Strategies for College Writing: Sentences, Paragraphs, Essays, 2nd edition

Strategies for College Writing teaches students to write effective paragraphs and college essays and how to respond in writing to academic readings, and provides a review of sentence, grammar, and punctuation skills.

The book starts with detailed attention to the writing process at an appropriate pace for developing writers. Emphasis is placed on the importance of the controlling idea, information gathering from both personal experience and other sources, paragraph and essay structure, arranging and connecting ideas, and revision. Part II covers rhetorical patterns of development; each chapter teaches both paragraph and essay strategies for each rhetorical mode. The sentence/grammar material is self-contained in Part III for maximum flexibility. Sentence construction, appropriate punctuation, and avoiding common usage errors are covered extensively. Part IV, Critical Reading Strategies, focuses on the reading process and its relationship to the writing process. Effective strategies for summarizing, outlining, annotating, and reviewing are covered in this section. The book concludes with a collection of readings on American Culture.

• An emphasis on academic writing and reading assignments prepares students to deal successfully with college work.

• Integration of reading and writing instruction reinforces fundamental skills and helps students deal more effectively with academic discourse.

• Abundant exercises include group activities called “Participating in the Academic Community” at the end of each chapter to help promote active learning through collaboration.

• A chapter on conducting interviews and observations supports students' efforts to look outside themselves for information and writing topics.

• A separate section of thematically grouped readings encourages class discussion and provides effective prompts for writing assignments.

• Gripping examples of student writing are included in the writing sections of the book to provide examples that are accessible to students.

• An extensive Instructor's Manual and a thorough Companion Website (www.ablongman.com/harris) support a variety of course methods and emphases.

• This text is also available as a SafariX WebBook. SafariX Textbooks Online is an exciting new choice for students looking to save money. As an alternative to purchasing the print textbook, students can subscribe to the same content online and save up to 50% off the suggested list price of the print text. Students can search the text, make notes online, print out reading assignments that incorporate lecture notes, and bookmark important passages for later review. For more information, or to subscribe to the SafariX WebBook, visit www.safarix.com.

• Chapter 7, “Gathering Information,” introduces students to interviews, observations, and other field research tools.

• Chapter 33, “Reviewing Books and Films,” provides students a means to write about both movies and books, two genres that students find interesting.

• Includes more visual aids that support alternative learning styles, especially in Part II (Chs. 10-18).

• Part III (Chs. 19-30) features specifically designed instruction for ESL students on articles, prepositions, and order of adjectives.

• Part V, “A Mini-Reader on American Culture,” is arranged thematically, with themes varying from “College Life” to “Identity.”

• The Appendix teaches students the appropriate techniques for using and documenting sources.