Strategies for Successful Writing: A Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook
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Now in its eighth edition, the authors of Strategies for Successful Writing: a Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook have strived to achieve the same steadfast goals that have motivated them from the beginning: create a rhetorically-organized writing guide that combines four books into one convenient and flexible teaching tool while offering students an exceptional value. By having at their disposal a comprehensive textbook that offers ample material for a full-year composition course, instructors teaching a one-term course can make various selections from Chapters 1-17, from whatever types of specialized writing suits the needs of their students, and from the appropriate essays in the reader. As well, because the authors believe strongly that an effective composition textbook should address students directly, they've aimed for a conversational yet clear style that invites students into the book, lessens their apprehensions about writing, and provides a model for their own prose. This style complements the authors' strong student-based approach to writing, and together they help create a text that genuinely meets student needs.
ContentsPreface xiiiTo the Student xxRhetoric 11 Writing: A First Look 3The Purposes of Writing 4The Audience for Your Writing 6The Qualities of Good Writing 10Writing and Ethics 102 Strategies for Successful Reading 13Orienting Your Reading 13A First Reading 14Additional Readings 15Mastering Reading Problems 17Reading to Critique 18Reading As a Writer 18”The Appeal of the Androgynous Man” by Amy Gross 20Writing About What You Read 223 Planning and Drafting Your Paper 26Understanding the Assignment 27Zeroing In on a Topic 27Gathering Information 34Organizing the Information 36Developing a Thesis Statement 39Writing the First Draft 42Planning and Drafting with a Word Processor 454 Revising and Editing Your Paper 47Preparing to Revise 48Considering the Whole Essay 48Strengthening Paragraph Structure and Development 54Sharpening Sentences and Words 55Proofreading Your Draft 57Writing the Introduction and Conclusion 57Selecting a Title 57Revising with a Computer 60Peer Evaluation of Drafts 61Collaborative Writing 67Maintaining and Reviewing a Portfolio 685 Narration: Relating Events 70Purpose 71Action 71Conflict 72Point of View 73Key Events 74Dialogue 75Ethical Issues 76Writing a Narrative 77Sample Student Essay of Narration:“The Beach Bum” by Gail Bartlett 78CriticalEdge826 Description: Presenting Impressions 84Purpose 85Sensory Impressions 85Dominant Impression 87Vantage Point 87Selection of Details 89Arrangement of Details 90Ethical Issues 90Writing a Description 91Sample Student Essay of Description:“The Big One” by Rebecca Mutch 93Critical Edge 957 Process Analysis: Explaining How 97Kinds of Process Analysis Papers 98Ethical Issues 100Writing a Process Analysis 100Sample Student Essay of Process Analysis: “The ABC’s of CPR” by Kathy Petroski 104Critical Edge 1078 Illustration: Making Yourself Clear 109Selecting Appropriate Examples 110Number of Examples 110Organizing the Examples 111Ethical Issues 112Writing an Illustration 112Sample Student Essay of Illustration: “If It Is Worth Doing” by Janice Carlton 114Critical Edge 1179 Classification: Grouping into Categories 119Selecting Categories 120Number of Categories 122Developing Categories 122Ethical Issues 123Writing a Classification 124Sample Student Essay of Classification: “Undesirable Produce Market Customers” by Clarence DeLong 125Critical Edge 12710 Comparison: Showing Relationships 129Selecting Items for Comparison 130Developing a Comparison 131Organizing a Comparison 132Using Analogy 133Ethical Issues 134Writing a Comparison 135Sample Student Essay of Comparison: “Different Shifts, Different Actions” by Claire Mutter 136Critical Edge 13911 Cause and Effect: Explaining Why 141Patterns in Causal Analysis 141Reasoning Errors in Causal Analysis 144Ethical Issues 146Writing a Causal Analysis 146Sample Student Essay of Cause and Effect:“Why Students Drop Out of College” by Diann Fisher 149Critical Edge 15212 Definition: Establishing Boundaries 154Types of Definitions 155Ethical Issues 159Writing an Extended Definition 160Sample Student Essay of Definition:“Rediscovering Patriotism” by Peter Wing 162Critical Edge 16513 Argument: Convincing Others 168The Rational Appeal 169Reasoning Strategies 174The Emotional Appeal 179The Ethical Appeal 180Ferreting Out Fallacies 181Ethical Issues 185Writing an Argument 185Sample Student Essay of Argument:“The Right to Bear Arms” by Brenda Buehrle 194Critical Edge 19714 Mixing the Writing Strategies 199Why and How to Mix Strategies 199Ethical Issues 200Problem/Solution Report 200Evaluation Report 201Sample Essay Using Several Writing Strategies:“Eating Alone in Restaurants” by Bruce Jay Friedman 202Critical Edge 20515 Paragraphs 207Characteristics of Effective Paragraphs 207Paragraphs with Special Functions 22216 Effective Sentences 228Sentence Strategies 22817 Diction, Tone, Style 242Toward Clear Diction 242Toward Rhetorical Effect 247Special Stylistic Techniques 256Eliminating Flawed Diction 26018 The Essay Examination 264Studying for the Examination 264Types of Test Questions 265Preparing to Write 265Writing the Examination Answer 26619 Writing About Literature 271The Elements of Literature 271Ethical Issues 292Writing a Paper on Literature 293SAMPLE Student Essay on Literature: “Scratchy Wilson: No Cardboard Character” by Wendell Stone 29520 Business Letters and Résumés 299Letter Language 299Parts of the Business Letter 301Preparation for Mailing 303E-Mail Correspondence 304Types of Letters 304Résumés 313Ethical Issues 315Research Guide 31721 The Research Paper 319Learning About Your Library 320Choosing a Topic 321Assembling a Working Bibliography 326Taking Notes 348Organizing and Outlining 354Ethical Issues 357Writing Your Research Paper 357Sample Student Research Paper:“House Arrest: An Attractive Alternative to Incarceration” by Keith Jacque 360Using a Computer 37422 Documenting Sources 381Preparing Proper MLA and APA Bibliographic References 381Handling In-Text Citations 396Handling Quotations 402Avoiding Plagiarism 40423 Additional Research Strategies: Interviews, Questionnaires, Direct Observations 407The Value of Primary Research 407General Principles for Primary Research 408Ethical Issues 409Interviews 410SAMPLE Student Interview Report:“Budget Cuts Affect State Police: An Interview Report with Officer Robert Timmons” by Holly Swain 412Questionnaires 413SAMPLE Student Questionnaire:“Survey on Public Smoking” 416SAMPLE Student Questionnaire Report:“Findings from Smoking Questionnaire Distributed to Bartram College Students” by Kelly Reetz 419Direct Observations 420SAMPLE Student Observation Report:“Observations of an Inner-City Apartment Building” by Caleb Thomas 423Reader 427Rhetorical Table of Contents Narration 428“The Perfect Picture”by James Alexander Thom 428“Sound and Fury”by Dan Greenburg 430“Momma’s Encounter”by Maya Angelou 433“For My Indian Daughter”by Lewis Sawaquat 437Description 440“When the Full Moon Shines Its Magic over Monument Valley”by John V. Young 440“The Barrio”by Robert Ramirez 442“Assembly Line Adventure”by Lesley Hazleton 446“Once More to the Lake”by E. B. White 450Process Analysis 455“Fast Track to Perfection”by Ian Dunbar 456From “The Spider and the Wasp”by Alexander Petrunkevitch 459“Let’s Get Vertical!”by Beth Wald 462“Can Generation Xers Be Trained?by Shari Caudron 465Illustration 470“Binge Drinking, A Campus Killer”by Sabrina Rubin Erdely 470“Rambos of the Road”by Martin Gottfried 474“Going for Broke”by Matea Gold and David Ferrell 477“The Company Man”by Ellen Goodman 482Classification 484“What Are Friends For?”by Marion Winik 485“The Men We Carry in Our Minds”by Scott Russell Sanders 487“A Tale of Four Learners”by Bernice McCarthy 491“Which Stooge Are You?”by Ron Geraci 497Comparison 501“Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts”by