WriterÆs choice composition practice grade 11

Understanding the Components of the Writing ProcessFill in the following flow chart by first writing the name of each stage in the writing process.Then under each stage, write the letter

Composition Practice

Grade 11

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reproduction, for use or sale, is prohibited without written permission of the publisher.Printed in the United States of America

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

p 3 from Covered Wagon Women: Diaries & Letters from the Western Trails

1840–1890 edited & compiled by Kenneth L Holmes Copyright © 1990 by

Kenneth L Holmes Published by The Arthur H Clark Company

p 8 from Away Goes Sally by Elizabeth Coatsworth Copyright © 1934 by The

Macmillan Company Published by The Macmillan Company

p 21 from The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial by Herman Wouk Copyright © 1954 by

Herman Wouk Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of BantamDoubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc

p 29 from Max Perkins, Editor of Genius by A Scott Berg Copyright © 1978 by A.

Scott Berg Used by permission of the publisher, Dutton, an imprint of NewAmerican Library, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc

p 46 from Elements of Argument: A Text and Reader by Annette T Rottenberg.

Copyright © 1985 by St Martin’s Press, Inc Published by St Martin’s Press.Reprinted by permission of the author

p 52 from The Death of the Moth and Other Essays by Virginia Woolf Copyright ©

1942 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc Published by Harcourt Brace

Jovanovich, Inc

Personal Writing

1.1 Writing to Discover I 1

1.1 Writing to Discover II 2

1.2 Writing in a Journal 3

1.3 Writing to Learn 4

1.4 Writing a Letter 5

1.5 Writing a College Application Essay 6

1.6 Writing About Literature: Writing About Nonfiction 7

1.7 Writing About Literature: Writing About Poetry 8

The Writing Process 2.1 Writing: A Five-Stage Process 9

2.2 Prewriting: Finding Ideas 10

2.3 Prewriting: Questioning to Explore a Topic 11

2.4 Prewriting: Audience and Purpose 12

2.5 Prewriting: Observing 13

2.6 Drafting: Achieving Unity 14

2.7 Drafting: Organizing an Essay I 15

2.7 Drafting: Organizing an Essay II 16

2.8 Drafting: Writing with Coherence 17

2.9 Revising: Using Peer Responses I 18

2.9 Revising: Using Peer Responses II 19

2.10 Editing and Presenting: Completing Your Essay 20

2.11 Writing About Literature: Analyzing a Character in a Play 21

Descriptive Writing 3.1 Creating Vivid Description I 22

3.1 Creating Vivid Description II 23

3.2 Using Sensory Details 24

3.3 Creating a Mood 25

3.4 Writing a Character Sketch 26

3.5 Describing an Event 27

3.6 Writing About Literature: Writing About Mood in a Play 28

Unit 3

Unit 2

Unit 1

Narrative Writing

4.1 Characters in Biographical Narratives 29

4.2 Writing a Biographical Sketch 30

4.3 Structuring the Long Narrative 31

4.4 Writing About Literature: Identifying Theme in a Narrative 32

4.5 Writing About Literature: Responding to Narrative Poetry 33

Expository Writing 5.1 Writing Expository Paragraphs 34

5.2 Explaining a Process 35

5.3 Analyzing Cause-and-Effect Connections 36

5.4 Writing an Essay to Compare and Contrast I 37

5.4 Writing an Essay to Compare and Contrast II 38

5.5 Analyzing Problems, Presenting Solutions 39

5.6 Using Time Lines and Process Diagrams 40

5.7 Building a Reasonable Hypothesis 41

5.8 Writing About Literature: Comparing and Contrasting Two Authors 42

5.9 Writing About Literature: Comparing and Contrasting Two Poems 43

Persuasive Writing 6.1 Stating Your Case 44

6.2 Sifting Fact from Opinion 45

6.3 Evaluating Evidence 46

6.4 Inductive and Deductive Reasoning I 47

6.4 Inductive and Deductive Reasoning II 48

6.5 Recognizing Logical Fallacies 49

6.6 Writing and Presenting a Speech 50

6.7 Writing a Letter to an Editor 51

6.8 Writing About Literature: Evaluating a Speech 52

Answers 53

Unit 6

Unit 5

Unit 4

■ A Charting Significant Events

The left-hand column in the chart below lists general areas in which any writer might findideas Fill out the middle and right-hand columns for at least three areas as you recall signifi-cant events in your life You may list more than one item in each column

■ B Creating a Life Map

On a separate sheet of paper, map out the events from the chart in chronological order

