Table Of ContentContents
Preface
ix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
xi
PART I
WR1T1NG A PARAGRAPH
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1
Chapter 1
Paragraph Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
:2
The Three Parts of a Paragraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
3
The Topic Sentence
-. . . . . . . ..
4
Position of Topic Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
5
The Two Parts of a Topic Sentence
. . . . . . . . . ..
9
Supporting Sentences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
11
The Concluding Sentence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
13
Review
,
16
Writing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 16
Chapter :2
Unitv and Coherence
18
Unity
"
~
18
Coherence
21
Repetition of Key Nouns
22
Key Noun Substitutes' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 23
Consistent Pronouns
'. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 24
Transition Signals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 25
Logical Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 34
Review
36
Writing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 37
Chapter 3
Supporting Details: Facts, Quotations,
39
and Statistics
Facts versus Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39
Using Outside Sources
41
PlagiarislTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 41
Citing Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 42
Quotations
". . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 42
Direct Quotations
42
Reporting Verbs and Phrases
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 43
Punctuating Direct Quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 45
Indirect Quotations
47
iii
Contents
Writing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
49
Statistics
-. . . . . . . . ..
51
Writing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
53
Review........
..
54
Cause/Effect Essays
94
Chronological Order: Process Essays. . . . . . . . . . . ..
81
From Paragraph to Essay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
WR1T1NG AN ESSAV....................•. 55
Organization for Cause/Effect Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
95
Block Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
95
Chain Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
98
Cause/Effect Signal Words and Phrases
101
Thesis Statements for a Process Essay
84
Transition Signals for Chronological Order
86
Review. . . . . . .. .. . . .. .. .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . ..
88
Wliting Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
89
Applying What You Have Leamed
89
Reading 1
89
Questions
90
Suggestions for Discllssion or Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
91
Reading 2
92
Questions
92
Suggestions for Discussion or Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
93
The Three Parts of an Essay
56
The Introductory Paragraph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
59
Funnel Introduction
60
Attention-Getting Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
61
Thesis Statement
63
Body Paragraphs
64
Logical Division of Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
64
Thesis Statements for Logical Division of Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
65
Thesis Statement Pitfalls
67
Transition Signals between Paragraphs
69
The Concluding Paragraph
72
Essay Outlining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
75
Review
'"
77
Wliting Practice
78
Applying What You Have Leamed
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
78
Reading
, .. , ..
79
Questions
80
Suggestions for Discussion or Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
80
Chapter 6
Chapter 5
PARTH
Chapter 4
Contents
Paraphrasing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
127
Plagiarism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
128
Using Paraphrases as Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
135
Summarizing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
136
Review. ... . .. .. . .. . . . . . . .. .. . .. . . ... . . . . . . . .... . . . . .. . . .... . .. . . .. . .. . ..
141
Argumentative Essal's
142
Paraphrase and SummaT1'
121
Comparison/Contrast Essal's. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 111
Organization of Argumentative Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
143
The Introductory Paragraph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
147
Thesis Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
147
Review. " . "
,
, . .. . . . . . . . . ..
150
Writing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
150
Applying What You Have Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
151
Topic 1, Reading 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
151
Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
153
Topic 1, Reading 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
154
Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
155
Topic 2, Reading 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
156
Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
157
Topic 2, Reading 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
158
Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
160
Cause Signal Words
"
101
Effect Signal Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
102
Review
, . .
. . . . . . . ..
. . . . .. . . . . .. . . .
. . ..
105
Writing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
105
Applying What You Have Learned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
106
Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
107
Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
108
Suggestions for Discussion or Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
110
Organization of Comparison/Contrast Essays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
113
Point-by-Point Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
113
Block Organization
' 114
Comparison and Contrast Signal Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
116
Comparison Signal Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
116
Contrast Signal Words
; . -;-'.
119
Review
, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
122
Writing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
123
Applying What You Have Learned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
124
Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
124
Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
126
Suggestions for Discussion or Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . ..
126
Chapter 9
Chapter 8
Chapter 1
Chapter 10
1)jpes of Sentences
162
Kinds of Adverb Clauses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
211
Punctuation of Adverb Clauses
211
Time Clauses
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
211
Place Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
213
That Clauses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
195
Sentences Beginning with It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
196
Special Verb Tenses in That Clauses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
198
If/Whether Clauses
"
201
Question Clauses
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
204
Review
"
206
Editing Practice
207
Writing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
208
119
161
.................
Adverb Clauses
210
Using Paranel Structures and Fixing
Sentence Problems
Noun Clauses
194
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Parallelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
179
Parallelism with Coordinators: And, Or, But. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
180
Parallelism with Correlative (Paired) Conjunctions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
181
Sentence Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
183
Sentence Fragments
183
Choppy Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
185
Run-On Sentences and Comma Splices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
188
Stringy Sentences
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
190
Review
"
'"
'"
, ..
191
Editing Practice
193
Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
162
Independent Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
163
Dependent Clauses
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
163
Kinds of Sentences
164
Simple Sentences
164
Compound Sentences
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
165
Complex Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
172
Compound-Complex Sentences .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
174
Sentence Types and Writing Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
175
Review
"
" . . . . . . . . ..
177
Contents
Chapter 13
Chapter 12
Chapter 11
PART HI
Contents
Distance, Frequency, and Manner Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
214
Reason Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
216
Result Clauses
218
Purpose Clauses
220
Contrast Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
222
Direct Opposition Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
222
Concession (Unexpected Result) Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
223
Conditional Clauses
225
Review.......
.. . .. ..
.
.
..
227
Editing Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
228
Writing Practice
229
Chapter 14
Adjective Clauses
230
Relative Pronouns and Adverbs
231
Position of Adjective Clauses
231
Verb Agreement in Adjective Clauses
< ..
232
Kinds of Adjective Clauses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
234
Relative Pronouns as Subjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
234
Relative Pronouns as Objects
236
Possessive Adjective Clauses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
238
Relative Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
240
Relative Pronouns in Phrases of Quantity and Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
243
Adjective Clauses of Time and Place
244
Review.......
. ..
247
Editing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
248
Writing Practice
:.....................
249
Chapter 15
Participial Phrases
250
Participles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
250
Pmticipial Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
251
Reduced Adjective Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
252
Position and Punctuation of Participial Phrases
252
General Form -ing Pmticipial Phrases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
253
General Form -ed Participial Phrases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
254
Perfect Form Participial Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
255
Participial Phrases and Writing Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
257
Reduced Adverb Clauses
258
Review. . .. . .. . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .. . ..
261
Editing Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
263
Writing Practice
263
Appendix A: The Process ofAcademic Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
265
The Writing Process, Step 1: Creating (Prewriting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
265
The Writing Process, Step 2: Planning (Outlining) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
271
Contents
The Writing Process, Step 3: Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
272
The Writing Process, Step 4: Polishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
273
Editing Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
277
Appendix B: Punctuation Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 280
Commas
280
Semicolons
283
Colons
, . . . . . . ..
285
Quotation Marks .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
288
Editing Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
289
Appendix C: Charts of Connecting Words and Transition Signals
291
Coordinating Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
291
Subordinating Words .... '.' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
292
I
Conjunctive Adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
295
Transition Signals
297
Appendix D: Editing Symbols
300
Appendix E: Research and Documentation of Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 303
Types of Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
303
Evaluating Sources
304
Documentation of Sources
306
In-Text Citations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
306
Works-Cited Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
308
Appendix F: Self-Editing and Peer-Editing Worksheets
313
Scoring Rubrics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
315
Index
331
Credits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
337
What's New in
the Fourth
Edition
Preface
Writing Academic English, Fourth Edition, is a comprehensive rhetoric and sentence
structure textbook/workbook for high-intermediate to advanced English language
learners who are in college or are college bound. The book teaches writing in a
straightforward manner, using a step-by-step approach. Clear, relevant models illus-
trate each step, and varied practices reinforce each lesson.
The first part of the book provides a quick review of paragraph writing and sum-
marizing, followed by a chapter that introduces the essay. The second part of the
book offers comprehensive chapters on process, cause/effect, comparison/contrast,
and argumentative essays. Sentence structure, with special emphasis on subordi-
nated structures, is taught in the third part of the book.
Throughout the book, models and practices feature general acade1].ic topics that
are timely and relevant to students living in a rapidly changing world. In addition,
readings from cun-ent, real-world publications conclude the chapters on different
essay forms. Most chapters offer a variety of writing assignments, and each chapter
ends with a review of the main teaching points.
Appendices explain the writing process; give punctuation rules; show charts of
connecting words, transition signals, and editing symbols; and teach students basic
research and documentation skills. Self-editing and peer-editing worksheets and
model scoring rubrics are also provided. References to the appendices appear within
the chapters where students are likely to benefit most from using this material.
Instructors familiar with the third edition will find these changes:
•
Part I, Writing a Paragraph, has been condensed from seven to three chapters in
order to move students more quickly to writing essays.
•
Part II, Writing an Essay, has been expanded froJ:Il two to five chapters. Each
pattern of essay organization now has its own chapter.
A new chapter on argumentative essays has been added. This chapter also serves
as an introduction to using supporting materials from outside sources.
•
Each essay chapter concludes with one or two short readings, selected because
of their high interest and because they employ the pattern of organization taught
in the chapter. Following the readings are exercises asking students to analyze
rhetorical devices and patterns and/or to summarize the content. Writing assign-
ments based on the readings are also provided.
Instruction in basic research and documentation skills has been added in Appen-
dix E. Examples of MLA-style in-text citations appear throughout the text.
•
The sections on summarizing and paraphrasing have been expanded to include
intermediate-step exercises to help students master these difficult skills.
Both self-editing and peer-editing worksheets are provided in Appendix F, along
with scoring rublics for use by instructors.
Finally, models have been updated, practice materials freshened, and expla-
nations streamlined, always with the intention of making the material more
accessible to students.
ix
Preface
Order of
Lesson
Presentation
Topic
Suggestions
In-Class
Writing
Writing under
Pressure
Practice
Exercises
Editing
Writing Academic English is intended to be covered in one fifteen-week semester,
with classes meeting five hours a week. The chapters in Part I, Writing a Paragraph,
and Part II, Wliting an Essay, should be taught in sequence. The sentence structure
chapters in Part III should be taught alongside the chapters in Parts I and II in order
to encourage students to write a variety of complex structures. Chapter 10, Types
of Sentences, should be taught at the beginning of the course; subsequent sentence
structure chapters may be taught in any order. Wherever possible, instructors should
integrate sentence structure with rhetoric. For example, adverbial time clauses in
Part III may be taught simultaneously with chronological order in Chapter 5.
For courses shorter than fifteen weeks, the text is flexible enough to allow
instructors to pick and choose chapters that best suit the needs of their classes.
Sentence structure is presented separately from rhetoric, so these chapters may
be omitted altogether, leaving the instructor free to concentrate solely on writ-
ing. For twelve-week terms, we suggest omitting Chapters 8 and 9. For even
shorter terms, instructors may elect to concentrate solely on the essay, Chapters 4
through 9.
The topics listed for each writing assignment are only suggestions. Some chapters
have more than one kind of topic. (1) Some are academic in nature but still general
enough so that students from different disciplines can tackle them. (2) Topics on the
Lighter Side allow students to draw on personal experience. (3) Topics for content-
based writing assignments that follow the reading at the end of essay chapters relate
to the readings. (4) Topics for timed writings are offered in several chapters in order
to give students practice in this important skill.
Of course, we encourage instructors to keep their eyes open for topics from cur-
rent news or for graphs, photographs, and charts in newspapers on which to base
writing assignments.
Group brainstorming and in-class writing of first drafts are especially helpful in the
early stages because the instructor is available for immediate consultation. Also, the
instructor can check to make sure everyone is on the right track. Pair and group col-
laboration is appropriate for brainstorming and editing work; however, writing is
essentially an individual task even when done in class.
