Writing Paragraphs and Essays
PART I: WRITING IN STEPS: THE PROCESS APPROACH
1. Writing a Paragraph
Beginning the Thought Lines: Gathering Ideas
Focusing the Thought Lines
Outlines: Devising a Plan for a Paragraph
Coherence: Putting Your Details in Proper Order
Rough Lines: Drafting and Revising a Paragraph
Final Lines: Proofreading and Polishing a Paragraph
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Paragraph
Peer Review Form for a Paragraph
Writing From Reading: The Writing Process
Sticky Stuff, Kendall Hamilton and Tessa Namuth
2. Illustration
What is Illustration? Writing the Illustration Paragraph in Steps
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Illustration Paragraph
Peer Review Form for an Illustration Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Illustration
Spanglish, Janice Castro, with Dan Cook and Cristina Garcia
3. Description
What is Description? Writing the Description Paragraph in Steps
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Descriptive Paragraph
Peer Review Form for a Descriptive Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Description
A Present for Popo, Elizabeth Wong
4. Narration
What is Narration? Writing the Narrative Paragraph in Steps
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Narrative Paragraph
Peer Review Form for a Narrative Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Narration
Rocky Rowf, Edna Buchanan
5. Process
What is Process? Writing the Process Paragraph in Steps
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Process Paragraph
Peer Review Form for a Process Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Process
How to Write a Personal Letter, by Garrison Keillor
6. Comparison and Contrast
What is Comparison? What is Contrast? Writing the Comparison or Contrast Paragraphs in Steps
Drafting and Revising
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Comparison or Contrast Paragraph
Peer Review Form for a Comparison or Contrast Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Comparison or Contrast
Against All Odds, I'm Just Fine, by Brad Wackerlin
7. Classification
What is Classification? Writing the Classification Paragraph in Steps
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Classification Paragraph
Peer Review Form for Classification Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Classification
Three Disciplines for Children, by John Holt
8. Definition
What is Definition? Writing the Definition Paragraph in Steps
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Definition Paragraph
Peer Review Form for a Definition Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Definition
Breaking the Bonds of Hate, by Virak Khiev
9. Cause and Effect
What is Cause and Effect? Writing the Cause or Effect Paragraph in Steps
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Cause or Effect Paragraph
Peer Review Form for a Cause or Effect Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Cause or Effect
Students in Shock, by John Kellmayer
10. Argument
What is Argument? Writing the Argument Paragraph in Steps
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Argument Paragraph
Peer Review Form for an Argument Paragraph
Writing From Reading: Argument
Athletic Heroes, by James Beekman
11. Writing an Essay
What is an Essay? Writing the Introduction
Writing the Body of the Essay
Writing the Conclusion
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Essay
Peer Review Form for an Essay
Writing From Reading: The Essay
Eleven, by Sandra Cisneros
12. Different Essay Patterns
Illustration
Writing the Illustration Essay in Steps
Writing an Illustration Essay
Description
Writing the Descriptive Essay in Steps
Writing a Descriptive Essay
Narration
Writing the Narrative Essay in Steps
A Narrative Essay
Process
Writing the Process Essay in Steps
Writing a Process Essay
Comparison and Contrast
Writing the Comparison or Contrast Essay in Steps
Classification
Writing the Classification Essay in Steps
Writing a Classification Essay
Definition
Writing the Definition Essay in Steps
Writing a Definition Essay
Cause and Effect
Writing a Cause or Effect Essay
Argument
Writing the Argument Essay in Steps
Writing an Argument Essay
13. Writing From Reading
What is Writing From Reading? An Approach to Writing From Reading
Writing a Summary of a Reading
Writing a Reaction to a Reading
Writing For an Essay Test
Lines of Detail: A Walk-Through Assignment
Writing Your Own Paragraph on "A Ridiculous Addiction
" Peer Review Form For Writing From Reading
Writing From Reading
My Daughter Smokes, by Alice Walker
Parental Discussion, by Dennis Hevesi
PART II: THE BOTTOM LINE: GRAMMAR FOR WRITERS
14. The Simple Sentence
Recognizing a Sentence
Recognizing Verbs
Recognizing Subjects
Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
Word Order
15. Beyond the Simple Sentence: Coordination
Options for Combining Simple Sentences
Option 1: Using a Comma with a Coordinating Conjunction
Option 2: Using a Semicolon Between Two Simple Sentences
Option 3: Using a Semicolon and a Conjunctive Adverb
16. Avoiding Run-On Sentences and Comma Splices
Run-on Sentences
Steps For Correcting Run-On Sentences
Comma Splices
Correcting Comma Splices
17. Beyond the Simple Sentence: Subordination
More on Combing Simple Sentences
Option 4: Using a Dependent Clause to Begin a Sentence
Option 5: Using a Dependent Clause to End a Sentence
18. Avoiding Sentence Fragments
Recognizing Fragments: Step 1
Recognizing Fragments: Step 2
Correcting Fragments
19. Using Parallelism in Sentences
Achieving Parallelism
20. Using Adjectives and Adverbs
What are Adjectives? Adjectives: Comparative and Superlative Forms
What are Adverbs? Hints About Adjectives and Adverbs
21. Correcting Problems with Modifiers
Correcting Modifier Problems
Reviewing the Steps and the Solutions
22. Using Verbs Correctly
Using Standard Verb Forms
The Present Tense
The Past Tense
The Four Main Forms of a Verb: Present, Past, Present Participle, and Past Participle
Irregular Verbs
23. More on Verbs: Consistency and Voice
Consistent Verbs Tenses
The Present Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect Tense
Passive and Active Voice
24. Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
Pronouns as Subjects
Special Problems With Agreement
Compound Subjects
Indefinite Pronouns
Collective Nouns
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree: The Bottom Line
25. Using Pronouns Correctly: Agreement and Reference
Nouns and Pronouns
Agreement of a Pronoun and its Antecedent
Indefinite Pronouns
Collective Nouns
Pronouns and Their Antecedents: Being Clear
26. Using Pronouns Correctly: Consistency and Case
Choosing the Case of Pronouns
Common Errors With Case of Pronouns
27. Punctuation: The Period and the Question Mark
The Period
The Question Mark
28. The Comma
Use a Comma as a Lister
Use a Comma as a Linker
Use a Comma as an Introducer
Use a Comma as an Inserter
29. Punctuation: The Semicolon and the Colon
The Semicolon
The Colon
30. Punctuation: The Apostrophe
The Apostrophe
31. Other Punctuation and Mechanics
The Exclamation Mark
The Dash
Parenthesis
The Hyphen
Quotation Marks
Capital Letters
Numbers
Abbreviations
32. Spelling
Vowels and Consonants
Spelling Rule 1: Doubling a Final Consonant
Spelling Rule 2: Dropping the Final E
Spelling Rule 3: Changing the final y to i
Spelling Rule 4: Adding -s or -es
Spelling Rule 5: Using ie or ei
How Do You Spell It? One Word or Two? Commonly Misspelled Words
33. Words That Sound Alike/Look Alike
Words That Sound Alike/Look Alike
More Words That Sound Alike/Look Alike
34. Word Choice
Precise Language
Wordiness
Cliches
35. Sentence Variety
Balancing Long and Short Sentences
Using Different Ways to Begin Sentences
Using Different Ways to Join Ideas
Appendix: Grammar for ESL Students
Nouns and Articles
Nouns or Pronouns Used as Subjects
Verbs
Contractions and Verbs
Prepositions
Credits
Index
Writing Paragraphs and Essays