Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing, The, Brief Edition with NEW MyLab Composition eText with Access Card

Solidly grounded in current theory and research, yet eminently practical and teachable, The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing has set the standard for first-year composition courses in writing, reading, critical thinking, and inquiry.  

Table of Contents:
DETAILED CONTENTS Writing Projects Thematic Contents Preface   PART 1: A RHETORIC FOR WRITERS   1   THINKING RHETORICALLY ABOUT GOOD WRITING CONCEPT 1 Good writing can vary from closed to open forms. David Rockwood, A Letter to the Editor Thomas Merton, A Festival of Rain  Distinctions between Closed and Open Forms of Writing  Where to Place Your Writing along the Continuum CONCEPT 2 Good writers address problems rather than topics.  Shared Problems Unite Writers and Readers  Where Do Problems Come From? CONCEPT 3 Good writers think rhetorically about purpose, audience, and genre.  What Is Rhetoric?  How Writers Think about Purpose  How Writers Think about Audience  How Writers Think about Genre Chapter Summary BRIEF WRITING PROJECT 1 TWO MESSAGES FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES, AUDIENCES, AND GENRES *BRIEF WRITING PROJECT 2 A LETTER TO YOUR PROFESSOR ABOUT WHAT WAS NEW IN CHAPTER 1   2   THINKING RHETORICALLY ABOUT YOUR SUBJECT MATTER CONCEPT 4 To determine their thesis, writers must often “wallow in complexity.”  Learning to Wallow in Complexity  Seeing Each Academic Discipline as a Field of Inquiry and Argument  Using Exploratory Writing to Help You Wallow in Complexity Believing and Doubting Paul Theroux’s Negative View of Sports CONCEPT 5 A strong thesis statement surprises readers with something new or challenging.  Trying to Change Your Reader’s View of Your Subject  Giving Your Thesis Tension through “Surprising Reversal” CONCEPT 6 In closed-form prose, a typical introduction starts with the problem, not the thesis.  A Protypical Introduction  Features of a Good Introduction CONCEPT 7 Thesis statements in closed-form prose are supported hierarchically with points and particulars.  How Points Convert Information to Meaning  How Removing Particulars Creates a Summary  How to Use Points and Particulars When You Revise Chapter Summary BRIEF WRITING PROJECT PLAYING THE BELIEVING AND DOUBTING GAME   3   THINKING RHETORICALLY ABOUT HOW MESSAGES PERSUADE CONCEPT 8 Messages persuade through their angle of vision.  Recognizing the Angle of Vision in a Text  Analyzing Angle of Vision CONCEPT 9 Messages persuade through appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos. CONCEPT 10 Nonverbal messages persuade through visual strategies that can be analyzed rhetorically.  Visual Rhetoric  The Rhetoric of Clothing and Other Consumer Items Chapter Summary BRIEF WRITING PROJECT ANALYZING ANGLE OF VISION IN TWO PASSAGES ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY   4   THINKING RHETORICALLY ABOUT STYLE AND DOCUMENT DESIGN CONCEPT 11 Good writers make purposeful stylistic choices.  Factors That Affect Style  Four Powerful Strategies for Improving Your Style CONCEPT 12 Good writers make purposeful document design choices.  Document Design for Manuscripts and Papers  Document Design for Published Works Chapter Summary BRIEF WRITING PROJECT TWO CONTRASTING DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SAME SCENE   PART 2: WRITING PROJECTS   WRITING TO LEARN   5   READING RHETORICALLY: THE WRITER AS STRONG READER Exploring Rhetorical Reading *Michael Pollan, Why Bother? Understanding Rhetorical Reading  What Makes College-Level Reading Difficult?  