| Thematic Contents |
|
xiii | |
| Editing Skills Contents |
|
xvii | |
| Preface |
|
xix | |
|
|
|
1 | (13) |
|
Learning to Be an Active Reader |
|
|
1 | (1) |
|
|
|
2 | (1) |
|
|
|
2 | (2) |
|
|
|
2 | (1) |
|
Author and Other Publication Facts |
|
|
2 | (1) |
|
Visual Features and Supplements |
|
|
3 | (1) |
|
Responses and Predictions |
|
|
3 | (1) |
|
|
|
4 | (1) |
|
Staying Aware of Conventions |
|
|
4 | (2) |
|
|
|
4 | (1) |
|
|
|
4 | (1) |
|
|
|
4 | (1) |
|
|
|
5 | (1) |
|
|
|
5 | (1) |
|
|
|
6 | (1) |
|
|
|
6 | (1) |
|
Sample Marked Essay: Ronald Dahl, ``Burned Out and Bored'' |
|
|
6 | (4) |
|
|
|
10 | (1) |
|
|
|
10 | (1) |
|
|
|
11 | (1) |
|
|
|
11 | (1) |
|
|
|
11 | (1) |
|
Making Inferences and Associations |
|
|
11 | (1) |
|
Reading Between the Lines |
|
|
11 | (1) |
|
Developing Inference Skills |
|
|
11 | (1) |
|
Writing to Understand and Respond |
|
|
12 | (2) |
|
The Reading-Writing Connection |
|
|
14 | (14) |
|
Writing in Response to Reading |
|
|
14 | (1) |
|
|
|
14 | (6) |
|
|
|
15 | (2) |
|
Devising a Working Thesis |
|
|
17 | (1) |
|
|
|
18 | (1) |
|
|
|
19 | (1) |
|
|
|
19 | (1) |
|
Sample Student Essay with Author's Comments |
|
|
20 | (3) |
|
Ann Moroney, ``A New Adventure at Six Flags Great America'' |
|
|
21 | (2) |
|
|
|
23 | (1) |
|
|
|
24 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``I did my best to avoid showing pleasure, but what I was feeling was pure ecstasy at this startling demonstration that my words had the power to make people laugh.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
26 | (2) |
|
Strategies for Conveying Ideas: Narration and Description |
|
|
28 | (36) |
|
The Point of Narration and Description |
|
|
28 | (1) |
|
|
|
29 | (1) |
|
|
|
29 | (1) |
|
The Principles of Narration and Description |
|
|
29 | (3) |
|
|
|
30 | (1) |
|
Including Specific Details |
|
|
30 | (1) |
|
Selecting Descriptive Words |
|
|
30 | (2) |
|
The Pitfalls of Narration and Description |
|
|
32 | (1) |
|
What to Look for in Narration and Description |
|
|
32 | (2) |
|
|
|
34 | (6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``The wind got louder, then the windows blew out, and we realized we were in trouble when the heat stove went around the corner and out a wall that had just come down.'' |
|
|
|
``Jackie's Debut: A Unique Day'' |
|
|
40 | (8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``When Robinson stepped into the batter's box, it was as if someone had flicked a switch. The place went silent.'' |
|
|
|
``A Guard's First Night on the Job'' |
|
|
48 | (6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Getting no worse than garbage thrown at you is the prison equivalent of everything going smoothly.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
54 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Every time a child was due, she would demand, More space, more space.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
61 | (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``My sister and Scott had been dating a couple of years, despite the disapproval of my family.'' |
|
|
|
Strategies for Making a Point: Example and Illustration |
|
|
64 | (33) |
|
The Point of Example and Illustration |
|
|
65 | (1) |
|
Using Examples to Explain and Clarify |
|
|
65 | (1) |
|
Using Examples and Illustrations to Convince |
|
|
66 | (1) |
|
The Principles of Example and Illustration |
|
|
66 | (1) |
|
Select Appropriate Examples |
|
|
66 | (1) |
|
|
|
67 | (1) |
|
Include Specific Information |
|
|
67 | (1) |
|
The Pitfalls of Example and Illustration |
|
|
67 | (1) |
|
What to Look for in Example and Illustration |
|
|
68 | (2) |
|
|
|
70 | (5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``I walked out into the morning wondering how our national forests can ever survive our breakfasts.'' |
|
|
|
```Just Walk on By': A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space'' |
|
|
75 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``It was clear that she thought herself the quarry of a mugger, a rapist, or worse.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
82 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``My work is dominated by 6-year-olds.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
89 | (6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``[T]he confusion extends to everything from deciding who goes through the door first to who initiates sex.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
95 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Of these [possessions], I believe that my key chain says more about my self and my life than anything else does.'' |
|
|
|
Strategies for Clarifying Meaning: Definition and Explanation |
|
|
97 | (33) |
|
The Point of Definition and Explanation |
|
|
97 | (1) |
|
The Principles of Definition and Explanation |
|
|
98 | (1) |
|
|
|
98 | (1) |
|
|
|
98 | (1) |
|
|
|
98 | (1) |
|
|
|
99 | (1) |
|
|
|
99 | (1) |
|
The Pitfalls of Definition and Explanation |
|
|
99 | (1) |
|
|
|
99 | (1) |
|
|
|
99 | (1) |
|
|
|
100 | (1) |
|
|
|
100 | (1) |
|
What to Look for in Definition and Explanations |
|
|
100 | (2) |
|
``Mommy, What Does `Nigger' Mean?'' |
|
|
102 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``[T]he word `nigger' was used in my presence, but it was set within contexts and inflections that caused it to register in my mind as something else.'' |
|
|
|
``What Is Intelligence, Anyway?'' |
|
|
109 | (6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``In a world where I could not use my academic training and my verbal talents but had to do something intricate or hard, working with my hands, I would do poorly.'' |
