Focus on Writing
Paragraphs and Essays
by Laurie G. Kirszner, Stephen R. Mandell
5th Edition
Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's
Book Details
| Print ISBN | 9781319207397 |
| eText ISBN | 9781319225032 |
| Publisher | Bedford/St. Martin's |
| Publishing Year | 2020 |
| Edition | 5th Edition |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 720 |
Focus on Writing: Paragraphs and Essays, 5th Edition, is a college writing textbook designed to emphasize writing from the beginning. The volume guides students from drafting individual paragraphs to composing full essays through structured, step-by-step assignments.
Serving as a three-in-one resource, the book integrates composition instruction with an essay anthology and an extensive grammar guide with exercises. Coverage addresses active reading techniques, foundational rhetorical patterns, and academic research methods.
To assist revision, the text introduces the TEST framework, which directs students to review drafts for a topic sentence or thesis statement, supporting evidence, a summary statement, and effective transitions to evaluate unity, support, and coherence.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Focus on Active Reading
- • 1a Before You Read
- • Textbook excerpt, Time-Management Strategies
- • 1b As Your Read
- • Colin Powell, What American Citizenship Makes Possible
- • 1c After You Read
- • 1d Writing a Response
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 2: Writing a Paragraph
- • 2a Understanding Paragraph Structure
- • 2b Focusing on Your Assignment, Purpose, and Audience
- • 2c Finding Ideas to Write About
- • 2d Identifying Your Main Idea and Writing a Topic Sentence
- • 2e Choosing Supporting Points
- • 2f Developing Supporting Points
- • 2g Making an Outline
- • 2h Drafting Your Paragraph
- • 2i TESTing Your Paragraph
- • 2j Revising Your Paragraph
- • 2k Editing and Proofreading Your Paragraph
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 3: TESTing Your Paragraphs
- • 3a TESTing for a Topic Sentence
- • 3b TESTing for Evidence
- • 3c TESTing for a Summary Statement
- • 3d TESTing for Transitions
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 4: Exemplification Paragraphs
- • 4a Understanding Exemplification
- • 4b Case Study: A Student Writes an Exemplification Paragraph
- • TESTing an Exemplification Paragraph
Chapter 5: Narrative Paragraphs
- • 5a Understanding Narration
- • 5b Case Study: A Student Writes a Narrative Paragraph
- • TESTing a Narrative Paragraph
Chapter 6: Process Paragraphs
- • 6a Understanding Process
- • 6b Case Study: A Student Writes a Process Paragraph
- • TESTing a Process Paragraph
Chapter 7: Cause-and-Effect Paragraphs
- • 7a Understanding Cause and Effect
- • 7b Case Study: A Student Writes a Cause-and-Effect Paragraph
- • TESTing a Cause-and-Effect Paragraph
Chapter 8: Comparison-and-Contrast Paragraphs
- • 8a Understanding Comparison and Contrast
- • 8b Case Study: A Student Writes a Comparison-and-Contrast Paragraph
- • TESTing a Comparison-and-Contrast Paragraph
Chapter 9: Descriptive Paragraphs
- • 9a Understanding Description
- • 9b Case Study: A Student Writes a Descriptive Paragraph
- • TESTing a Descriptive Paragraph
Chapter 10: Classification Paragraphs
- • 10a Understanding Classification
- • 10b Case Study: A Student Writes a Classification Paragraph
- • TESTing a Classification Paragraph
Chapter 11: Definition Paragraphs
- • 11a Understanding Definition
- • 11b Case Study: A Student Writes a Definition Paragraph
- • TESTing a Definition Paragraph
Chapter 12: Argument Paragraphs
- • 12a Understanding Argumen
- • 12b Case Study: A Student Writes an Argument Paragraph
- • TESTing an Argument Paragraph
Chapter 13: Writing an Essay
- • 13a Understanding Essay Structure
- • 13b Moving from Assignment to Topic
- • 13c Finding Ideas to Write About
- • 13d Stating Your Thesis
- • 13e Choosing Supporting Points
- • 13f Making an Outline
- • 13g Drafting Your Essay
- • 13h TESTing Your Essay
- • 13i Revising Your Essay
- • 13j Editing Your Essay
- • 13k Proofreading Your Essay
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 14: Introductions and Conclusions
- • 14a Writing Introductions
- • 14b Writing Conclusions
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 15: Patterns of Essay Development: Exemplification, Narration, Process, Cause and Effect, and Comparison and Contrast
- • 15a Exemplification Essays
- • Farhad Manjoo, No, I Do Not Want to Pet Your Dog
- • 15b Narrative Essays
- • Junot Diaz, Watching Spider-Man in Santo Domingo
- • 15c Process Essays
- • Russell Baker, Slice of Life
- • 15d Cause-and-Effect Essays
- • Kathleen E. Bachynski and Daniel S. Goldberg, Facing the Concussion Risks of Youth Football
- • 15e Comparison-and-Contrast Essays
- • Michael Martinez, Migrant vs. Refugee: What’s the Difference?
