Writing academic English

Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. xi

PART I WR1T1NG A PARAGRAPH • • 0 • • It • It 0 • • • .. • • • • • • 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

ofTopic

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.