A Course in Basic Writing

This interactive workbook helps students learn to write by writing. It focuses students on three stages of the writing process: fluency, control, and editing. Fluency assignments have students develop freewriting, focusing, and drafting. Control and editing assignments provide students with the opportunity for sentence combining and revision strategies.

Table of Contents:
Part I: FLUENCY. Freewriting: Three-Minute Drill #1. Three-Minute Drill #2. Nonfocus Drill -- Five Minutes. Freewriting on a Topic -- Ten Minutes. Focusing: Discovering a Topic. Beginning to Focus. Getting Feedback. "Cutting a Slice" (Freewriting for Details). Drafting: Writing a Rough Draft. Checking for Focus. Getting Feedback. Using a Thesis Statement to Develop a Draft. A Focused Draft. One Student"s Writing Process: Freewriting: Sporting Events. Draft #1. Draft #2. Final Draft: The Race. Part II: CONTROL. Sentence Recognition and Completeness: Reading Aloud to Recognize Sentence Completeness in a Paragraph. Using Details and Description: Using a Series to Add Details and Avoid Repetition. Keeping "Balance in Your Series." Using Adjectives to Help the Reader See. Using Two or Three Adjectives in a Row. Using Adverbs to Help the Reader Visualize the Action. Using Prepositional Phrases to Show Relationships. Combining Sentences: Using Coordinating Conjunctions to Join Complete Sentences. Using Coordinating Conjunctions to Join Parts of Sentences. Using Coordinating Conjunctions within a Paragraph. Using Semicolons to Join Complete Sentences. Using a Semicolon and a Transitional Word to Join Complete Sentences. Using Dependent Clauses to Show Relationships between Ideas. Using Coordination and Subordination within a Paragraph. Using Relative Clauses to Add Details. Using Relative Clauses Beginning with That That Do Not Require Commas. Using Relative Clauses Beginning with Who That Do Not Require Commas. Using Relative Clauses Beginning with Who That Require Commas. Using Relative Clauses Beginning with Which That Require Commas. Using Other Descriptive Elements: Using Appositives in Writing. Using Participles as Single-Word Modifiers. Using Present Participles as Single-Word Modifiers. Using Past Participles as Single-Word Modifiers. Using Participial Phrases as Modifiers. Using Present Participle Phrases as Modifiers. Using Past Participle Phrases as Modifiers. Part III: EDITING. Selecting Drafts for Your Portfolio: Prioritizing. Revising a Draft: Using a Descriptive Outline to check for Focus. Responding to Your Text as a Reader. Reading for Correctness. Recognizing Sentence Boundaries. Correcting Comma Splices. Finding and Correcting Run-ons. Adding Appropriate Internal Punctuation. Part IV: ADDITIONAL PRACTICE. Sentence Combining Review: Sentence Combining Practice. Combing Sentences in a Paragraph. Part V: APPENDIXES. Basic Punctuation Guide: Coordination. Subordination. Details and Description. Review Lists of Conjunctions, Transitional Words, Relative Pronouns, and Prepositions. Index.

Review :
Part I: FLUENCY. Freewriting: Three-Minute Drill #1. Three-Minute Drill #2. Nonfocus Drill -- Five Minutes. Freewriting on a Topic -- Ten Minutes. Focusing: Discovering a Topic. Beginning to Focus. Getting Feedback. "Cutting a Slice" (Freewriting for Details). Drafting: Writing a Rough Draft. Checking for Focus. Getting Feedback. Using a Thesis Statement to Develop a Draft. A Focused Draft. One Student's Writing Process: Freewriting: Sporting Events. Draft #1. Draft #2. Final Draft: The Race. Part II: CONTROL. Sentence Recognition and Completeness: Reading Aloud to Recognize Sentence Completeness in a Paragraph. Using Details and Description: Using a Series to Add Details and Avoid Repetition. Keeping "Balance in Your Series." Using Adjectives to Help the Reader See. Using Two or Three Adjectives in a Row. Using Adverbs to Help the Reader Visualize the Action. Using Prepositional Phrases to Show Relationships. Combining Sentences: Using Coordinating Conjunctions to Join Complete Sentences. Using Coordinating Conjunctions to Join Parts of Sentences. Using Coordinating Conjunctions within a Paragraph. Using Semicolons to Join Complete Sentences. Using a Semicolon and a Transitional Word to Join Complete Sentences. Using Dependent Clauses to Show Relationships between Ideas. Using Coordination and Subordination within a Paragraph. Using Relative Clauses to Add Details. Using Relative Clauses Beginning with That That Do Not Require Commas. Using Relative Clauses Beginning with Who That Do Not Require Commas. Using Relative Clauses Beginning with Who That Require Commas. Using Relative Clauses Beginning with Which That Require Commas. Using Other Descriptive Elements: Using Appositives in Writing. Using Participles as Single-Word Modifiers. Using Present Participles as Single-Word Modifiers. Using Past Participles as Single-Word Modifiers. Using Participial Phrases as Modifiers. Using Present Participle Phrases as Modifiers. Using Past Participle Phrases as Modifiers. Part III: EDITING. Selecting Drafts for Your Portfolio: Prioritizing. Revising a Draft: Using a Descriptive Outline to check for Focus. Responding to Your Text as a Reader. Reading for Correctness. Recognizing Sentence Boundaries. Correcting Comma Splices. Finding and Correcting Run-ons. Adding Appropriate Internal Punctuation. Part IV: ADDITIONAL PRACTICE. Sentence Combining Review: Sentence Combining Practice. Combing Sentences in a Paragraph. Part V: APPENDIXES. Basic Punctuation Guide: Coordination. Subordination. Details and Description. Review Lists of Conjunctions, Transitional Words, Relative Pronouns, and Prepositions. Index.