Often, of course, you are not free to choose at all. You must compose a report for a business meeting or write on an as- signed topic for an English class. The problem then becomes not what to write about but how to attack it, a question we'll discuss in Chapters 5 and 6. | Thomas S. Kane If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payments for this "stripped book." Acknowledgments This book is based on The Oxford Guide to Writing: A Rhet- oric and Handbook for College Students, and thanks are due once more to those who contributed to that book: my friend and colleague Leonard J. Peters; Professors Miriam Baker of Dowling College, David Hamilton of the University of Iowa, Robert Lyons and Sandra Schor of Queens College of the City University of New York, and Joseph Trimmer of Ball State University, all of whom read the manuscript and con- tributed perceptive comments; Ms. Cheryl Kupper, who copyedited that text with great thoroughness and care; and John W. Wright, my editor at the Oxford University Press. For the present edition I am again grateful to Professor Leonard J. Peters and to John W. Wright. In addition I wish to thank William P. Sisler and Joan Bossert, my editors at Oxford University Press, who encouraged, criticized, and im- proved, as good editors do. Kittery Point, Maine . December 1987 Contents Introduction 3 1. Subject, Reader, and Kinds of Writing 5 2. Strategy and Style 9 3. Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics 13 PART 1 The Writing Process 17 4. Looking for Subjects 19 5. Exploring for Topics 23 6. Making a Plan 29 7. Drafts and Revisions 34 PART II. The Essay 43 8. Beginning 45 9. Closing 60 10. Organizing the Middle 67 11. Point of View, Persona, and Tone 74 PART 3 The Expository Paragraph 87 12. Basic Structure 89 13. Paragraph Unity 95 14. Paragraph Development: (1) Illustration and Restatement 106 8 CONTENTS 15. Paragraph Development: (2) Comparison, Contrast, and Analogy 114 16. Paragraph Development: (3) Cause and Effect 125 17. Paragraph Development: (4) Definition, Analysis, and Qualification 132 PART 4. The Sentence 149 18. The Sentence:
