Strategies for Successful Writing: A Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader and Handbook, 8th Edition

Contents

Preface    xiii   

To the Student    xx

Rhetoric                                1

1     Writing: A First Look                  3

The Purposes of Writing    4

The Audience for Your Writing    6

The Qualities of Good Writing    10

Writing and Ethics    10

2     Strategies for Successful Reading 13

Orienting Your Reading    13

A First Reading    14

Additional Readings    15

Mastering Reading Problems    17

Reading to Critique    18

Reading As a Writer    18

”The Appeal of the Androgynous Man” by Amy Gross    20

Writing About What You Read    22

3     Planning and Drafting Your Paper  26

Understanding the Assignment    27

Zeroing In on a Topic    27

Gathering Information    34

Organizing the Information    36

Developing a Thesis Statement    39

Writing the First Draft    42

Planning and Drafting with a Word Processor    45

4     Revising and Editing Your Paper        47

Preparing to Revise    48

Considering the Whole Essay    48

Strengthening Paragraph Structure and Development    54

Sharpening Sentences and Words    55

Proofreading Your Draft    57

Writing the Introduction and Conclusion    57

Selecting a Title    57

Revising with a Computer    60

Peer Evaluation of Drafts    61

Collaborative Writing    67

Maintaining and Reviewing a Portfolio    68

5     Narration: Relating Events    70

Purpose    71

Action    71

Conflict    72

Point of View    73

Key Events    74

Dialogue    75

Ethical Issues    76

Writing a Narrative    77

Sample Student Essay of Narration:

 “The Beach Bum” by Gail Bartlett    78

CriticalEdge    82

6     Description: Presenting Impressions          84

Purpose    85

Sensory Impressions    85

Dominant Impression    87

Vantage Point    87

Selection of Details    89

Arrangement of Details    90

Ethical Issues    90

Writing a Description    91

Sample Student Essay of Description:

 “The Big One” by Rebecca Mutch    93

Critical Edge    95

7     Process Analysis: Explaining How     97

Kinds of Process Analysis Papers    98

Ethical Issues    100

Writing a Process Analysis    100

Sample Student Essay of Process Analysis:

“The ABC’s of CPR” by Kathy Petroski    104

Critical Edge    107

8     Illustration: Making Yourself Clear         109

Selecting Appropriate Examples    110

Number of Examples    110

Organizing the Examples    111

Ethical Issues    112

Writing an Illustration    112

Sample Student Essay of Illustration:

“If It Is Worth Doing” by Janice Carlton    114

Critical Edge    117

9     Classification: Grouping into Categories             119

Selecting Categories    120

Number of Categories    122

Developing Categories    122

Ethical Issues    123

Writing a Classification    124

Sample Student Essay of Classification:

“Undesirable Produce Market Customers” by Clarence DeLong    125

Critical Edge    127

10   Comparison: Showing  Relationships    129

Selecting Items for Comparison    130

Developing a Comparison    131

Organizing a Comparison    132

Using Analogy    133

Ethical Issues    134

Writing a Comparison    135

Sample Student Essay of Comparison:

“Different Shifts, Different Actions” by Claire Mutter    136

Critical Edge    139

11   Cause and Effect: Explaining Why      141

Patterns in Causal Analysis    141

Reasoning Errors in Causal Analysis    144

Ethical Issues    146

Writing a Causal Analysis    146

Sample Student Essay of Cause and Effect:

“Why Students Drop Out of College” by Diann Fisher    149

Critical Edge    152

12   Definition: Establishing Boundaries          154

Types of Definitions    155

Ethical Issues    159

Writing an Extended Definition    160

Sample Student Essay of Definition:

“Rediscovering Patriotism” by Peter Wing    162

Critical Edge    165

13   Argument: Convincing Others            168

The Rational Appeal    169

Reasoning Strategies    174

The Emotional Appeal    179

The Ethical Appeal    180

Ferreting Out Fallacies    181

Ethical Issues    185

Writing an Argument    185

Sample Student Essay of Argument:

“The Right to Bear Arms” by Brenda Buehrle    194

Critical Edge    197

14   Mixing the Writing Strategies           199

Why and How to Mix Strategies    199

Ethical Issues    200

Problem/Solution Report    200

Evaluation Report    201

Sample Essay Using Several Writing Strategies:

“Eating Alone in Restaurants” by Bruce Jay Friedman    202

Critical Edge    205

15   Paragraphs                                   207

Characteristics of Effective Paragraphs    207

Paragraphs with Special Functions    222

16   Effective Sentences                228

Sentence Strategies    228

17   Diction, Tone, Style                 242

Toward Clear Diction    242

Toward Rhetorical Effect    247

Special Stylistic Techniques    256

Eliminating Flawed Diction    260

18   The Essay Examination           264

Studying for the Examination    264

Types of Test Questions    265

Preparing to Write    265

Writing the Examination Answer    266

19   Writing About Literature   271

The Elements of Literature    271

Ethical Issues    292

Writing a Paper on Literature    293

SAMPLE Student Essay on Literature:

 “Scratchy Wilson: No Cardboard Character” by Wendell Stone    295

20   Business Letters and Résumés 299

Letter Language    299

Parts of the Business Letter    301

Preparation for Mailing    303

E-Mail Correspondence    304

Types of Letters    304

Résumés    313

Ethical Issues    315

Research Guide            317

21                                 The Research Paper 319

Learning About Your Library    320

Choosing a Topic    321

Assembling a Working Bibliography    326

Taking Notes    348

Organizing and Outlining    354

Ethical Issues    357

Writing Your Research Paper    357

Sample Student Research Paper:

“House Arrest: An Attractive Alternative to Incarceration” by Keith Jacque    360

Using a Computer    374

22   Documenting Sources            381

Preparing Proper MLA and APA Bibliographic References    381

Handling In-Text Citations    396

Handling Quotations    402

Avoiding Plagiarism    404

23   Additional Research Strategies: Interviews, Questionnaires, Direct Observations                               407

The Value of Primary Research    407

General Principles for Primary Research    408

Ethical Issues    409

Interviews    410

SAMPLE Student Interview Report:

“Budget Cuts Affect State Police: An Interview Report with Officer Robert Timmons” by Holly Swain    412

Questionnaires    413

SAMPLE Student Questionnaire:

“Survey on Public Smoking”    416

SAMPLE Student Questionnaire Report:

“Findings from Smoking Questionnaire Distributed to Bartram College Students” by Kelly Reetz    419

Direct Observations    420

SAMPLE Student Observation Report:

“Observations of an Inner-City Apartment Building” by Caleb Thomas    423

Reader                                427

Rhetorical 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    437

Description                                         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    450

Process Analysis                              455

“Fast Track to Perfection”by Ian Dunbar    456

From “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    465

Illustration                                      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    482

Classification                                  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    497

Comparison                                        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    516

Cause 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    530

Definition                                            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    541

Argument                                            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    583

Mixing the Writing Strategies   588

“Blur: Cheetahs. Ranchers. Hope.”by Susan Zimmerman    588

From “Social Bodies: Tightening the Bonds of Beauty”by Deborah A. Sullivan    594

“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen    598

Thematic 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    527

Who 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    536

From “Social Bodies: Tightening the Bonds of Beauty”by Deborah A. Sullivan    594

“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen    598

Our 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    450

From “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    553

Health                                                        

“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    553

Popular 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    534

From “Social Bodies: Tightening the Bonds of Beauty”by Deborah A. Sullivan    594

“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen    598

Contemporary Issues    

Women’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    541

From “Social Bodies: Tightening the Bonds of Beauty”by Deborah A. Sullivan    594

“Gender Gap in Cyberspace”by Deborah Tannen    598

Diversity 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    598

Security 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    583

Language 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    541

Struggling 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    583

Handbook                         603

Sentence Elements                         605

Subjects and Predicates    605

Complements    607

Appositives    608

Parts of Speech    609

Phrases and Clauses    631

Editing to Correct Sentence Errors            641

Revising Sentence Fragments    641

Revising Run—On Sentences and Comma Splices    643

Creating Subject—Verb Agreement    645

Achieving Pronoun—Antecedent Agreement    648

Using Effective Pronoun Reference   651

Managing Shifts in Person    653

Using the Right Pronoun Case    655

Creating Consistency in Showing Time    658

Using Adjectives and Adverbs Effectively    660

Placing Modifiers Correctly    663

Revising Dangling Modifiers    664

Maintaining Parallelism    665

Revising Faulty Comparisons    666

Editing to Correct Faulty Punctuation and Mechanics          669

Apostrophes    669

Commas    672

Semicolons    677

Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points    679

Colons, Dashes, Parentheses, and Brackets    681

Quotation Marks    685

Hyphens    687

Capitalization    689

Abbreviations    692

Numbers    693

Italics    695

Spelling                                                698

Spelling Rules    698

Helpful Spelling Tips    700

List of TroublesomeWords    701

Glossary of Word Usage              705

CREDITS    728

Subject Index    734