Using the Reading Strategies of Experts Reading with the Grain and Against the Grain Understanding Summary Writing  Usefulness of Summaries  The Demands that Summary Writing Makes on Writers *Summary of “Why Bother?” Understanding Strong Response Writing  Strong Response as Rhetorical Critique  Strong Response as Ideas Critique  Strong Response as Reflection  Strong Response as a Blend *Kyle Madsen (student), Can a Green Thumb Save the Planet? A Response to Michael Pollan WRITING PROJECT A SUMMARY Generating Ideas: Reading for Structure and Content Drafting and Revising Questions for Peer Review WRITING PROJECT A SUMMARY/STRONG RESPONSE ESSAY Exploring Ideas for Your Strong Response Writing a Thesis for a Strong Response Essay Shaping and Drafting Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS Thomas L. Friedman, 30 Little Turtles Stephanie Malinowski (student), Questioning Thomas L. Friedman’s Optimism in “30 Little Turtles” David Horsey, Today’s Economic Indicator (editorial cartoon) Mike Lane, Labor Day Blues (editorial cartoon) Froma Harrop, New Threat to Skilled U.S. Workers   WRITING TO EXPLORE   6   WRITING AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE Exploring Autobiographical Narrative Understanding Autobiographical Writing  Autobiographical Tension: The Opposition of Contraries  How Literary Elements Work in Autobiographical Narratives WRITING PROJECT AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE Generating and Exploring Ideas Shaping and Drafting Your Narrative Revising Questions for Peer Review WRITING PROJECT LITERACY NARRATIVE What Is a Literacy Narrative? Typical Features of a Literacy Narrative Generating and Exploring Ideas Shaping and Drafting Your Literacy Narrative Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS Kris Saknussemm, Phantom Limb Pain Patrick José (student), No Cats in America? *Stephanie Whipple (student), One Great Book   7   WRITING AN EXPLORATORY ESSAY OR ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Exploring Exploratory Writing Understanding Exploratory Writing WRITING PROJECT AN EXPLORATORY ESSAY Generating and Exploring Ideas Taking “Double-Entry” Research Notes Shaping and Drafting Revising Questions for Peer Review WRITING PROJECT AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY What Is an Annotated Bibliography? Features of Annotated Bibliography Entries Examples of Annotation Entries Writing a Critical Preface for Your Annotated Bibliography Shaping, Drafting, and Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS James Gardiner (student), How Do Online Social Networks Affect Communication? James Gardiner (student), What Is the Effect of Online Social Networks on Communication Skills? An Annotated Bibliography   WRITING TO INFORM   8   WRITING AN INFORMATIVE (AND SURPRISING) ESSAY OR REPORT Exploring Informative (and Surprising) Writing EnchantedLearning.com, Tarantulas Rod Crawford, Myths about “Dangerous” Spiders Understanding Informative Writing  Informative Reports  Informative Essay Using the Surprising-Reversal Strategy WRITING PROJECT INFORMATIVE REPORT Generating and Exploring Ideas Shaping and Drafting Revising Questions for Peer Review WRITING PROJECT INFORMATIVE ESSAY USING THE SURPRISING-REVERSAL STRATEGY Generating and Exploring Ideas Shaping, Drafting, and Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS Pew Research Center, Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream Kerri Ann Matsumoto (student), How Much Does It Cost to Go Organic? Shannon King (student), How Clean and Green Are Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars? Eugene Robinson, You Have the Right to Remain a Target of Racial Profiling   WRITING TO ANALYZE AND SYNTHESIZE   9   ANALYZING FIELD RESEARCH DATA Exploring the Analysis of Field Research Data Understanding the Analysis of Field Research Data  The Structure of an Empirical Research Report  How Readers Typically Read a Research Report  Posing Your Research Question  Collecting Data through Observation, Interviews, or Questionnaires  Reporting Your Results in Both Words and Graphics  Analyzing Your Results  Following Ethical Standards WRITING PROJECT AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH REPORT Generating Ideas for Your Empirical Research Report Designing Your Empirical Study and Drafting the Introduction and Method Sections Doing the Research and Writing the Rest of the Report Revising Your Report Questions for Peer Review Writing in Teams WRITING PROJECT A SCIENTIFIC POSTER What Is a Scientific Poster? Content and Features of a Poster Designing, Creating, and Revising Your Poster Questions for Peer Review READINGS Gina Escamilla, Angie L. Cradock, and Ichiro Kawachi,Women and Smoking in Hollywood Movies: A Content Analysis Lauren Campbell, Charlie Bourain, and Tyler Nishida (students), A Comparison of Gender Stereotypes in SpongeBob SquarePants and a 1930s Mickey Mouse Cartoon (APA-Style Research Paper) Lauren Campbell, Charlie Bourain, and Tyler Nishida (students), SpongeBob SquarePants Has Fewer Gender Stereotypes than Mickey Mouse (scientific poster)   10   ANALYZING IMAGES Exploring Image Analysis *Understanding Image Analysis: Documentary and News Photographs  Angle of Vision and Credibility of Photographs  How to Analyze a Documentary Photograph  Sample Analysis of a Documentary Photograph *Understanding Image Analysis: Paintings  How to Analyze a Painting  Sample Analysis of a Painting *Understanding Image Analysis:Advertisements  How Advertisers Think about Advertising  Mirrors and Windows:The Strategy of an Effective Advertisement  How to Analyze an Advertisement  Sample Analysis of an Advertisement WRITING PROJECT ANALYSIS OF TWO VISUAL TEXTS Exploring and Generating Ideas for Your Analysis Shaping and Drafting Your Analysis Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS *Clark Hoyt, Face to Face with Tragedy *Manoucheka Celeste, Disturbing Media Images of Haiti Earthquake Aftermath Tell Only Part of the Story *Lydia Wheeler (student), Two Photographs Capture Women’s Economic Misery   11   ANALYZING A SHORT STORY Exploring Literary Analysis Evelyn Dahl Reed, The Medicine Man Understanding Literary Analysis  The Truth of Literary Events  Writing (about) Literature WRITING PROJECT AN ANALYSIS OF A SHORT STORY Reading the Story and Using Reading Logs Generating and Exploring Ideas Shaping, Drafting, and Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS Alice Walker, Everyday Use (For Your Grandmama) Betsy Weiler (student), Who Do You Want to Be?: Finding Heritage in Walker’s “Everyday Use”   12   ANALYZING AND SYNTHESIZING IDEAS Exploring the Analysis and Synthesis of Ideas Nikki Swartz, Mobile Phone Tracking Scrutinized Terry J. Allen, Reach Out and Track Someone Understanding Analysis and Synthesis  Posing a Synthesis Question  Synthesis Writing as an Extension of Summary/Strong Response Writing  Student Example of a Synthesis Essay  Kate MacAulay (student), Technology’s Peril and Potential WRITING PROJECT A SYNTHESIS ESSAY Ideas for Synthesis Questions and Readings  Using Learning Logs  Exploring Your Texts through Summary Writing  Exploring Your Texts’ Rhetorical Strategies  Exploring Main Themes and Similarities and Differences in Your Texts’ Ideas  Generating Ideas of Your Own  Taking Your Position in the Conversation: Your Synthesis Shaping and Drafting  Writing a Thesis for a Synthesis Essay Organizing a Synthesis Essay Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS Dee, Comprehensive Immigration Reform: PROs and ANTIs Byron Williams, Immigration Frenzy Points Out Need for Policy Debate Victor Davis Hanson, The Global Immigration Problem Mike Crapo, Immigration Policy Must Help Economy While Preserving Ideals Trapper John, The