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Patterns for
College Writing
A RhetoRicAl ReAdeR And Guide
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twelfth edition
Patterns for
College Writing
A RhetoRicAl ReAdeR And Guide
Laurie G. Kirszner
University of the Sciences
Stephen R. Mandell
Drexel University
BedfoRd/St. MARtin’S
Boston • New York
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For Bedford/St. Martin’s
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Copyright © 2012 (published January 2012), 2010 (Published January 2009), 2007,
2004 by Bedford/St. Martin’s
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except as may be expressly permitted by
the applicable copyright statutes or in writing by the Publisher.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
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For information, write: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116
(617-399-4000)
ISBN: 978-0-312-67684-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-0-312-62307-4 (High School edition)
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments and copyrights appear at the back of the book on pages 769–773, which
constitute an extension of the copyright page. It is a violation of the law to reproduce these
selections by any means whatsoever without the written permission of the copyright holder.
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For Peter Phelps (1936–1990), with thanks
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pRefAce
Since it was first published, Patterns for College Writing has been used by
millions of students at colleges and universities across the United States.
We have been delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response to the
first eleven editions of Patterns, and we continue to be gratified by positive
feedback from the many instructors who find Patterns to be the most ac-
cessible and the most pedagogically sound rhetoric-reader they have ever
used. In preparing this twelfth edition, we have worked hard to fine-tune
the features that have made Patterns the most popular composition reader
available today and to develop new features to enhance the book’s useful-
ness for both instructors and students.
What Instructors and Students Like about
Patterns for College Writing
An Emphasis on Critical Reading
The Introduction, “How to Use This Book,” and Chapter 1, “Reading
to Write: Becoming a Critical Reader,” prepare students to become ana-
lytical readers and writers by showing them how to apply critical reading
strategies to a typical selection and by providing sample responses to the
various kinds of writing prompts in the book. Not only does this mate-
rial introduce students to the book’s features, but it also prepares them to
tackle reading and writing assignments in their other courses.
Extensive Coverage of the Writing Process
The remaining chapters in Part One, “The Writing Process” (Chapters 2
through 5), comprise a “mini-rhetoric,” offering advice on drafting, writ-
ing, revising, and editing as they introduce students to activities such as
freewriting, brainstorming, clustering, and journal writing. These chapters
also include numerous writing exercises to give students opportunities for
immediate practice.
Detailed Coverage of the Patterns of Development
In Part Two, “Readings for Writers,” Chapters 6 through 14 explain
and illustrate the patterns of development that students typically use in
their college writing assignments: narration, description, exemplification,
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viii Preface
process, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, classification and divi-
sion, definition, and argumentation. Each chapter begins with a compre-
hensive introduction that presents a definition and a paragraph-length
example of the pattern to be discussed and then explains the particular
writing strategies and applications associated with it. Next, each chapter
analyzes one or two annotated student essays to show how the pattern can
be used in particular college writing situations. Chapter 15, “Combining
the Patterns,” illustrates how the various patterns of development dis-
cussed in Chapters 6 through 14 can work together in an essay.
A Diverse and Popular Selection of Readings
Varied in subject, style, and cultural perspective, the sixty-nine profes-
sional selections engage students while providing them with outstanding
models for writing. We have tried to achieve a balance between classic au-
thors (George Orwell, Jessica Mitford, E. B. White, Martin Luther King Jr.)
and newer voices (Sherman Alexie, Amy Chua, Amanda Brown) so that in-
structors have a broad range of readings to choose from.
More Student Essays Than Any Comparable Text
To provide students with realistic models for improving their own
writing, we include sixteen sample student essays (one new to this edi-
tion). These essays are available as transparency masters so that instructors
can use them more effectively in the classroom. They can also be downloaded
from the Patterns for College Writing companion Web site, bedfordstmartins
.com/patterns.
Helpful Coverage of Grammar Issues
Grammar in Context boxes in chapter introductions offer specific ad-
vice on how to identify and correct the grammar, mechanics, and punctua-
tion problems that students are likely to encounter when they work with
particular patterns of development. Practice exercises for mastering these
grammar skills are available on Re:Writing , a comprehensive online exercise
collection accessible at the Patterns companion Web site.
Apparatus Designed to Help Students Learn
Each professional essay in the text is followed by four types of questions.
These questions are designed to help students assess their understanding
of the essay’s content and of the writer’s purpose and audience; to recog-
nize the stylistic and structural techniques used to shape the essay; and to
become sensitive to the nuances of language. Each essay is also accompa-
nied by a Journal Entry prompt, Writing Workshop topics (suggestions for
full-length writing assignments), and Thematic Connections that identify
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