Wordsmith A Guide to Paragraphs & Short Essays

For courses in developmental writing.

Inspire students to craft clear, concise, and engaging writing

Briefer and more accessible than full-length texts, Wordsmith: A Guide to Paragraphs and Short Essays is the antidote to dry, overwrought, and overly expansive writing guides. It engages students, serves multiple skill levels, and teaches enduring writing techniques in a way that’s actionable, contemporary, hands-on, and fun.

The 7th Edition is a powerful tool for students and teachers alike. With appealing, topical readings and expanded writing exercises, the updated text empowers instructors to meet students where they are and engage their collective interests. A three-part layout allows the freedom to mix and match the writing chapters, grammar chapters, and readings. Pam Arlov’s structured, yet flexible, approach to writing encourages clarity and creativity. Her direct, conversational, student-friendly tone is used throughout, with light-hearted chapter openers that promote a positive and playful way of learning.

The loose-leaf version of the text is also available with MyLab Writing

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Note: You are purchasing a standalone product; MyLab Writing does not come packaged with this content. Students, if interested in purchasing this title with MyLab Writing, ask your instructor for the correct package ISBN and Course ID. Instructors, contact your Pearson representative for more information.

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Readings by Rhetorical Mode

Readings by Subject

Preface

Updates to the Seventh Edition

PART 1: COMPOSITION

1. The Writing Process

2. Preparing to Write

3. Writing Paragraphs: Direction

4. Writing Paragraphs: Support

5. Writing Paragraphs: Unity and Coherence

6. Revising, Proofreading, and Formatting

7. Showing and Telling: Description, Narration, and Example

8. Limiting and Ordering: Definition, Classification, and Process

9. Examining Logical Connections: Comparison-Contrast, Cause-Effect, and Argument

10. Writing an Essay

11. Writing Summary Reports

PART 2: GRAMMAR

12. Verbs and Subjects

13. Subject-Verb Agreement

14. Verb Shifts

15. Coordination and Subordination

16. Run-on Sentences

17. Sentence Fragments

18. Pronoun Case

19. Pronoun Agreement, Reference, and Point of View

20. Adjectives, Adverbs, and Articles

21. Parallel Structure

22. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

23. Capital Letters

24. Words Commonly Confused

25. Word Choice

26. Commas

27. Other Punctuation

28. Apostrophes

PART 3: READINGS

Reading at the College Level

Action Hero, Rulon Openshaw

Simplicity, William Zinsser

Running Through the Dark, Jennifer Sinor

Setting Boundaries, Cara DiMarco

Crossing Invisible Lines, Eugenia Vela

Don’t Blame Me! The New “Culture of Victimization”, John J. Macionis

White Lies, Erin Murphy

Warning: This Is a Rights-Free Workplace, Barbara Ehrenreich

Civil Rights, Caroline Miller

Conversational Ballgames, Nancy Masterton Sakamoto

Two Ways of Seeing a River, Mark Twain

Credits

Index

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