Highly regarded and used by countless students, this effective rhetoric/handbook/reader is ideal for writing courses that focus on the essay. The sixth edition features Langan's renowned clear writing style and a wide range of writing assignments and activities that reinforce the four essentials of good writing: unity, support, coherence, and sentence skills. College Writing Skills with Readings comes packaged with a free student CD-ROM, a free registration card for access to the Online Learning Center, and a free user's guide to help students gain the maximum benefit from the text and electronic materials.



Table of Contents:

PART ONE: ESSAY WRITING

(*Indicates New Reading)

CHAPTER 1: An Introduction to Writing

Point and Support

Structure of the Traditional Essay

Benefits of Writing the Traditional Essay

Writing as a Skill

Writing as a Process of Discovery

Writing as a Way to Communicate with Others

Keeping a Journal

Using a Computer

Review Activities

Using This Text

CHAPTER 2: The Writing Process

Prewriting

Writing a First Draft

Revision

Editing

Review Activities

CHAPTER 3: The First and Second Steps in Essay Writing

Step 1: Begin with a Point, or Thesis

Step 2: Support the Thesis with Specific Evidence

Practice in Advancing and Supporting a Thesis

CHAPTER 4: The Third Step in Essay Writing

Step3: Organize and Connect the Specific Evidence

Introductions, Conclusions, and Titles

Practice in Organizing and Connecting Specific Evidence

CHAPTER 5: The Fourth Step in Essay Writing

Revising Sentences

Editing Sentences

Practice in Revising Sentences

CHAPTER 6: Four Bases for Revising Essays

Base 1: Unity

Base 2: Support

Base 3: Coherence

Base 4: Sentence Skills

Practice in Using the Four Bases

PART TWO: PATTERNS OF ESSAY DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 7: Introduction To Essay Development

CHAPTER 8: Description

Reading: Lou's Place, Beth Johnson

CHAPTER 9: Narration

Reading: The Yellow Ribbon, Pete Hamill

CHAPTER 10: Examples

Reading: Dad, Andrew H. Malcolm

CHAPTER 11: Process

Reading: How to Do Well On A Job Interview, Glenda Davis

CHAPTER 12: Cause and Effect

*Reading: Taming the Anger Monster, Anne Davidson

CHAPTER 13: Comparison and Contrast

*Reading: Born to Be Different?, Camille Lewis

CHAPTER 14: Definition

Reading: Television Addiction, Marie Winn

CHAPTER 15: Division and Classification

Reading: Wait Divisions, Tom Bodett

CHAPTER 16: Argumentation

Reading: Ban The Things. Ban Them All., Molly Ivins

PART THREE: SPECIAL SKILLS

CHAPTER 17: Taking Essay Exams

CHAPTER 18: Writing a Summary

CHAPTER 19: Writing a Report

CHAPTER 20: Writing a R?sum? and Job Application Letter

CHAPTER 21: Using the Library and the Internet

CHAPTER 22: Writing a Research Paper

PART FOUR: HANDBOOK OF SENTENCE SKILLS

GRAMMAR

CHAPTER 23: Subjects and Verbs

CHAPTER 24: Fragments

CHAPTER 25: Run-ons

CHAPTER 26: Regular and Irregular Verbs

CHAPTER 27: Subject-Verb Agreement

CHAPTER 28: Additional Information about Verbs

CHAPTER 29: Pronoun Agreement and Reference

CHAPTER 30: Pronoun Types

CHAPTER 31: Adjectives and Adverbs

CHAPTER 32: Misplaced Modifiers

CHAPTER 33: Dangling Modifiers

MECHANICS

CHAPTER 34: Manuscript Form

CHAPTER 35: Capital Letters

CHAPTER 36: Numbers and Abbreviations

PUNCTUATION

CHAPTER 37: Apostrophe

CHAPTER 38: Quotation Marks

CHAPTER 39: Comma

CHAPTER 40: Other Punctuation Marks

WORD USE

CHAPTER 41: Spelling Improvement

CHAPTER 42: Commonly Confused Words

CHAPTER 43: Effective Word Choice

CHAPTER 44: Editing Tests

CHAPTER 45: ESL Pointers

PART FIVE: READINGS FOR WRITING

Introduction to The Readings

Looking Inward

*Three Passions, Bertrand Russell

Thank You, Alex Haley

Shame, Dick Gregory

I Became Her Target, Roger Wilkins

Smash Thy Neighbor, John McMurtry

A Hanging, George Orwell

In My Day, Russell Baker

Observing Others

*A Legendary Moment, Haven Kimmel

*The Professor Is a Dropout, Beth Johnson

The Monster, Deems Taylor

Why Are Students Turned Off?, Casey Banas

Propaganda Techniques in Today?s Advertising, Ann McClintock

Confronting Problems

Bombs Bursting in Air, Beth Johnson

Here's To Your Health, Joan Dunayer

How to Make It In College, Now That You're Here, Brian O'Keeney

College Lectures: Is Anybody Listening?, David Daniels

Seven Ways to Keep The Peace at Home, Daniel A. Sugarman

In Praise of the F Word, Mary Sherry

Is Sex all That Matters?, Joyce Garity

READING COMPREHENSION CHART



About the author:

John Langan has taught reading and writing at Atlantic Community College near Atlantic City, New Jersey, for over twenty years. The author of a popular series of college textbook on both reading and writing, he enjoys the challenge of developinging materials that teach skills in an especially clear and lively way. Before teaching, he earned advanced degrees in writing at Rutgers University and in reading at Glassboro State Collee. He also spent a year writing fiction.