Special assignments are included to be done in class under time pressure to sti-
mulate the experience of writing essay examinations-valuable practice for
college-bound students. Instructors should adjust time limits depending on the
needs of the class.
The final practice exercises of the sentence-structure chapters usually ask students
to write original sentences. Because these practices prove whether the students
understand the structures and can produce them correctly on their own, we encour-
age instructors to use them.
For most chapters, self-editing and peer-editing worksheets are plinted back-to-back
in Appendix F. Instructors can use one or the other, or both, as they prefer. One
method of using the peer-editing worksheet is to have peer editors record their com-
ments on the worksheet. An alternative method is to have each student read his or
Acknowledgments
Scoring
Rubrics
Chapter-
Opening
Photographs
Preface
her draft out loud to a small group of classmates and then to elicit oral comments
and suggestions by asking the checklist questions. The student who has read then
writes down the group's suggestions on his or her own paper. Instructors can also
respond to student writing by using the peer-editing checklist.
Two sample scoring rubrics are provided at the beginning of Appendix P, one for
paragraphs and one for essays. Their purpose is twofold: to show students how
instructors might evaluate their writing, and to suggest a schema for instructors to
do so. Instructors are invited to photocopy the rubrics. Of course, the rubrics may
be modified to suit individual assignments and individual preferences.
The photographs introducing each chapter of the book depict some of the forms
of written communication used by diverse cultures throughout the evolution
of civilization.
Many people have contributed to this edition of Writing Academic English. We
especially thank Laura Le Drean, who traveled countless miles and spent countless
hours gathering valuable feedback from users of the previous edition. Thanks also
to our development editor, Molly Sackler, for making sure of the accuracy of our
information and the consistency of its presentation, and to our production editors,
Lynn Contrucci and Jane Townsend, for their expertise in fitting all these words onto
the printed page. Special thanks also to Rhea Banker, who found the beautiful pho-
tographs that appear on the opening pages of each part and each chapter.
To the many students and teachers who took the time to offer suggestions, we
extend our heartfelt thanks: David Ross, Intensive English Program, Houston,
Texas; Marsha Gerechter Abramovich, Tidewater Community College, Virginia
Beach, Virginia; Alex Jones, Seattle, Washington; Anita Sokmen, Director, English
Language Programs Extension Courses & Marketing, University of Washington,
Seattle, Washington; Patty Heises, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington;
Angelina Arellanes-Nunez, University of Texas at El Paso; Donie Brass, Annapolis,
Maryland; Barbara Smith-Palinkas, Tampa, Florida; Jacqueline Smith, Brooklyn,
New York; and Diana Savas, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, California. We hope
you recognize the many places where your advice has helped to improve the book.
Writing a
Paragraph
2
Paragraph Structure
A paragraph is a group ofrelated sentences that discuss one (and usually only one)
main idea. A paragraph can be as short as one sentence or as long as ten sentences.
The number of sentences is unimportant; however, the paragraph should be long
enough to develop the main idea clearly.
A paragraph may stand by itself. In academic writing, you often write a paragraph
to answer a test question such as the following: "Define management by objective,
and give one example of it from the reading you have done for this class." A para-
graph may also be one part of a longer piece of writing such as an essay or a book.
We mark a paragraph by indenting the first word about a half inch (five spaces on
a typewriter or computer) from the left margin.
The following model contains all the elements of a good paragraph. Read it care-
fully two or three times. Then answer the Writing Technique questions that follow,
which will help you analyze its structure.
Chapter 1 I Paragraph Structure
3
MODElL
.
Paragraph
Structure
Writing Technique Questions
1. What is the topic of the paragraph?
2. What two main points does the writer make about the topic?
3. In which two sentences does the writer say that there are twomain points?
4. What examples does the writer use to support each point?
The Three Parts of a Paragraph
All paragraphs have a topic sentence and supporting sentences, and some para-
graphs also have a concluding sentence.