Examine your life map, and write answers to the questions below

1. Do you see a pattern of causes and effects? Any other type of pattern?

2. What specific events from the life map are part of the pattern(s) you identify?

1.1 Writing to Discover I

In personal writing you may express your thoughts, feelings, and experiences for yourself or others

A life map, chart, or personal time line can help you find experiences from your life to generate

writing ideas

Key Information

School Family Trips/Vacations Current Events Friendships Games/Sports

Event Place/Time

Area of Experience

Planning Your Writing

Select an event or chain of events that represents part of a pattern in your life Brainstorm

for interesting details to include in a personal writing assignment Record your ideas in the

graphic organizer below Write the experience to be described on the “trunk” of the “tree” and

supporting details on each of the “branches.” Add as many branches as you need Consider

how the experience affected you and how you felt and reacted at the time

1.1 Writing to Discover II

Patterns connect events like a path that often cannot be seen until it has been traveled Sometimes

one event can cause a string of reactions resulting in a great accomplishment Through personal

writing you can gain a better understanding of your own path

Key Information

■ A Identifying Features of a JournalRead this excerpt from the diary of Ruth Shackleford, who traveled from Missouri toCalifornia with her family in 1865 Then answer the questions that follow.

1. Why do you think Shackleford is keeping a journal?

2. What does she record in her journal?

■ B Keeping a Travel Journal

Imagine you are keeping a journal during a trip After choosing a situation from the list below,jot down some images or phrases that come to mind On a separate sheet of paper, write aone-paragraph entry for your journal

1. seeing a city, landform, or well-known monument for the first time

2. a day of travel by car, train, bus, or plane

3. encountering severe weather conditions

1.2 Writing in a Journal

A diary or journal lets you record information, impressions, feelings, and events What you write

in your journal is your choice

Key Information

morning we started from Clark in companywith two other families I feel very sad andlow spirited on account of Frankie being sickand seeing them part with their friends Wetravelled today over very rough, muddy roads

The children and I rode in At's horse wagon, thecattle being unruly and it raining Frank's teamstalled twice; had to pry the wagon out withfence rails

May 2 We had a big time getting the unruly

cattle yoked It is still cloudy and the roads areawful muddy Every now and then the womenand children have to get out and walk through

a mud hole We are camped tonight by a house

in a lot; turned the cattle in the lot and fedthem The wind being very high, we liked never

to get supper [we thought we'd never get per ready], it being the first time we havecooked out of doors

sup-May 3 A beautiful morning We all slept in our

wagons Frankie was sick all night with a pain inhis side I feel very uneasy about him Wepassed through Memphis, a very pretty littletown We stopped there while Frank got twoiron rods made to put in his wagon; paid $1 forthem Circuit court was in session

Ruth Shackleford, from Covered Wagon Women

Literature Model

■ A Describing Learning Styles

Read the following excerpt from a geography textbook Then, in the space provided below,

explain how people with different learning styles would best learn and remember the

informa-tion presented

1. a visual learner

2. an auditory learner

3. a tactile learner _

■ B Keeping a Learning Log

Evaluate your understanding of the International Date Line Imagine the lines below are part

of your learning log, and use them to summarize the material above in your own words Read

your summary, and then list facts or concepts you need to clarify Use a separate sheet of paper

if necessary

1.3 Writing to Learn

People use primarily three basic learning styles: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), and tactile (doing

or manipulating) Analyzing your primary learning style and keeping a learning log will help you get

more out of the time you spend studying

Key Information

Look [at a time zone map, and you can see

that] moving east, you lose time Moving

west, you gain time However, if you were to

keep moving west, you would eventually lose

time at the International Date Line Suppose, for

example, that you traveled west from

Greenwich, starting at 12 noon on Thursday,

and returned in 24 hours You would be

travel-ing as fast as the Earth is rotattravel-ing You would

gain an hour in each of the 24 time zones you

entered You would seem to be returning thesame day you left However, in Greenwich it is 1day later To avoid such confusion, an imaginaryline was established at 180 longitude At thisline, called the International Date Line, the daychanges The calendar date on the east side ofthe International Date Line is 1 day earlier than

it is to the west

McGraw-Hill World Geography

Literature Model

■ A Planning to Write

Imagine that you have spent a month of your summer vacation visiting the family of a formerneighborhood friend who now lives some distance away During the vacation your hosts tookyou sightseeing, to a baseball game, to the beach, and to a theme park In the space provided,make two lists One list will include items you want to mention in a letter to your friend Theother list will include items you want to say in a letter to your friend’s parents The purpose ofboth letters is to thank your hosts for their hospitality Think about the differences in languageand tone for these two audiences

Friend Parents

_ _

■ A Highlighting Personality Traits

A common type of college application question asks you to describe yourself Below are

examples from essays in which students were asked to describe themselves based on an

adjective Choose the excerpt that comes closest to something you might write, making slight

revisions if you wish Then add at least two sentences of your own to “personalize” the essay

1. I am very superclastic Superclastic means “adventurous around new people in new situations as

well as always looking at the familiar with new eyes.”

2. I could use words that were very broad and subject to a wide range of interpretations I considered

words such as industrious, accomplished, and motivated _

3. Unfortunately, I am doomed to see eighteen solutions to every problem, six sides to every square,

because I’m very analytical

4. I guess what I fear most is being described as ordinary

■ B Preparing to Write a Self-Descriptive Essay

List some adjectives that you think best describe yourself, including one of your own creation

Jot down examples, experiences, or other details you could use to back up this assessment of

yourself

1.5 Writing a College Application Essay

A good college application essay reveals what is unique about you Before writing, think about your

personality traits, accomplishments, and skills Aim for clarity as well as creativity.

Key Information

Writing about what you have read is one way of organizing your thoughts and deepening your

under-standing of the information You can respond to nonfiction by recording your reactions in a

reader-response journal As you develop your reader-response, you may want to write another article with a

different perspective, write a research paper on the same topic, or fashion your thoughts into a poem,short story, or script

Key Information

[Bill and Kathy Magee are the founders of]

Operation Smile, a non-profit organization thatdispatches medical teams to developing coun-tries to perform free corrective surgery on disfig-ured children The things they deal with aremisfortunes that brand the spirit as much as theflesh: cleft lips and palates, congenital hand andfoot deformities, burns and facial tumors .[Operation Smile] resembles a mini-Peace Corps,with a $2 million annual budget, 14,000 volun-teers, and chapters in a dozen U.S cities andfour countries To date, the Magees havelaunched 32 medical missions to nine countries,

including China, Vietnam, Colombia, Ghana,and Kenya, where a total of 4,800 children havebeen treated The money—the existing missionsrequire about $1.5 million in cash and $1 mil-lion in supplies each year—comes from privatecontributions and corporate gifts or just frombursts of inspiration For example, the cost ofthe Panama mission was offset in part by

$6,500 raised by teenagers in Greensboro, N.C.,who organized a bowlathon

■ A First Response

On the lines provided, describe your first response to the poem below What images came to

mind as you read the poem? What words or features did you like?

■ B Extending Your Response

Read the poem again, and then complete the activities below

1. Paraphrase the main idea or message of this poem _

1.7

W R I T I N G A B O U T L I T E R A T U R EWriting about Poetry

Readers may respond to the same poem in different ways Some are moved emotionally; others take

a more intellectual approach, analyzing the literary elements of the poem You can enrich your

responses by writing about your reactions to a poem, by finding out more about the poet, or by

creating a poem of your own

Key Information

Swift things are beautiful:

Swallows and deer,

And lightning that falls

Bright-veined and clear,

Rivers and meteors,

Wind in the wheat,

The strong-withered horse,

The runner's sure feet

And slow things are beautiful:

The closing of the day,The pause of the waveThat curves downward to spray,The ember that crumbles,The opening flower,And the ox that moves on

In the quiet of power

Elizabeth Coatsworth,“Swift Things Are

Beautiful”

Literature Model

■ A Understanding the Components of the Writing ProcessFill in the following flow chart by first writing the name of each stage in the writing process.

Then under each stage, write the letters of the tasks that writers do in that stage

■ B Using the Writing ProcessImagine that you are writing an essay or speech and you get stuck for the reasons describedbelow To which earlier stage of the process would you return? Write your answers in thespaces provided

1. You are having trouble deciding what information to put in and what to leave out because you are not sure of your purpose Go back to _

2. You think of a new piece of evidence that would strengthen your position Go back to _

3. You are running for local office and discover that you have prepared your speech for tomorrow night’s audience instead of tonight’s Go back to _

4. You notice that your paper is full of typographical errors Go back to _

2.1 Writing: A Five-Stage Process

The writing process consists of five stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and publishing/presenting Writers progress from one stage to the next and accomplish specific

tasks within each stage Writers often go back to earlier stages to rework their material

Key Information

a correct grammar, spelling,

mechanics

b write first version

c set neatly in final form

■ A Using Writing Starters

Use one of the following starters to freewrite on the lines below You may continue on another

sheet of paper if you need more room

1. If I were a famous

2. Americans love to

3. The first thing I see when I wake up is

4. A perfect day would be

■ B Using a Tree Diagram

Take one of the topics that emerged from your freewriting above, and use the tree diagram

below to explore it further Write a word or a brief phrase to designate the topic at the base of

the tree Then write specific ideas about the topic in the branches that grow out of the trunk Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

2.2 Prewriting: Finding Ideas

When you need a writing topic, freewriting can help Begin writing about a word or subject and

allow yourself to move freely from one idea to the next To help you get going in the freewriting

process, you can use a writing starter like the ones in Part A, below When you have decided on a

topic, you can use a tree diagram to explore different ways of thinking about the topic.