Bruce Catton 502“Conversational Ballgames”by Nancy Masterson Sakamoto 505“Barbie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”by Mariflo Stephens 509“Private Language, Public Language”by Richard Rodriguez 512“Coming Home”by Marjorie Waters 516Cause and Effect 518“Old Father Time Becomes a Terror”by Richard Tomkins 519“Why Marriages Fail”by Anne Roiphe 524“Black Men and Public Space”by Brent Staples 527“Refuse to Live in Fear”by Diana Bletter 530Definition 532“The Sweet Smell of Success Isn’t All That Sweet”by Laurence Shames 532“The Blended Economy”by Marc Zwelling 534“The Insufficiency of Honesty”by Stephen L. Carter 536“When Is It Rape?”by Nancy Gibbs 541Argument 549“Yes, Don’t Impede Medical Progress”by Virginia Postrel 550“Crossing Lines”by Charles Krauthammer 553“The Misguided Zeal of the Privacy Lobby”by Alan Ehrenhalt 560“Halt and Show Your Papers!”by Barbara Dority 563“I Have a Dream”by Martin Luther King, Jr. 569“A Journalist’s View of Black Economics”by William Raspberry 573“Close the Borders to All Newcomers”by Daniel James 579“Give Us Your Best, Your Brightest”by Stephen Moore 583Mixing the Writing Strategies 588“Blur: Cheetahs. Ranchers. Hope.”by Susan Zimmerman 588From “Social Bodies: Tightening the Bonds of Beauty”by Deborah A. Sullivan 594“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen 598Thematic Table of Contents Life’s Changes “The Perfect Picture”by James Alexander Thom 428“Sound and Fury”by Dan Greenburg 430“Momma’s Encounter”by Maya Angelou 433“For My Indian Daughter”by Lewis Sawaquat 437“Once More to the Lake”by E. B. White 450“The Company Man”by Ellen Goodman 482“Barbie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”by Mariflo Stephens 509“Coming Home”by Marjorie Waters 516“Old Father Time Becomes a Terror”by Richard Tomkins 519“I Refuse to Live in Fear”by Diana Bletter 530“Why Marriages Fail”by Anne Roiphe 524“Black Men and Public Space”by Brent Staples 527Who We Are “The Appeal of the Androgynous Man”by Amy Gross 20“Sound and Fury”by Dan Greenburg 430“For My Indian Daughter”by Lewis Sawaquat 437“The Barrio”by Robert Ramirez 442“Can Generation Xers Be Trained?”by Shari Caudron 465“Binge Drinking, A Campus Killer”by Sabrina Rubin Erdely 470“Rambos of the Road”by Martin Gottfried 474“Going for Broke”by Metea Gold and David Ferrell 477“The Company Man”by Ellen Goodman 482“What Are Friends For?”by Marion Winik 485“The Men We Carry in Our Minds”by Scott Russell Sanders 487“A Tale of Four Learners”by Bernice McCarthy 491“Which Stooge Are You?”by Ron Geraci 497“Barbie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”by Mariflo Stephens 509“Why Marriages Fail”by Anne Roiphe 524“The Sweet Smell of Success Isn’t All That Sweet”by Laurence Shames 532“The Insufficiency of Honesty”by Stephen L. Carter 536From “Social Bodies: Tightening the Bonds of Beauty”by Deborah A. Sullivan 594“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen 598Our Relationship to Nature “When the Full Moon Shines Its Magic over Monument Valley”by John V. Young 440“Once More to the Lake”by E. B. White 450From “The Spider and the Wasp”by Alexander Petrunkevitch 459“Let’s Get Vertical!”by Beth Wald 462“Blur: Cheetahs. Ranchers. Hope.”by Susan Zimmerman 588“Yes, Don’t Impede Medical Progress”by Virginia Postrel 550“Crossing Lines”by Charles Krauthammer 553Health “Sound and Fury”by Dan Greenburg 430“Binge Drinking, A Campus Killer”by Sabrina Rubin Erdely 470“Rambos of the Road”by Martin Gottfried 474“Going for Broke”by Matea Gold and David Ferrell 477“The Company Man”by Ellen Goodman 482“Old Father Time Becomes a Terror”by Richard Tomkins 519“Yes, Don’t Impede Medical Progress”by Virginia Postrel 550“Crossing Lines”by Charles Krauthammer 553Popular Culture “The Perfect Picture”by James Alexander Thom 428“Let’s Get Vertical!”by Beth Wald 462“Can Generation Xers Be Trained?”by Shari Caudron 465“Rambos of the Road”by Martin Gottfried 474“Going for Broke”by Matea Gold and David Ferrell 477“The Men We Carry in Our Minds”by Scott Russell Sanders 487“Which Stooge Are You?”by