Writer's Resources: From Sentence to Paragraph (with Writer's Resources 2.0 BCA/iLrn™ CD-ROM) - Softcover

Julie Robitaille is committed to the writing life. She received a B.A. in English from Emory University, an M.A. in English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in creative writing from the University of Florida. For twenty years, she directed the Writing Lab at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida, and she now teaches writing full time.

After receiving his B.A. from the University of Florida, Bob Connelly spent time living and studying in northern Europe and then attended the University of Chicago, where he received an M.A. in English literature. He has been teaching writing for over thirty years at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida.

Part I: MAKING THE TRANSITION TO COLLEGE. 1. Getting Started. Getting to Know Your Materials. Getting to Know Your Classmates. Working with classmates. Getting Organized. 2. Setting Goals and Overcoming Obstacles. Examining Attitudes and Expectations. Setting Long-term Goals. Setting Short-term Goals. Problem Solving Part II: BEGINNING COLLEGE WRITING. 3. Using a Journal. What Is a Writer's Journal? Your Journal. Peer Journals. 4. Writing a Paragraph. Understanding the Assignment. Narrowing the Topic. Determining the Writing Context. Formulating a Topic Sentence. Developing the Topic Sentence with Supporting Details. Generating Ideas for Support. Drafting. 5. Patterns of Development Narration. Illustration or Example. Comparison and Contrast. Cause and Effect. Part III: GRAMMAR, MECHANICS, AND PUNCTUATION SKILLS. 6. Learning to Write Correctly. Be Curious. Rely on Your Resources. Become a Skillful Learner. 7. Capitalization. Sentence Beginnings. Proper Nouns. 8. Problem Words. List I. List II. 9. Parts of Speech. Nouns. Pronouns. Adjectives. Verbs. Adverbs. Prepositions. Conjunctions. Interjections. 10. Word Choice. Effective Word Choice. Ineffective Word Choice. 11. Subject-Verb Identification. Subjects. Verbs. 12. Subject-Verb Agreement. Singular and Plural Subjects. Subject-Verb Agreement Rules. 13. Verb Tense. Forming the Past Tense and the Past Participle. Using the Past Participle as an Adjective. Avoiding Shifts in Tense. 14. Sentence Parts and Types. Definition of a Sentence. Definition of a Clause. Definition of a Phrase. Sentence Types. Sentence Purposes. 15. Sentence Fragments. Types of Fragments. Identifying and Correcting Fragments. 16. Run-ons. Types of Run-ons. Identifying Run-ons. Ways to Correct Run-ons. 17. Commas. The Purpose of Using Commas. The Two Most Important Comma Rules: Compound. Sentences and Introductory Elements. Other Useful Comma Rules: Transitions, Series, Dates. 18. Pronoun Agreement. Pronoun Agreement. Avoiding Shifts in Number and Person. 19. Apostrophes. Contractions. Possession. Letters and Numerals. 20. Sentence Combining. Coordination. Subordination. Using Coordination and Subordination. 21. Sentence Variety. Sentence Variety Techniques. Part IV: READINGS. Successful Reading Strategies. Active Reading. Using a Reader's Journal. Faith Andrews Bedford, Measles Mumps and Chicken Pox. Leo Buscaglia, Papa, The Philosopher. Jack Canfield, Consider This. Sandra Cisneros, The First Job. Annie Dillard, from An American Childhood. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, from The Bats. Cathy Dyson, The Girl Who Helped the Samburu. Daniel Eisenberg, The Coming Job Boom. John Garrity, Too Good to Be True. Jean Giono, from The Man Who Planted Trees. Natalie Goldberg, from The Long Quiet Highway. Karl Taro Greenfeld, Blind to Failure. Langston Hughes, What Happens to a Dream Deferred? Bruce Springsteen, The River. Cynthia Jabs, Saying Goodbye. John Leo, When Life Imitates Video. Mike Rose, from I Just Wanna Be Average. Ellen Sherman, Boys to Men. Brent Staples, From The Knock Out. Part V: APPENDIXES. ESL Appendix. Spelling Appendix. Creating a Portfolio. Checklists.