Key Information

■ A Exploring a Subject

You are preparing to write a character sketch of a close friend or relative Complete the chartbelow by identifying the type of question provided Then choose your subject, and brieflyanswer each question

■ B Identifying Questions to Generate DetailThe details about spring in each of the following sentences were generated by different types ofquestions Identify the type of question that was most likely used with a Pfor personal,Cforcreative,Afor analytical, or Ifor informational

1. After nature’s long inertia in the winter, the sudden activity in the spring is like the

molecules in a pot of boiling liquid

2. In the spring I feel enthusiastic about the most mundane activities

3. Some flowers bloom when their sensors measure the lengthened day of spring,

while others bloom in response to increased temperature

4. By midspring in the country, the temperature can reach 75°

5. Streets that were drab and lifeless only weeks before have become almost tropical,

exotic places with abundant color and vigorous life

6. The combination of increased temperature and moisture provides an environment

suitable for plant growth

2.3 Prewriting: Questioning to Explore a Topic

To generate ideas for your writing, you can ask four different types of questions: personal, creative,

analytical, and informational Each type of question serves a different purpose in the search for

information and perspective on a topic

Key Information

1.

Answer Type

Question

What kinds of clothes does theperson like to wear?

2 What do I like about this person?

3 When I think about this person’s

habits, what patterns of behaviorbecome evident?

4 How does this person resemble

a famous character or famous person?

■ A Adjusting Purpose to Fit the Audience

For each topic listed in the chart, write two possible audiences and two corresponding

purposes for presenting the topic to those audiences

■ B Writing for Your Audience

Choose one of the topics above in Part A Describe briefly the kinds of details (factual,

descrip-tive, fantastic), the tone (serious, poetic, humorous, casual), and the choice of words (technical,

simple, slang) that you would use for each of the audiences you selected

2.4 Prewriting: Audience and Purpose

Before you can start to write about a topic, consider your audience Keep in mind the reader's or

lis-tener’s identity, needs, and interests Is your audience the general public or a highly specialized group?What is the average age of its members? How much does the audience know about your topic? After

identifying the nature of your audience, decide whether your purpose in writing about your topic is

to explain, entertain, describe, persuade, or narrate

■ A Recording Sensory Observations

Examine the following observation chart In the first column is a list of subjects—people, mals, objects, places, or situations—that are under observation In the second column is spacefor notes recording the sensory information learned from observation Record details from asmany of the five senses as possible for each category

ani-■ B Developing Observations

Choose one of the scenes from the chart above to focus on further Think about your ownassociations, emotions, and impressions in regard to the scene Then imagine the scene from a

different perspective: inside the toy shop, for instance, or outside the movie theater during the

daytime Record these additional impressions on the lines below

2.5 Prewriting: Observing

To create a sharp, vivid description, start by observing sensory details: sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste Then go beyond simple sensory details to record your own associations, impressions, and observations from different perspectives.

Key Information

a rainy day

in the city

Sensory Impressions Subject

the window

of a toy shoplunch with a friend

in a restaurantinside amovie theater

a favorite pet

Writing Unified Paragraphs

The following sets contain information about a subject for a paragraph Each set, however,

contains one irrelevant detail that does not belong in the paragraph Draw a line through the

irrelevant detail in each set Then use the remaining information to write a paragraph Be sure

to state the main idea clearly in your topic sentence

SET A

SUBJECT: the characteristics of a good auctioneer

1. a sense of humor to hold the audience's attention

2. sharp eyes to spot bidders’ signals

3. a clear, carrying voice

4. comfortable shoes

5. the ability to deal with large audiences

6. a talent for showmanship

7. the ability to think quickly in a fast-paced auction

SET B

SUBJECT: a navy flier’s rescue by dolphins

1. a navy flier is shot down over the ocean

2. he loses blood and waits for an air-sea rescue

3. dolphins were considered sacred by ancient Greeks

4. a school of dolphins drives off sharks

5. dolphins circle the flier until the rescue plane arrives

6. sharks’ triangle-shaped fins were seen to infest the entire area

2.6 Drafting: Achieving Unity

To achieve unity in your written work, first make sure that you have clearly stated the main idea in

your topic sentence Then make sure that all the details, facts, and examples you use support the

main idea

Key Information

Selecting an Organizing Technique

Each set below contains a statement of purpose and a description of the data that will be used in an essay Select the best organizing technique for the purpose and data given in

each set by writing compare and contrast, order of importance, pro and con, spatial order, or

chronological order.