Progressive Case Against the Immigration Bill   WRITING TO PERSUADE   13   WRITING A CLASSICAL ARGUMENT What Is Argument? Exploring Classical Argument Understanding Classical Argument  Stages of Development: Your Growth as an Arguer  Creating an Argument Frame: A Claim with Reasons  Articulating Reasons  Articulating Underlying Assumptions  Using Evidence Effectively  Evaluating Evidence: The STAR Criteria  Addressing Objections and Counterarguments  Responding to Objections, Counterarguments, and Alternative Views  Seeking Audience-Based Reasons  Appealing to Ethos and Pathos A Brief Primer on Informal Fallacies WRITING PROJECT A CLASSICAL ARGUMENT Generating and Exploring Ideas Shaping and Drafting Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS Ross Taylor (student), Paintball: Promoter of Violence or Healthy Fun? William Sweet, Why Uranium Is the New Green Stan Eales, Welcome to Sellafield (editorial cartoon) Los Angeles Times, No to Nukes Leonard Pitts, Jr., Spare the Rod, Spoil the Parenting A. J. Chavez (student), The Case for (Gay) Marriage   14   MAKING AN EVALUATION Exploring Evaluative Writing Understanding Evaluation Arguments  The Criteria-Match Process  The Role of Purpose and Context in Determining Criteria  Special Problems in Establishing Criteria  Distingushing Necessary, Sufficient, and Accidental Criteria  Using a Planning Schema to Develop Evaluation Arguments  Conducting an Evaluation Argument:An Extended Example WRITING PROJECT AN EVALUATION ARGUMENT Generating and Exploring Ideas Shaping and Drafting Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS Jackie Wyngaard (student), EMP: Music History or Music Trivia? Diane Helman and Phyllis Bookspan, Sesame Street: Brought to You by the Letters M-A-L-E Teresa Filice (student), Parents: The Anti-Drug: A Useful Site   15   PROPOSING A SOLUTION Exploring Proposal Writing Understanding Proposal Writing  Special Problems of Proposal Arguments  Developing an Effective Justification Section  Proposals as Visual Arguments and PowerPoint Presentations WRITING PROJECT A PROPOSAL ARGUMENT Generating and Exploring Ideas Shaping and Drafting Revising Questions for Peer Review WRITING PROJECT ADVOCACY AD OR POSTER Using Document Design Features Exploring and Generating Ideas Shaping and Drafting Revising Questions for Peer Review WRITING PROJECT PROPOSAL SPEECH WITH VISUAL AIDS Developing, Shaping, and Outlining Your Proposal Speech Designing Your Visual Aids Slide Titles: Using Points, Not Topics *Student Example of a Speech Outline and Slides *Sam Rothchild (student), Reward Work Not Wealth (oral presentation with visual aids) Delivering Your Speech Revising Questions for Peer Review READINGS *Lucy Morsen (student), A Proposal to Improve the Campus Learning Environment by Banning Laptops and Cell Phones from Class Jennifer Allen, The Athlete on the Sidelines Dylan Fujitani (student), “The Hardest of the Hardcore”: Let’s Outlaw Hired Guns in Contemporary American Warfare   PART 3: A GUIDE TO COMPOSING AND REVISING   16   WRITING AS A PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS SKILL 16.1 Follow the experts’ practice of using multiple drafts.  Why Expert Writers Revise So Extensively  An Expert’s Writing Processes Are Recursive SKILL 16.2 Revise globally as well as locally. SKILL 16.3 Develop ten expert habits to improve your writing processes. SKILL 16.4 Use peer reviews to help you think like an expert.  Becoming a Helpful Reader of Classmates’ Drafts  Using a Generic Peer Review Guide  Participating in Peer Review Workshops  Responding to Peer Reviews   17   COMPOSING AND REVISING CLOSED-FORM PROSE SKILL 17.1 Understand reader expectations.  Unity and Coherence  Old before New  Forecasting and Fulfillment SKILL 17.2 Convert loose structures into thesis/support structures.  