Ron Geraci 497“Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts”by Bruce Catton 502“Barbie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”by Mariflo Stephens 509“The Blended Economy”by Marc Zwelling 534From “Social Bodies: Tightening the Bonds of Beauty”by Deborah A. Sullivan 594“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen 598Contemporary IssuesWomen’s Issues “The Appeal of the Androgynous Man”by Amy Gross 20“The Men We Carry in Our Minds”by Scott Russell Sanders 487“Barbie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”by Mariflo Stephens 509“Why Marriages Fail”by Anne Roiphe 524“When Is It Rape?”by Nancy Gibbs 541From “Social Bodies: Tightening the Bonds of Beauty”by Deborah A. Sullivan 594“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen 598Diversity in Our Lives “Momma’s Encounter”by Maya Angelou 433“For My Indian Daughter”by Lewis Sawaquat 437“The Barrio”by Robert Ramirez 442“Can Generation Xers Be Trained?”by Shari Caudron 465“A Tale of Four Learners”by Bernice McCarthy 491“Barbie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”by Mariflo Stephens 509“Private Language, Public Language”by Richard Rodriguez 512“Black Men and Public Space”by Brent Staples 527“I Have a Dream”by Martin Luther King, Jr. 569“A Journalist’s View of Black Economics”by William Raspberry 573“Close the Borders to All Newcomers”by Daniel James 579“Give Us Your Best, Your Brightest”by Stephen Moore 583“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen 598Security and Liberty “Momma’s Encounter”by Maya Angelou 433“For My Indian Daughter”by Lewis Sawaquat 437“Black Men and Public Space”by Brent Staples 527“Refuse to Live in Fear”by Diana Bletter 530“The Misguided Zeal of the Privacy Lobby”by Alan Ehrenhalt 560“Halt and Show Your Papers!”by Barbara Dority 563“Close the Borders to All Newcomers”by Daniel James 579“Give Us Your Best, Your Brightest”by Stephen Moore 583Language Use and Abuse “Sound and Fury”by Dan Greenburg 430“Momma’s Encounter”by Maya Angelou 433“For My Indian Daughter”by Lewis Sawaquat 437“The Barrio”by Robert Ramirez 442“Conversational Ballgames”by Nancy Masterson Sakamoto 505“Private Language, Public Language”by Richard Rodriguez 512“The Blended Economy”by Marc Zwelling 534“The Insufficiency of Honesty”by Stephen L. Carter 536“When Is It Rape?”by Nancy Gibbs 541Struggling with Ethical Issues “The Perfect Picture”by James Alexander Thom 428“Momma’s Encounter”by Maya Angelou 433“Black Men and Public Space”by Brent Staples 527“The Sweet Smell of Success Isn’t All That Sweet”by Laurence Shames 532“The Insufficiency of Honesty”by Stephen L. Carter 536“When Is It Rape?”by Nancy Gibbs 541“Yes, Don’t Impede Medical Progress”by Virginia Postrel 550“Crossing Lines”by Charles Krauthammer 553“The Misguided Zeal of the Privacy Lobby”by Alan Ehrenhalt 560“Halt and Show Your Papers!”by Barbara Dority 563“I Have a Dream”by Martin Luther King, Jr. 569“Close the Borders to All Newcomers”by Daniel James 579“Give Us Your Best, Your Brightest”by Stephen Moore 583Handbook 603Sentence Elements 605Subjects and Predicates605Complements607Appositives608Parts of Speech609Phrases and Clauses631Editing to Correct Sentence Errors 641Revising Sentence Fragments641Revising Run—On Sentences and Comma Splices643Creating Subject—Verb Agreement645Achieving Pronoun—Antecedent Agreement648Using Effective Pronoun Reference 651Managing Shifts in Person653Using the Right Pronoun Case655Creating Consistency in Showing Time658Using Adjectives and Adverbs Effectively660Placing Modifiers Correctly663Revising Dangling Modifiers664Maintaining Parallelism665Revising Faulty Comparisons666Editing to Correct Faulty Punctuation and Mechanics 669Apostrophes669Commas672Semicolons677Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points679Colons, Dashes, Parentheses, and Brackets681Quotation Marks685Hyphens687Capitalization689Abbreviations692Numbers693Italics695Spelling 698Spelling Rules698Helpful Spelling Tips700List of TroublesomeWords701Glossary of Word Usage 705CREDITS 728Subject Index 734