SET 1 Purpose: To give a balanced view of the benefits and dangers of nuclear power Data: Historical facts about accidents in nuclear power plants; statistics on safe and unsafe

performance; explanation of problems of waste disposal; facts about low air pollution fromnuclear power

Organizing Technique: _

SET 2 Purpose: To provide instructions for putting a bicycle together Data: Suggestions for common household tools that can be used; descriptions of each step in

putting the bicycle together; diagramsOrganizing Technique: _

SET 3 Purpose: To describe an old house in which a crime takes place Data: Details of the house’s location in relation to neighboring houses and to the nearby town;

description of the exterior appearance of the house; details of the locations of rooms and nishings within the house

fur-Organizing Technique: _

SET 4 Purpose: To argue that a busy intersection needs the installation of a traffic light rather than a

stop sign

Data: Eyewitness accounts of motorists’ confusion at the intersection; police statistics on the

number of cars that have been caught speeding through the intersection; statistics and tions of traffic accidents that have occurred at the intersection

descrip-Organizing Technique: _

SET 5 Purpose: To describe common characteristics and differences among four siblings Data: Descriptions and examples of physical appearance, temperament, likes and dislikes, work

habitsOrganizing Technique: _

2.7 Drafting: Organizing an Essay I

Five techniques that you can use to organize the information you have gathered into an essay are

compare and contrast, order of importance, pro and con, spatial order, and chronological order.

Key Information

Understanding the Parts of an Essay

Read the following short text on ultrasound Then answer the questions below

a. Two and a half million pulses of sound per second are fired through the skin, and the echoes

that bounce off the body’s internal structures are converted rapidly into a visual map

b. This is the miracle of the ultrasound transducer, which already has changed medicine and

promises to play a role in a wide range of human activity

c. In medicine, the list of ultrasound’s uses grows longer every year

d. Ultrasound provides clear views of the brain, heart, arteries, liver, and other internal organs, as

well as easier and less painful treatments for kidney stones, eye tumors, and glaucoma

e. Ultrasound is also used to seal plastic packaging and to clean minute crevices in jewelry and

laboratory equipment

f. In the future, fishermen could use ultrasound to locate schools of fish deep below the ocean’s

surface

g. All kinds of equipment could be inspected with ultrasound for cracks and other flaws

h. Ultrasound enables us to see things that we could never see before

1. Which sentences are part of the introduction?

2. Which sentence is intended to capture the audience’s attention?

3. Which sentence states the main idea?

4. Which sentence sets up the organizing technique?

5. Which sentences are part of the body?

6. Which sentence provides an overview, or conclusion?

7. What organizing technique is used?

8 What new perspective does the conclusion offer? _

2.7 Drafting: Organizing an Essay II

An essay comprises three parts The introduction presents a general picture of the essay’s subject and purpose The body presents a long, close-up view of the subject consistent with the general picture

presented in the introduction The conclusion presents a new view of the material.

Key Information

■ A Using a Transitional Statement

The two following paragraphs could be found together as part of an essay However, their cal connection is weak Add a sentence at the beginning of the second paragraph to serve as atransition from the first paragraph

logi-The science of devising and breaking secret ciphers and other secret codes is calledcryptography Cryptographers who specialize in the breaking rather than the making of codesare known as cryptographic analysts Their work is as challenging as a game of chess but farmore difficult to master than most games of skill In fact, secret codes that are based on a codebook that lists code words with their decoded meanings are almost impossible to break Thecode book is the key Therefore, the captain of a naval vessel threatened with capture mustalways jettison his lead-bound code book

Secret ciphers, which encipher the actual letters in a message, are of two basic types—

substitution and transposition In substitution ciphers, each letter of the alphabet stands for

another letter For example, A could stand for Z, B could stand for Y, C for X, and so on You

could quickly set up this substitution system yourself by printing the alphabet twice, first inthe normal order and then, right below, in reverse order In a transposition cipher, the letters

of the message are scrambled in a systematic way Here is a simple example of transposition:

Each word is written backward is changed to drawkcab nettirw si drow hcae Guided by clues

rooted in the nature of the English language, cryptographic analysts can and do break theseciphers, no matter how complex the systems by which they are enciphered Of course, recipi-ents of such an enciphered message do not need to carry a heavy code book; they need only tomemorize the encoding system

HINT: If you can decipher this cryptographic question, it will give you a hint about the

transi-tional sentence for the second paragraph: Dsrxs rh vzhrvi gl wvxrksvi, z xlwv yzhvw lm z xlwv

yllp li z xrksvi?