- • Review Checklist
Chapter 16: Patterns of Essay Development: Description, Classification, Definition, and Argument
- • 16a Descriptive Essays
- • Trevor Noah, Soweto
- • 16b Classification Essays
- • Amy Tan, Mother Tongue
- • 16c Definition Essays
- • Judy Brady, I Want a Wife
- • 16d Argument Essays
- • Ben Carson, Vaccinations Are for the Good of the Nation
- • Review Checklist
Chapter 17: Writing with Sources
- • 17a Finding and Evaluating Information
- • 17b Using Sources in Your Writing
- • 17c Using Sources Ethically
- • 17d MLA Documentation Style
- • 17e APA Documentation Style
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 18: Writing Simple Sentences
- • 18a Identifying Subjects
- • 18b Identifying Prepositional Phrases
- • 18c Identifying Verbs
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 19: Writing Compound Sentences
- • 19a Using Coordinating Conjunctions
- • 19b Using Semicolons
- • 19c Using Transitional Words and Phrases
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 20: Writing Complex Sentences
- • 20a Identifying Complex Sentences
- • 20b Using Subordinating Conjunctions
- • 20c Using Relative Pronouns
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 21: Writing Varied Sentences
- • 21a Varying Sentence Types
- • 21b Varying Sentence Openings
- • 21c Combining Sentences
- • 21d Mixing Long and Short Sentences
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 22: Using Parallelism
- • 22a Recognizing Parallel Structure
- • 22b Using Parallel Structure
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 23: Using Words Effectively
- • 23a Using Specific Words
- • 23b Using Concise Language
- • 23c Avoiding Slang
- • 23d Avoiding Clichés
- • 23e Using Similes and Metaphors
- • 23f Avoiding Sexist Language
- • 23g Commonly Confused Words
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 24: Run-Ons
- • 24a Recognizing Run-Ons
- • 24b Correcting Run-Ons
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 25: Fragments
- • 25a Recognizing Fragments
- • 25b Missing-Subject Fragments
- • 25c Phrase Fragments
- • 25d -ing Fragments
- • 25e Dependent-Clause Fragments
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 26: Subject-Verb Agreement
- • 26a Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement
- • 26b Compound Subjects
- • 26c Be, Have, and Do
- • 26d Words between Subject and Verb
- • 26e Collective Noun Subjects
- • 26f Indefinite Pronoun Subjects
- • 26g Verbs before Subjects
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 27: Illogical Shifts
- • 27a Shifts in Tense
- • 27b Shifts in Person
- • 27c Shifts in Voice
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 28: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
- • 28a Correcting Misplaced Modifiers
- • 28b Correcting Dangling Modifiers
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 29: Verbs: Past Tense
- • 29a Regular Verbs
- • 29b Irregular Verbs
- • 29c Problem Verbs: Be
- • 29d Problem Verbs: Can/Could and Will/Would
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 30: Verbs: Past Participles
- • 30a Regular Past Participles
- • 30b Irregular Past Participles
- • 30c The Present Perfect Tense
- • 30d The Past Perfect Tense
- • 30e Past Participles as Adjectives
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 31: Nouns and Pronouns
- • 31a Identifying Nouns
- • 31b Forming Plural Nouns
- • 31c Identifying Pronouns
- • 31d Understanding Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
- • 31e Identifying Problem Areas with Agreement
- • 31f Vague and Unnecessary Pronouns
- • 31g Understanding Pronoun Case
- • 31h Identifying Problem Areas with Pronoun Case
- • 31i Identifying Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 32: Adjectives and Adverbs
- • 32a Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs
- • 32b Understanding Comparatives and Superlatives
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 33: Grammar and Usage for Multilingual Writers
- • 33a Subjects in Sentences
- • 33b Count and Noncount Nouns
- • 33c Determiners with Count and Noncount Nouns
- • 33d Articles
- • 33e Negative Statements and Questions
- • 33f Verb Tense
- • 33g Stative Verbs
- • 33h Gerunds
- • 33i Choosing Prepositions
- • 33j Prepositions in Phrasal Verbs
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 34: Using Commas
- • 34a Commas in a Series
- • 34b Commas with Introductory Phrases and Transitional Words and Phrases
- • 34c Commas with Appositives
- • 34d Commas with Nonrestrictive Clauses
- • 34e Commas in Dates and Addresses
- • 34f Unnecessary Commas
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 35: Using Apostrophes
- • 35a Apostrophes in Contractions
- • 35b Apostrophes in Possessives
- • 35c Incorrect Use of Apostrophes
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 36: Understanding Mechanics
- • 36a Capitalizing Proper Nouns
- • 36b Punctuating Direct Quotations
- • 36c Setting Off Titles
- • 36d Using Semicolons, Colons, Dashes, and Parentheses
- • Chapter Review
Chapter 37: Readings for Writers
- • Naomi S. Baron, The Case against E-Readers: Why Reading Paper Books Is Better for Your Mind
- • John Carlson, Real Solutions for Curtailing Gun Violence
- • Olivia Goldhill, Should Driverless Cars Kill Their Own Passengers to Save a Pedestrian?
- • Tom Hanks, I Owe It All to Community College
- • Alex Hern, Don’t Know the Difference between Emoji and Emoticons? Let Me Explain
- • Rebecca Johnson, If You Want Women to Move Up, You Have to Accommodate Mothers
- • Caroline Knapp, How to Have a Dog’s Life
- • Eileen Pollack, What Really Keeps Women Out of Tech
- • Roger Spranz, Make Your Own Waste Pie Chart
- • Sherry Turkle, The Flight from Conversation
- • Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, My First Police Stop
- • Jacqueline Woodson, When a Southern Town Broke a Heart
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