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