College English: The Basics
Edition: 3
Copyright: 2019
Pages: 266
Edition: 3
Copyright: 2019
Pages: 266
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College English: The Basics is intended for use in first-year college writing classes. Accordingly, it focuses primarily on the academic essay, discussing several main modes of essay development, along with specialized applications such as essay exams, literary criticism, and research-based assignments. But the book goes beyond this principal emphasis to provide coverage of workplace writing as well, reflecting an ongoing trend in composition textbooks published in recent years.
In truth, College English is not just about the kind of writing done in college; it’s more than that, equipping students to write well even after graduation, when they’ll be called upon to communicate on the job. There are clear-cut learning objectives, revision checklists, model documents, and helpful exercises, along with an appendix that identifies key strategies for developing an effective style and another that reviews the fundamentals of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Short on theory, long on practical applications, and written in a simple, conversational style, College English is exceptionally user friendly, appropriate not only for recent high school graduates but also for returning adult students and other non-traditional leaners. It’s deliberately compact, but fully comprehensive enough for community colleges and four-year institutions as well. This is a book that students can read and comprehend easily, without needless difficulty—a book from which they can actually learn.
PART 1—THE MOST BASIC BASICS: PURPOSE, AUDIENCE, AND TONE
Chapter 1 Purpose
Determining Purpose
Self-Expressive Writing
Informative Writing
Interrogative Writing
Persuasive Writing
Entertaining Writing
Exercises
Chapter 2 Audience
Audience Identification
Audience Analysis
Communication Hierarchy
Exercises
Chapter 3 Tone
Tone and Audience
Reader-Centered Perspective
Denotation and Connotation
Biased Language
Exercises
PART 2—THE WRITING PROCESS: PRE-WRITING, DRAFTING, REWRITING
Chapter 4 Pre-Writing
Pre-Writing Strategies
Creating an Effective Thesis Statement
Focusing, Organizing, Outlining
Exercises
Chapter 5 Drafting
Creating a Meaningful Title
Crafting an Effective Introduction
Body Paragraphs
Conclusions
Exercises
Chapter 6 Rewriting
Editing
Proofreading
Peer Reviewing
Exercises
PART 3—THE ESSAY AS ARGUMENT
Chapter 7 Essential Features of Argument and Persuasion
Evidence-Based Thesis
Acknowledging and Refuting Opposing Viewpoints
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Logical Fallacies
Exercises
Chapter 8 Modes of Development
Narration
Definition
Description
Exemplification
Comparison and Contrast
Process Analysis
Cause and Effect
Exercises
PART 4—SPECIALIZED ESSAYS
Chapter 9 Essay Examinations
Understanding the Question
Take-Home Exams
In-Class Exams
Exercises
Chapter 10 Literary Criticism
Critical Perspectives
Formalist Criticism
Unique Features of the Literary Criticism Essay
Exercises
PART 5—WORKPLACE WRITING
Chapter 11 E-Mail
Purpose
Tone
E-Mail Etiquette
Exercises
Chapter 12 Business Letters
Full Block Format
Three-Part Organization
Appropriate Tone
Exercises
Chapter 13 Short Reports
Page Design
Kinds of Reports
Exercises
Chapter 14 Proposals
External Proposals
Internal Proposals
Elements of Proposals
Appropriate Tone
Exercises
Chapter 15 Application Letters and Résumés
Application Letter
Résumé
Exercises
PART 6—RESEARCH-BASED WRITING
Chapter 16 Finding, Evaluating, and Integrating Sources of Information
Sources
Integrating Information
Collaboration
Exercises
Chapter 17 Documentation
Plagiarism
Bibliography
Parenthetical Citations
Exercises
Appendix A—Seven Style Tips
Appendix B—Review of Mechanics: Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar
Appendices A and B Answer Keys
About the Author
Index
George J. Searles is a Professor -of Arts & Humanities at Mohawk Valley Community College. He has also taught at Green Haven State Prison, on the graduate level for New School University, and on Pratt Institute's upstate campus at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts· Institute. He has served on the governing boards of both the Modem Language Association and the North East Modem Language Association, presenting scholarly papers at the annual conventions of those and other such professional organizations. In addition, he has served as a communications consultant to many corporate clients and social services agencies, as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation. Along with numerous articles, reviews, and poems in popular and academic periodicals, he has published three volumes of literary criticism from university presses and seven editions of Workplace Communications: The Basics, a textbook used on over 250 campuses here and abroad. The recipient of two SUNY Chancellor's medals. for excellence, he was formerly the Carnegie Foundation "New York State Professor of the Year" and the New York State United Teachers "Higher Education Member of the Year.''