|
|
|
``When It Comes to Chewing the Fat, We're Obsessive'' |
|
|
115 | (6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Virtually all edible substances, and many automotive products, are now marketed as being `low-fat' or `fat-free.' Americans are Obsessed with fat content.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
121 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Motherhood put the screws on me, ethnicity-wise.'' |
|
|
|
``Nothing to Be Scared Of'' |
|
|
128 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Hallucinations can include all of the senses, and my mother had both seen and heard things that weren't there.'' |
|
|
|
Strategies for Sorting Ideas: Classification and Division |
|
|
130 | (39) |
|
The Point of Classification and Division |
|
|
130 | (1) |
|
The Principles of Classification and Division |
|
|
131 | (1) |
|
Give a Purpose to Your Classification |
|
|
131 | (1) |
|
Establish a Clear Basis for Your Classification |
|
|
132 | (1) |
|
Make Your Groups Parallel and Equal |
|
|
132 | (1) |
|
The Pitfalls of Classification and Division |
|
|
132 | (2) |
|
What to Look for in a Classification |
|
|
134 | (2) |
|
``It's Only a Paper World'' |
|
|
136 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Many experts claimed that the computer age heralded the advent of the paperless office....If anything, offices are overwhelmed by even more paper, much of it now with sprocket holes.'' |
|
|
|
``Friends, Good Friends---and Such Good Friends'' |
|
|
143 | (8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``The best of friends, I still believe, totally love and support and trust each other, and bare to each other the secrets of their souls, and run---no questions asked---to help each other, and tell harsh truths to each other when they must be told.'' |
|
|
|
``I'm OK; You're a Bit Odd'' |
|
|
151 | (8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``A sadist and a masochist may work out a mutually rewarding relationship, but does that make them healthy?'' |
|
|
|
``Types of Stress for Young People'' |
|
|
159 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``The major task of psychological stress management is to find ways to balance and coordinate the demands that come from within with those that come from without.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
166 | (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Some people are so obsessive about not missing one episode that all other activities cease while ER is on.'' |
|
|
|
Strategies for Examining Two Subjects: Comparison and Contrast |
|
|
169 | (38) |
|
The Point of Comparison and Contrast |
|
|
169 | (1) |
|
Using Comparisons to Explain |
|
|
169 | (1) |
|
Using Comparisons to Persuade |
|
|
170 | (1) |
|
|
|
170 | (1) |
|
The Principles of Comparison and Contrast |
|
|
170 | (2) |
|
|
|
170 | (1) |
|
Using the Point-by-Point Plan |
|
|
171 | (1) |
|
The Pitfalls of Comparison and Contrast |
|
|
172 | (1) |
|
Avoid Using Too Many Transitional Words |
|
|
172 | (1) |
|
Avoid Repetition in Concluding |
|
|
173 | (1) |
|
What to Look for in Comparison and Contrast |
|
|
173 | (2) |
|
``Two Views of the Mississippi'' |
|
|
175 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river.'' |
|
|
|
``Neat People vs. Sloppy People'' |
|
|
182 | (8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``I've finally figured out the difference between neat people and sloppy people. The distinction is, as always, moral.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
190 | (6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``I was baffled when the women at college accused me and my sex of having cornered the world's pleasures.'' |
|
|
|
``The Trouble with Talent: Are We Born Smart or Do We Get Smart?'' |
|
|
196 | (9) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Our national mania for positive self-esteem too often leads us to puff up kids' confidence, and we may forget to tell them that genius is 98 percent perspiration.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
205 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Instantly the world is crisp and clear. You walk toward the bathroom in confidence, knowing you will not stub your toe on invisible obstacles.'' |
|
|
|
Strategies for Explaining How Things Work: Process and Directions |
|
|
207 | (34) |
|
The Point of Writing about Process and Directions |
|
|
207 | (1) |
|
The Principles of Process and Directions |
|
|
208 | (1) |
|
The Pitfalls of Process and Directions |
|
|
208 | (1) |
|
|
|
209 | (1) |
|
|
|
209 | (1) |
|
What to Look for in Process and Directions |
|
|
209 | (3) |
|
``How to Make Your Dendrites Grow and Grow'' |
|
|
212 | (5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Date provocative people. Better yet, marry one of them.'' |
|
|
|
``How to Write a Personal Letter'' |
|
|
217 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Probably your friend will put your letter away, and it'll be read again a few years from now---and it will improve with age.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
224 | (6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``The plague was transmitted to humans by a flea that rode a rat that rode a boat that visited ocean-side city after city. Now this was a flea problem.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
230 | (8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
`` `Cow Tools' awakened me to the fact that my profession was not just an isolated exercise in the corner of my apartment.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