The topic sentence states the main idea ofthe paragraph. It not only names the topic
of the paragraph, but it also limits the topic to one specific area that can be discussed
completely in the space of a single paragraph. The part of the topic sentence that
announces the specific area to be discussed is called the controlling idea. Notice how
the topic sentence of the model states both the topic and the controlling idea:
TOPIC
CONTROLLING IDEA
@a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.
Supporting sentences develop the topic sentence. That is, they explain or prove
the topic sentence by giving more information about it. Following are some of the
supporting sentences that explain the topic sentence about gold.
First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion.
For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day
it was made 25 centuries ago.
Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science.
The most recent use of gold is in astronauts' suits.
llustrous: glowing
2corrosion: chemical damage
3untarnished: unchanged in color
4
Part 1 I Writing a Paragraph
The concluding sentence signals the end of the paragraph and leaves the reader
with important points to remember:
In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.
Concluding sentences are customary for stand-alone paragraphs. However, para-
graphs that are parts of a longer piece of writing usually do not need concluding
sentences.
The Topic Sentence
Every good paragraph has a topic sentence, which clearly states the topic and the
controlling idea of the paragraph.
A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It bliefly indicates
what the paragraph is going to discuss. For this reason, the topic sentence is a helpful
guide to both the writer and the reader. The writer can see what information to include
(and what information to exclude). The reader can see what the paragraph is going to
be about and is therefore better prepared to understand it. For example, in the model
paragraph on gold, the topic sentence alerts the reader to look for two characteristics.
Here are three important points to remember about a topic sentence.
1. A topic sentence is a complete sentence; that is, it contains at least one
subject and one verb. The following are not complete sentences because
they do not have verbs:
Driving on freeways.
How to register for college classes.
The rise of indie films.!
2. A topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea. It names the
topic and then limits the topic to a specific area to be discussed in the space
of a single paragraph.
TOPIC
CONTROLLING IDEA
Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness.
Registering for college classes
an be a frustrating experience for new students.
TOPIC
TOPIC
CONTROLLING IDEA
CONTROLLING IDEA
The rise of indie film
is due to several factors.
'indie films: independent films; films not made in or by Hollywood studios
Position
of Topic
Sentences
Cbapter 1 I Paragraph Structure
5
3. A topic sentence is the most general statement in the paragraph because
it gives only the main idea. It does not give any specific details. A topic
sentence is like the name of a particular course on a restaurant menu.
When you order food in a restaurant, you want to know more about
a particular course than just "meat" or "soup" or "salad." You want to
know generally what kind of salad it is. Potato salad? Mixed green salad?
Fruit salad? However, you do not necessarily want to know all the
ingredients. Similarly, a reader wants to know generally what to expect
in a paragraph, but he or she does not want to learn all the details in the
first sentence.
Following is a general statement that could serve as a topic sentence.
The Arabic origin of many English words is not always obvious.
The following sentence, on the other hand, is too specific. It could serve as a sup-
porting sentence but not as a topic sentence.
The slang expression so long (meaning "good-bye") is probably_$. corruption of
the Arabic salaam.
This sentence is too general.
English has been influenced by other languages.
The topic sentence is usually (but not always) the first sentence in a paragraph.
Experienced writers sometimes put topic sentences in other locations, but the
best spot is usually right at the beginning. Readers who are used to the English
way of writing want to know what they will read about as soon as they begin
reading.
Synonyms
Synonyms. words that have the same basic meaning. do not always have
the same emotional meaning. For example, the words stingy and frugal both
mean "careful with money." However, calling someone stingy is an insult,
but calling someone frugal is a compliment. Similarly, a person wants to be
slender but not skinny, aggressive but not pushy. Therefore, you should be
careful in choosing words because many so-called synonyms are not really
synonymous at all.
Sometimes a topic sentence comes at the end. In this case, the paragraph
often begins with a series of examples. Other paragraphs may begin with a series
of facts, and the topic sentence at the end is the conclusion from these facts.
