaining Why
Patterns in Causal Analysis
Reasoning Errors in Causal Analysis
Ethical Issues
Writing a Causal Analysis
Sample Student Essay of Cause and Effect: “Why Students Drop Out of College” by Diann Fisher
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 15  Definition: Establishing Boundaries

Types of Definitions
Ethical Issues
Writing an Extended Definition
Sample Student Essay of Definition: “Rediscovering Patriotism” by Peter Wing
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 16  Argument: Convincing Others

The Rational Appeal Reasoning Strategies
The Emotional Appeal
The Ethical Appeal
Ferreting Out Fallacies
Ethical Issues
Writing an Argument
Sample Student Essay of Argument: “Bottled Troubled Water” by Scott Lemanski
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 17  Mixing the Writing Strategies
Why and How to Mix Strategies
Ethical Issues
Problem/Solution Report
Evaluation Report
Sample Essay Using Several Writing Strategies “Eating Alone in Restaurants” by Bruce Jay Friedman
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Chapter 18  The Essay Examination
Studying for the Examination
Types of Test Questions
Preparing to Write
Writing the Examination Answer
 
Chapter 19  Writing About Literature

The Elements of Literature
Ethical Issues
Writing a Paper on Literature
The Writing Procedure
Sample Student Essay on Literature: “Scratchy Wilson: No Cardboard Character” by Wendell Stone
Stepping Up to Synthesis
 
Electronic Chapter:   Business Letters and Résumés
This chapter, enhanced with fourteen case-based business writing scenarios, appears after the index in the e-Book version of MyWritingLab for this text. If your book did not come packaged with access to MyWritingLab and you wish to gain access, please visit www.mywritinglab.com and be sure to specify “e-Book Version.”
 
Research Guide
 
Chapter 20  The Research Paper

Learning About Your Library Choosing a Topic
Discovering Your Sources
Taking Notes
Organizing and Outlining
Ethical Issues
Writing Your Research Paper
Avoiding Plagiarism
Preparing Your Finished Copy
 
Chapter 21  Documenting Sources: MLA

MLA System for Preparing Papers
Preparing Proper MLA Bibliographic References
Handling In-Text Citations
Citing Quotations
Sample MLA Student Research Paper: “House Arrest: An Attractive Alternative to Incarceration” by Keith Jacque
 
Chapter 22 Documenting Sources: APA

APA System for Preparing Papers Preparing Proper APA Bibliographic References
Handling In-Text Citations>
Citing Quotations
SAMPLE APA STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER: “Instant Communication does not Ensure Good Communication”
 
Chapter 23  Additional Research Strategies: Interviews, Questionnaires, Direct Observations

The Value of Primary Research
General Principles for Primary Research
Ethical Issues
Interviews
Sample Student Interview Report: “Budget Cuts Affect State Police: An Interview Report with Officer Robert Timmons” by Holly Swain
Questionnaires
Sample Student Questionnaire: “Survey on Public Smoking”
Sample Student Questionnaire Report: “Findings from Smoking Questionnaire Distributed to Bartram College Students”
Direct Observations
Sample Student Observation Report: “Observations of an Inner-City Apartment Building” by Caleb Thomas
 
Reader
Rhetorical Table of Contents
 
Narration

 “The Perfect Picture” by James Alexander Thom “Sound and Fury” by Dan Greenburg
“Momma’s Encounter” by Maya Angelou
“The Scholarship Jacket” by Marta Salinas
 
Description

 “When the Full Moon Shines Its Magic over Monument Valley” by John V. Young
*“Seaside Safari” by Kessler Burnett
*”Las Menias” by Michel Foucault
 
Process Analysis
*”Ground-Source_Heat_Pumps: Mother Earth Will Wrap You in Warmth” by perfect home hvac design
 “Let’s Get Vertical!” by Beth Wald
“Can Generation Xers Be Trained? by Shari Caudron
 
Illustration
 “Binge Drinking: A Campus Killer” by Sabrina Rubin Erdely
*“Pulling Off the Ultimate Career Makeover” by Douglas Alden Warshaw
*“If You’re Happy and You Know It, Must I Know, Too?” by Judith Newman
 
Classification
 “What Are Friends For?” by Marion Winik
 “The Men We Carry in Our Minds” by Scott Russell Sanders
 “A Tale of Four Learners” by Bernice McCarthy
 
Comparison
“Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” by Bruce Catton
* “Invasion of the Bodybuilders” by Chris Lee
“Private Language, Public Language” by Richard Rodriguez
 “Art Form for the Digital Age” by Henry Jenkins
 
Cause and Effect
*“For Cops, Citizen Videos Bring Increased Scrutiny” by Kevin Johnson
“Why We Keep Stuff” by Caroline Knapp
* “The Science of Why We Don’t Believe Science” by Chris Mooney
 “Why We Flirt” by Belinda Luscombe and Kate Stinchfield
 
Definition
*“Going Graphic” by James Bucky Carter
“The Blended Economy” by Marc Zwelling
“Krumping” by Marti Bercaw
*“What Thoreau Knew” by John Shepler
 
Argument
*“Going Nuclear” by Patrick Moore
*“Ten Reasons Why New Nuclear was a Mistake - Even before Fukushima” By Alexis Rowell
*“Teacher Natalie Munroe has a Right to Call Kids Lazy and Rude” by Maressa Brown
*“When Teachers Talk Out of School” by Jonathan Zimmerman
*“A Carefully Crafted Immigration Law in Arizona” by Byron York
*“Immigration Policy Gone Loco” by Conor Friedersdor
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
Mixing the Writing Strategies
“Supermarket Pastoral” by Michael Pollan
*“Back to the Future” by John Phillips Santos
*“Rushdie Runs Afoul of Web’s Real-Name Police” by Somini Sengupta
 
Handbook
 
Sentence Elements
Subjects and Predicates
Complements
Appositives
Parts of Speech
Phrases and Clauses
 
Editing to Correct Sentence Errors
Revising Sentence Fragments
Revising Run-On Sentences and Comma Splices
Creating Subject—Verb Agreement
Achieving Pronoun—Antecedent Agreement
Using Effective Pronoun Reference
Managing Shifts in Person
Using the Right Pronoun Case
Creating Consistency in Showing Time
Using Adjectives and Adverbs Effectively
Placing Modifiers Correctly
Revising Dangling Modifiers
Maintaining Parallelism
Revising Faulty Comparisons
 
Editing to Correct Faulty Punctuation and Mechanics
Apostrophes
Commas
Semicolons
Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points
Colons, Dashes, Parentheses, and Brackets
Quotation Marks
Hyphens
Capitalization
Abbreviations
Numbers
Italics
 
Spelling and Word Usage

Spelling Rules
Helpful Spelling Tips
Common Troublesome Words and Expressions
 
Credits
Index
 
*new to this edition
 

Summary

Strategies for Successful Writing keeps instruction brief and to-the-point so that students spend less time reading about writing and more time writing. Instruction delivered through extensive examples helps students see what different strategies look like when applied in real texts.
 
New content for accelerated composition courses built on principles of mainstreaming and backward design offers scaffolded reading and writing support as well as just-in-time grammar remediation.
 
 

Product details

• Authors: James A. Reinking, Robert A von der Osten, Robert A. Von Der Osten
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2013
• EAN: 9780205883110
• ISBN: 978-0-205-88311-0
• No. of pages: 752
• Weight: 980 g
• Series: Longman; Longman
• Subject: Guides > Law, job, finance > Training, job, career