■ B Identifying Words That Develop Connections

Underline the transitional words and phrases, pronoun references, and repeated words andimages in the sentences of the two paragraphs above

2.8 Drafting: Writing with Coherence

Coherent writing is writing that develops connections between sentences and paragraphs

Transitional words and phrases, pronoun references, and repeated words and images will help

to make your written work a coherent piece

Key Information

Describing the Roles of the Writer and the Reviewer

The box below includes the tasks of both the writer and the peer reviewer Choosing the

cor-rect tasks for each person, write a paragraph describing the role of the writer in the review

process and another paragraph describing the role of the reviewer

2.9 Revising: Using Peer Responses I

A peer reviewer can give you an objective reading of your work In a successful peer review, the

writer and the reviewer understand their different roles

Key Information

1 directs criticism at the writing

2 seeks fresh insights into the

work

3 tries to bring out the writer’s

best work

4 questions confusing comments

5 asks for suggestions

6 begins with praise

7 seeks to understand the

writer’s intentions

8 takes careful notes

9 directs criticism at the writing

10 decides on all final changes

11 seeks to understand the

writer’s meaning

12 suggests specific solutions

13 listens with an open mind

Tasks

Reviewing a Written Piece

You are asked to review the following paragraph, written by a classmate Read the paragraph atleast twice, and then answer the questions below

1. Briefly describe your first impression of the paragraph

2. Does the opening make you want to keep reading? Can you suggest a better one?

3. What is the main idea of the paragraph? Where is it stated?

4. Which sentences in the paragraph do not support the topic sentence?

5. Ask two questions that will elicit new supporting details, facts, or examples

6. Is the ending strong? Can you suggest a better ending?

2.9 Revising: Using Peer Responses II

Reviewers read a written work at least twice—first, to get an overall impression of the piece and, second, to examine its content, coherence, and flow Reviewers should not be concerned with

misspelled words or grammar problems but should ask themselves questions about the clarity of the thesis, the strength of the supporting evidence, and the expression of the argument

Key Information

Humor is not always easy to define Psychologists have identified many sources of humor, fromrepetition to sudden incongruities of behavior Sometimes when you aren’t trying to be witty, youcome up with something that makes everyone laugh Other times, you find that your best jokes fallflat Comedians say that their most effective lines occur to them when they are doing something else,like shopping for groceries or taking the dog to the vet When they let their subconscious do thework, they think of their most successful jokes The best humor is usually spontaneous What one person finds funny another person will not find funny at all

Model

Editing and Proofreading a Paragraph

Read the following paragraphs first to edit them and then to proofread them Use correct

proofreading marks to indicate changes Note that all proper names have been spelled

correctly (If you wish, you may refer to pages 91 and 92 of your textbook.)

2.10 Editing and Presenting: Completing Your Essay

Editing involves examining the construction of the sentences and paragraphs; proofreading involves

searching for errors in capitalization, punctuation, and spelling

Key Information

When Lady Mary Montagu traveled to turkey from England in 1717 shewas’nt planning to save thousands of lives She was simply a curious

tourist observing people and customs The local method for avoiding

smallpox, a disease that is desimating people back home, especially

fascinated her—injections of small doses of the smallpox virus The

injection resulted in a few days of illness , but afterward the patient

will no longer be suggestible to the disease

Upon returning home, Montagu experimented with this procedure andpublished a report of her findings; however, his discovery of what we

now call innoculation did not receive much attention In 1796 physician

Edward Jenner became interested in Montagu’s findings His similar

studies and publications made smallpox vaccinations a widely accepted

practice Reducing the death rate in England by two thirds In the 1970sthe World Health Organization declared the disease evaluated

Model

Freewriting About a Character in a Play

Read the following lines from a play about a fictitious Navy court-martial during World War II

Fill in the cluster diagram with adjectives or phrases about Greenwald

2.11

W R I T I N G A B O U T L I T E R A T U R EAnalyzing a Character in a Play

Begin an analysis of a character in a play by freewriting or by creating a cluster diagram to focus

on his or her character traits

Key Information

MARYK: I don’t like the way you’re handlingme

GREENWALD: Good That makes us even

MARYK: How’s that?