238 | (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``At every one of my races, I sat in my blocks looking at the line of hurdles in front of me with fear in my heart.'' |
|
|
|
Strategies for Analyzing Why Things Happen: Cause and Effect |
|
|
241 | (36) |
|
The Point of Cause-and-Effect Writing |
|
|
241 | (1) |
|
The Principles of Cause-and-Effect Writing |
|
|
242 | (1) |
|
Types of Causes and Effects |
|
|
242 | (1) |
|
Patterns of Cause and Effect |
|
|
242 | (1) |
|
The Pitfalls of Cause-and-Effect Writing |
|
|
243 | (1) |
|
What to Look for in Cause-and-Effect Writing |
|
|
244 | (2) |
|
``Ignorance Is Not Bliss'' |
|
|
246 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``The actual telling was far less terrifying than all the anticipation. While my grandmother cried plenty, my family was wrong, because the truth didn't kill her.'' |
|
|
|
``Why We Crave Horror Movies'' |
|
|
253 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``The mythic horror movie, like a sick joke, has a dirty job to do. It deliberately appeals to all that is worst in us.'' |
|
|
|
``Fifth Chinese Daughter'' |
|
|
260 | (8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Did a daughter have any right to expect more than a fate of obedience, according to the old Chinese standard?'' |
|
|
|
``Working: Nobody Talks about the Common Person's Life'' |
|
|
268 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``No one is talking about how to educate, train, and employ those who have fallen behind or never even got started.'' |
|
|
|
``Soap Operas: Entertainment for Everyone'' |
|
|
275 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``As a matter of fact, none of the soap opera fans I know are housewives, have a lot of spare time, or eat bon-bons.'' |
|
|
|
Strategies for Influencing Others: Argument and Persuasion |
|
|
277 | (39) |
|
The Point of Argument and Persuasion |
|
|
277 | (1) |
|
The Principles of Argument and Persuasion |
|
|
278 | (1) |
|
The Pitfalls of Argument and Persuasion |
|
|
278 | (2) |
|
|
|
278 | (1) |
|
|
|
279 | (1) |
|
|
|
279 | (1) |
|
What to Look for in Argument and Persuasion |
|
|
280 | (2) |
|
``Why Prisons Don't Work'' |
|
|
282 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``If getting tough resulted in public safety, Louisiana citizens would be the safest in the nation.'' |
|
|
|
``Of Headless Mice...and Men: The Ultimate Cloning Horror'' |
|
|
289 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``For sheer Frankenstein wattage, the purposeful creation of these animal monsters has no equal.'' |
|
|
|
``Will Cloning End Human Evolution?'' |
|
|
291 | (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Without the satisfactions of love and sex, of dating and of families, will cloned generations even care to propagate further?'' |
|
|
|
|
|
294 | (6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Most lawmakers are focused on a nightmarish vision in which billionaires and celebrities flood the world with genetic copies of themselves.'' |
|
|
|
``Send Your Children to the Libraries'' |
|
|
300 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``I strongly believe the black culture expends too much time, energy and effort raising, praising and teasing our black children as to the dubious glories of professional sports.'' |
|
|
|
``A Crime of Compassion'' |
|
|
307 | (7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``[E]very night I prayed that Mac would die, that his agonized eyes would never again plead with me to let him die.'' |
|
|
|
``Too Bad It's Just an Ad'' |
|
|
314 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Why can't I graciously surrender to a man's desires without fear of rape or retribution?'' |
|
|
|
|
|
316 | (22) |
|
``Coming to America, to Clean'' |
|
|
317 | (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Every year some of the girls would catch the bus to Tijuana or Ciudad Juarez and try to get jobs on the other side of the frontier. Some came back to visit with nice clothes and money. Some never came back.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
320 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I'd better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved.'' |
|
|
|
`` `I Know What I Can Do' '' |
|
|
322 | (4) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
`` `I never let my deafness hold me back. I never feel sorry for myself. Never.' '' |
|
|
|
|
|
326 | (4) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``I discovered in time that, even in the business world, probably no two words are more valued than `thank you'....'' |
|
|
|
``Computercide: A Reality in Our New Age of Frustration'' |
|
|
330 | (2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``I am struggling to learn a new way to do what I used to do the old way so that I can once again work with everybody else who is also learning a new way in order to work with me.'' |
|
|
|
|
|
332 | (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
`` `Every morning he orders scrambled eggs for breakfast, and, instead of eating them, he picks up the plate and throws it against the wall.' '' |
|
|
|
|
|
335 | (3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
``Pain is useful for avoidance, for getting away when there's time to get away, but when it is end game, and no way back, pain is likely to be turned off, and the mechanisms for this are wonderfully precise and quick.'' |
|
|
| Glossary |
|
338 | (13) |
| Credits |
|
351 | (4) |
| Index |
|
355 | |
Other versions by this Author
