第一部分 写作基础：写作步骤和写作标准 3
1.Introduction 3
1.1 The Importance of Essay Writing 3
1.2 Levels of（American） College Student Essays 4
1.3 Common College Essay Assignments 5
1.4 The Aim and Organization of the Book 6
2.How to Generate Ideas：Planning 8
2.1 Find a Good Topic 8
2.2 Understand a Given Topic 10
2.3 Generate Ideas for a Topic 13
2.4 Get a Plan for Organization 16
2.5 Use Criteria to Form Strong Main Points 19
3.How to Organize Ideas：Drafting 26
3.1 Drafting versus Planning 26
3.2 Outlining before Drafting 27
3.3 Writing the Introduction 28
3.4 Writing Body Paragraphs 32
3.5 Writing the Conclusion 38
4.How to Polish Ideas：Revising 40
4.1 Be Willing to Make Changes 40
4.2 Understand Writing Standards：Unity，Coherence and Support 42
4.3 Revise for Better Focus and Organization 49
4.4 Revise for Better Coherence 52
4.5 Revise for Better Support 53
4.6 Revise for Grammatical Correctness 55
第二部分 分享写作 61
5.Sharing Experiences：Narrating 61
5.1 How to Plan for a Narrative 62
5.2 How to Organize a Narrative：Narrative Structure 63
5.3 How to Maintain a Clear Narrative Sequence 64
5.4 How to Establish a Credible Narrator and Point of View 65
5.5 How to Tell a Compelling Story 66
Student Essay The Kiss 68
Samuel H.Scudder “Take This Fish and Look at It” 71
Edgar Allan Poe The Tell-Tale Heart 76
6.Sharing Images and Impressions：Describing 82
6.1 Using Objective and Subjective Description 83
6.2 Describing with Sensory Details 84
6.3 Describing with Figurative Language 88
6.4 Creating Physical Image and Character Image 89
6.5 Creating Images with Dialogue and Example 90
William Spooner Donald Will Someone Please Hiccup My Pat？ 92
Stephen Leacock My Discovery of England 96
7.Sharing Examples：Illustrating 105
7.1 Consider This Example 105
7.2 Illustrate a Point with Specific Examples 106
7.3 Illustrate a Point with Typical Examples 108
7.4 Use Both Types of Examples 109
John Leo No Books，Please； We’re Students 109
Samuel Johnson On the Art of Advertising 113
Stephen King Ever Et Raw Meat？ 116
8.Sharing Ideas： Informing 123
8.1 Topics for an Informative Essay 123
8.2 How to Plan for an Informational Essay 125
8.3 How to Organize an Informative Essay 127
8.4 How to Make an Essay（More） Informative 127
Student Essay Attaining Success in College 129
Sherry Sweetnam How to Organize Your Thoughts for Better Communication 133
Jeanine Barone Surprising Super Foods 139
第三部分 认识写作 149
9.Understanding Causes and Effects：Analyzing 149
9.1 Understanding Analytical Skills：A Hypothetical Scenario 149
9.2 Defining“Analysis” 151
9.3 Analyzing for Effects 152
9.4 Analyzing for Causes 154
9.5 Writing about Both Effects and Causes 158
Student Essay Study Habit Blues 159
Jason Vest， Warren Cohen，and Mike Tharp Road Rage 162
10.Understanding Similarities and Differences：Comparing and Contrasting 170
10.1 Comparing for Similarities 170
10.2 Contrast for Differences 173
10.3 Comparing and Contrasting for a Real Purpose 176
Joseph Brant Indian Civilization vs.White Civilization 177
Sydney Harris The Difference between Winners and Whiners 178
Lewis Carroll Feeding the Mind 179
Karen Heller Is He Husband Material or a Boyfriend Kind of Guy？ 185
11.Understanding Types：Classifying 193
11.1 How to Plan for a New Classification 194
11.2 How to Formulate Clear Categories 196
11.3 How to Use an Old Classification for a New Purpose 196
11.4 How to Organize a Classification Essay 197
Student Essay Cat Categories 198
Tom Bodett Dish Demeanor 201
Sigmund Freud Libidinal Types 205
Margot Mifflin The Ten Most Memorable Bores 210
12.Understanding Opinions：Arguing 216
12.1 The Need to Argue 216
12.2 How to Plan for an Argumentative Essay 217
12.3 How to Argue with a Credible Persona 219
12.4 How to Argue with Aristotle’s Three Appeals 220
12.5 How to Avoid Logic Fallacies when Arguing 223
Student Essay Let’s Drive Fifty-five 228
David Segal Excuuuse Me 231
Oliver Goldsmith National Prejudices 236
第四部分 探研写作 245
13.Exploring Literature 245
13.1 Understanding Literature 245
13.2 Two Methods of Literary Criticism： Explication and Analysis 247
13.3 Literary Forms：the Basics 248
13.4 What to Focus on When Analyzing a Novel 253
13.5 How to Organize an Essay on a Novel 261
Virginia Woolf What the Novelist Gives Us 263
D.H.Lawrence Why the Novel Matters 266
Mark Twain Extracts from Adam’s Diary 272
14.Exploring Research 283
14.1 Understanding Research 283
14.2 Conducting Empirical Research 284
14.3 Conducting Library and Internet Research 289
14.4 Writing the Research Paper 294
A Self-Testing Exercise on Source Use and MLA Documentation 304
Laura Holupka The Sun Also Rises： A Glimpse into the Life of Ernest Hemingway 306
Denise E.Macedo The Mysterious Love Life of Henry James 309
Jennifer Eriguel The Three Main Themes in Henry James’ Works 313
Answers and Explanations on the Self-Testing Exercise 317
Appendix 附录 320
Credits参考书目 322