GREENWALD: I don’t like handling you

MARYK: What? Well, then, maybe I’d better—

GREENWALD: (Crossing to desk and taking papers from briefcase) Maryk, I’d rather be pros-

ecuting you than defending you I told you thatthe first time we met Nevertheless, I’m defend-ing you If it’s humanly possible to win anacquittal in this case I’m going to win you anacquittal If you want a prediction, I believe I’mgoing to get you off But you can’t help me Sojust leave me be

MARYK: (staring at him) Greenwald, is there

something eating you?

GREENWALD: I don’t know (Paces in silence for

a moment Halts) I’m a good lawyer, Maryk,

and I’m a pretty poor flyer Took quite a lacking at flight school from snotty ensigninstructors four or five years younger than me Ididn’t like it Baby-faced kids couldn’t do suchthings to Greenwald the hot-shot lawyer I used

shel-to daydream about a court-martial coming up

on that base And some poor joe would needdefending And I’d step in, and take over, andtwist the Navy’s arm, and make it holler Uncle.Now—here’s my dream come true You knowsomething? I don’t look forward to twisting theNavy’s arm Not one bit

Herman Wouk,

from The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

Greenwald

Literature Model

■ A Understanding Spatial Order

The sentences in the following description are out of order Read the topic sentence below; it

will be sentence 1 Then rearrange the supporting sentences in logical spatial order, and write

the appropriate numbers on the lines provided for sentences 2–8

Topic sentence:

1. In spite of its enormous size, the room had an intimate air

Supporting sentences:

2. Both this balcony and the wall below it were lined with book-filled shelves

3. Beyond the rug, along the right-hand wall, a small fireplace flanked by two

reclining chairs formed a cozy corner

4. From this corner, your eye traveled to the rear wall, which was broken by the

kitchen door and a hallway to the rest of the house

5. Centered so that it seemed to fill the doorway, the dining table glittered with crystal

and china

6. To the right of the table, two couches, several straight-backed chairs, and a coffee

table were grouped hospitably on a handsome Navaho rug

7. There was even space in front of the shelves for a library table and several chairs

8. At the right of the hallway, a stairway rose to the balcony

■ B Using Order of Impression

Use the setting above as the basis for a paragraph describing how the room would impress you

if you were entering it for the first time Use order of impression, concentrating on those

details an observer would be most likely to notice You may omit one or two details you think

are insignificant and add people to the scene to make it more effective Use additional paper if

necessary

3.1 Creating Vivid Description I

When you write descriptions, organize sensory

details in one of the following ways: To show

how details relate to one another in space, use

spatial order To show that some details are

more important than others, use order of

importance To organize details according to

the order in which you experienced them, use

order of impression.

Key Information

■ A Recognizing Order of Importance

The six sentences below explain why an artist chose a particular apartment as a combinationstudio and living space Renumber the sentences to express a logical order of importance,placing what you consider the most important reason first

1. The wall of shelves might provide some storage space for supplies

2. The eastern exposure promising morning sunlight was just what she had been

looking for

3. What’s more, huge windows were complemented by a skylight

4. The tiny bedroom offered the bonus of privacy, which she had been willing to

sacrifice in order to have good studio light

5. The main room was large enough for a work space and to show prospective clients

finished paintings

6. Even the kitchen would do, although it was dingy, and its window faced a brick

wall

■ B Using Order of Impression

Imagine that you are the mother of the young artist who just rented the apartment describedabove Describe your first visit to your daughter’s apartment in a letter to a friend Use order ofimpression, beginning with your entrance to the apartment through the kitchen door

3.1 Creating Vivid Description II

Two ways to organize descriptive writing are order of importance and order of impression

Order of importance indicates the relative importance of each detail to the main idea of the

description Order of impression presents the details in the order in which they are noticed.

Key Information

Using Contrasting Sensory Details

Create two contrasting impressions by selecting different sensory details to fill out the

descriptions below The opening and closing sentences are provided In the first description,

complete the paragraph using details that create a positive impression In the second, complete

the paragraph using details that create a negative impression You may wish to use some of the

vivid adjectives provided in the box below

1. When I arrived home from school yesterday, I noticed a red convertible parked in front of the

building

What a birthday present that turned out to be!

2. When I arrived home from school yesterday, I noticed a red convertible parked in front of the

building

3.2 Using Sensory Details

Descriptive writing creates a clear and vivid impression through sensory details that appeal to sight,

hearing, smell, taste, and touch Carefully chosen sensory details sharpen the focus on your subject

and draw the reader into your writing

Key Information

Identifying Mood

Read each of the following passages carefully Below each model identify the mood created inthe passage, and support your assessment with three specific examples of details and languagethat create the mood

3.3 Creating a Mood

The mood of a piece of writing gives the reader an overall feeling about a scene or event Mood is

created through carefully selected details and vivid language

Key Information

The passage grew dark too suddenly, the wallscrowded in, and the roofs crouched down

To me, staring timidly there in the dark passage

in a strange town, the swarthy man appearedlike a giant in a cage surrounded by clouds, and

the bald old man withered into a black humpwith a white top; two white hands darted out

of the corner

Dylan Thomas, from “The Peaches”

An enormous brass band seemed to explode right at Miranda’s ear She jumped, quiv-ered, thrilled blindly and almost forgot tobreathe as sound and color and smell rushed

together and poured through her skin and hairand beat in her head and hands and feet andpit of her stomach

Katherine Anne Porter, from “The Circus”

Literature Model 1

Literature Model 2

■ A Analyzing a Character Sketch

Read the following passage On the lines below write the sentences and phrases Gustave

Flaubert uses to describe the character’s appearance, behavior, movement, speech, and effect

on others Some sentences and phrases describe more than one aspect of the character

1. Appearance:

2 Behavior:

3. Underlying personality:

■ B Expanding a Character Sketch

On the lines below, write two or three sentences to continue the character sketch above You

may wish to describe what the character thinks, what she says, and how she dresses

3.4 Writing a Character Sketch

A character sketch describes a person’s appearance, behavior, and underlying personality by showing

readers how the person looks, speaks, moves, thinks, acts, and affects others

Key Information

Her face was thin and her voice sharp At

twenty-five, people had taken her for forty

After she had reached fifty, she had ceased to

show any signs of increasing age; and, with her

silent ways, her erect carriage and deliberate

movements, she gave the impression of awoman made of wood, going through her worklike an automaton

Gustave Flaubert, from “A Simple Heart”

Literature Model

■ A Identifying Vantage Point

For each of the following passages, write whether the narrator is a distant observer of theaction, a close observer of the action, or a participant in the event

Vantage point:

Vantage point:

■ B Changing the Vantage Point

Choose one of the passages above, and rewrite it from a different vantage point Use a perspective that will make the event dramatic and effective for your readers Use additionalpaper if necessary

3.5 Describing an Event

Describing an event requires that movement of the action through time and space be clear, logical,and believable It is also important to have a clear and consistent vantage point from which todescribe the action

Key Information

From across the field, I saw the steer chasing the boy around and around the tree At first the boymanaged to keep 180° of the circle between him and the steer Gradually, however, the boybecame slower than the steer, and the distance between them began to close Suddenly a barkingdog ran toward them from somewhere behind the barn, and the steer lumbered in the direction ofthe dog The boy scrambled up the tree, gasping for air

Iheard the branches crack and looked up to see that she had lost her balance and was falling toward the trunk She swayed on the slender tree limb and clutched at the thin branches, trying to regainher balance Suddenly, the bees were all around her They hesitated for an instant and then attacked.She screamed and brushed frantically at her head and body I screamed too and kept my eyes fixedupward from my frozen position under the tree Then she fell through the branches to the ground

Model 1

Model 2

■ A Identifying Dramatic Mood

The descriptions of the opening moments of two plays appear below Read them carefully, and

then identify the mood that has been established for each play

1. lighting: glaring, with a reddish-orange tinge

scenery: a very small office that is sparsely furnished with a desk and two chairs

sound effects: only the dialogue

characterization: two men, both grim-faced and tense, facing each other

dialogue:

FIRST MAN: [shouting and pounding on desk top] You lied to me I backed you with ten

thousand dollars, and now I get nothing!

SECOND MAN: It isn’t over yet, you fool! I told you these things take time [now shouting] I

told you it would be awhile before it all came together

Mood:

2. lighting: soft and pink

scenery: a living room decorated with floral patterns and a few touches of lace; also an

old-fashioned radio on a table

sound effects: a love song of the 1940s plays softly

characterization: a boy and girl, about seventeen years old, dressed “properly” for the 1940s,

dancing slowly without speaking

Mood:

■ B Writing About Dramatic Mood

Choose one of the plays above Write a brief paragraph explaining how the elements that are

provided, as well as other elements you may supply from your imagination, contribute to

creating the mood in the opening moments of the play Use additional paper if necessary

3.6

W R I T I N G A B O U T L I T E R A T U R EWriting About Mood in a Play

A playwright’s use of lighting, scenery, sound effects, characterization, and dialogue create a

dramatic mood or emotional climate for a play When you write about mood, consider all of these

ele-Key Information