Avoiding And Then Writing, or Chronological Structure  Avoiding All About Writing, or Encyclopedic Structure  Avoiding Engfish Writing, or Structure without Surprise SKILL 17.3 Plan and visualize your structure.  Making Lists of “Chunks” and a Scratch Outline Early in the Writing Process   “Nutshelling” Your Argument as an Aid to Finding a Structure  Articulating a Working Thesis with Main Points  Using Complete Sentences in Outlines to Convey Meanings  Sketching Your Structure Using an Outline,Tree Diagram, or Flowchart  Letting the Structure Evolve SKILL 17.4 Set up reader expectations through effective titles and introductions.  Avoiding the “Topic Title” and the “Funnel Introduction”  Hooking Your Reader with an Effective Title  From Old to New: The General Principle of Closed-Form Introductions  Typical Elements of a Closed-Form Introduction  Forecasting the Whole with a Thesis Statement, Purpose Statement, or Blueprint Statement SKILL 17.5 Create effective topic sentences for paragraphs.  Placing Topic Sentences at the Beginning of Paragraphs  Revising Paragraphs for Unity  Adding Particulars to Support Points SKILL 17.6 Guide your reader with transitions and other signposts.  Using Common Transition Words to Signal Relationships  Writing Major Transitions between Parts  Signaling Major Transitions with Headings SKILL 17.7 Bind sentences together by placing old information before new information.  The Old/New Contract in Sentences  How to Make Links to the “Old”  Avoiding Ambiguous Use of “This” to Fulfill the Old/New Contract SKILL 17.8 Learn four expert moves for organizing and developing ideas.  The For Example Move  The Summary/However Move  The Division-into-Parallel Parts Move  The Comparison/Contrast Move *SKILL 17.9 Use effective tables, graphs, and charts to present numeric data.  How Tables Tell Many Stories  Using a Graphic to Tell a Story  Incorporating a Graphic into Your Essay SKILL 17.10 Write effective conclusions.   18   COMPOSING AND REVISING OPEN-FORM PROSE Key Features of Open-Form Prose SKILL 18.1 Make your narrative a story, not an and then chronology.  Depiction of Events through Time  Connectedness  Tension or Conflict  Resolution, Recognition, or Retrospective Interpretation SKILL 18.2 Write low on the ladder of abstraction.  Concrete Words Evoke Images and Sensations  Use Revelatory Words and Memory-Soaked Words SKILL 18.3 Disrupt your reader’s desire for direction and clarity.  Disrupting Predictions and Making Odd Juxtapositions  Leaving Gaps SKILL 18.4 Tap the power of figurative language. SKILL 18.5 Expand your repertoire of styles. SKILL 18.6 Use open-form elements to create “voice” in closed-form prose.  Introduce Some Humor  Use Techniques from Popular Magazines   PART 4: A RHETORICAL GUIDE TO RESEARCH   19   ASKING QUESTIONS, FINDING SOURCES An Overview of Research Writing  Characteristics of a Good Research Paper  An Effective Approach to Research  The Role of Documentation in College Research SKILL 19.1 Argue your own thesis in response to a research question.  Topic Focus Versus Question Focus  Formulating a Research Question  Establishing Your Role as a Researcher  A Case Study: James Gardiner’s Research on Online Social Networks SKILL 19.2 Understand differences among kinds of sources.  Primary and Secondary Sources  Reading Secondary Sources Rhetorically SKILL 19.3 Use purposeful strategies for searching libraries, databases, and web sites.  Checking Your Library’s Home Page 528  Finding Print Articles: Searching a Licensed Database 529  Illustration of a Database Search 531  Finding Cyberspace Sources: Searching the World Wide Web 533   20   EVALUATING SOURCES SKILL 20.1 Read sources rhetorically and take purposeful notes.  Reading with Your Own Goals in Mind  Reading Your Sources Rhetorically  Taking Purposeful Notes SKILL 20.2 Evaluate sources for reliability, credibility, angle of vision, and degree of advocacy.  Reliability  Credibility  Angle of Vision and Political Stance  Degree of Advocacy SKILL 20.3 Use your rhetorical knowledge to evaluate web sources. The Web as a Unique Rhetorical Environment  Criteria for Evaluating a Web Source  Analyzing Your Own Purposes for Using a Web Source   21   INCORPORATING SOURCES INTO YOUR OWN WRITING Roger D. McGrath, The Myth of Violence in the Old West SKILL 21.1 Let your own argument determine your use of sources.  Writer 1: An Analytical Paper on Causes of Violence in Contemporary Society  Writer 2: A Persuasive Paper Supporting Gun Control  Writer 3: An Informative Paper Showing Shifting Definitions of Crime SKILL 21.2 Know when and how to use summary, paraphrase, and quotation.  Summarizing  Paraphrasing  Quoting SKILL 21.3 Use attributive tags to distinguish your ideas from a source’s.  Attributive Tags Mark Where Source Material Starts and Ends  Attributive Tags Are Clearer than Parenthetical Citations  Attributive Tags Frame the Source Material Rhetorically SKILL 21.4 Punctuate quotations correctly.  Quoting a Complete Sentence  Inserting Quoted Words and Phrases into Your Own Sentences  Modifying a Quotation  Omitting Something from a Quoted Passage  Quoting Something That Already Contains a Quotation  Using a Block Quotation for a Long Passage *SKILL 21.5 Avoid plagiarism by following academic conventions for ethical use of sources.  Why Some Kinds of Plagiarism May Occur Unwittingly  Strategies for Avoiding Plagiarism   22   CITING AND DOCUMENTING SOURCES *SKILL 22.1 Know what needs to be cited and what doesn’t. SKILL 22.2 Understand the connection between in-text citations and the end-of-paper list of cited works. SKILL 22.3 Cite and document sources using MLA style.  In-Text Citations in MLA Style 576  Works Cited List in MLA Style 579  MLA Citation Models 579 James Gardiner (student), Why Facebook Might Not Be Good for You (MLA-Style Research Paper) SKILL 22.4 Cite and document sources using APA style.  In-Text Citations in APA Style  References List in APA Style  APA Citation Models  Student Example of an APA-Style Research Paper   PART 5: WRITING FOR ASSESSMENT   23 ESSAY EXAMINATIONS How Essay Exams Differ from Other Essays Preparing for an Exam: Learning Subject Matter  Identifying and Learning Main Ideas  Applying Your Knowledge  Making a Study Plan Analyzing Exam Questions  Understanding the Use of Outside Quotations  Recognizing Organizational Cues  Interpreting Key Terms Dealing with the Limits of the Test Situation Producing an “A” Response Chapter Summary   24   ESSAY EXAMINATIONS: WRITING WELL UNDER PRESSURE    How Essay Exams Differ from Other Essays Preparing for an Exam: Learning Subject Matter     Identifying and Learning Main Ideas  Applying Your Knowledge  Making a Study Plan Analyzing Exam Questions    Understanding the Use of Outside Quotations  Recognizing Organizational Cues  Interpreting Key Terms Dealing with the Limits of the Test Situation Producing an “A” Response    Chapter Summary    25   ASSEMBLING A PORTFOLIO AND WRITING A REFLECTIVE ESSAY    Understanding Portfolios     Collecting Work for Paper and Electronic Portfolios  Selecting Work for Your Portfolio Understanding Reflective Writing    Why Is Reflective Writing Important? Reflective Writing Assignments    Single Reflection Assignments  Guidelines for Writing a Single Reflection  Comprehensive Reflection Assignments  Guidelines for Writing a Comprehensive Reflection  Guidelines for Writing a Comprehensive Reflective Letter Readings    Jaime Finger (student), “A Single Reflection on an Exploratory Essay”  Bruce Urbanik (student), “A Comprehensive Reflective Letter”    Acknowledgments Index