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- K aren B lanchard
C hristine R oot
- Second Edition
A
FIRST
COMPOSITION
TEXT
KAREN BLANCHARD
Deaver College
CHRISTINE ROOT
H aNard University
.•
...
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
Reading, Massachusetts • Menlo Park, California • N ew York
Don Mills, O ntario· W okingham, E ngland· Amsterdarn • B onn
S ydney. S ingapore· T okyo· M adrid· San J uan· Paris
Seoul, Korea • Milan • Mexico City • Taipei, Taiwan
- This book is dedicated to the memory o f Karen's father, Dr.
Herbert Lourie, whose love o f learning was an inspiration to
all who knew him; and to the memory o f Christine's mother,
Charlotte S. Baker, who understood so well the power a nd
magic o f the written word.
Ready t o W rite: A F irst Composition Text, Second Edition
Copyright © 1994 by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
All rights reserved.
No p art o f t his publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form o r by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission o f the publisher.
Credits appear on page 108.
Editorial Director: Joanne Dresner
Acquisitions Editor: Allen Ascher
Production Editor: Lisa Hutchins
Text Design: A Good Thing
Cover Design: Joseph DePinho
Text Art: Sue Smolinski
Production Supervisor: Anne Armeny
Library o f Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Blanchard, Karen Lourie
Ready to write: a first composition text I by Karen Lourie
Blanchard and Christine Baker R oot.-2nd ed.
cm.
p.
ISBN 0-201-85999-8
I . English language-Textbooks for foreign speakers. 2. English
language-Composition and exercises. I. Root, Christine Baker,
1945- . II. Title.
PE1l28.B587 1994
4 28.2'4-dc20 93-21021
CIP
8 9 1O-VG·9897
- C ontents
Introduction iv
CHAPTER 1
Organization: The Key t o Good Writing 1
CHAPTER 2
Topic and Supporting Sentences 7
CHAPTER 3
Organizing Ideas by Time a nd Space 16
CHAPTER 4
Organizing Ideas by Rank Order 25
CHAPTER 5
Informing: Giving Information 30
CHAPTER 6
Expressing a n O pinion 38
CHAPTER 7
Describing Processes a nd Writing Instructions 45
CHAPTER 8
Writing Personal a nd Business Letters 51
CHAPTER 9
Describing People, Things, a nd Places 57
CHAPTER 10
Reporting 63
CHAPTER 11
Comparing a nd Contrasting 69
CHAPTER 12
Analyzing a Situation 85
CHAPTER 13
Making Predictions 94
CHAPTER 14
Writing Summaries 98
Answer Key 1 03
Credits 1 08
I ii
- I ntroduction
Ready to Write c ame about because of o ur t hreefold conviction that:
• lower-level students l earn t o w rite well a nd achieve a more complete English
proficiency b y l earning a nd p racticing composition skills simultaneously w ith o ther
skills t hat t hey are learning;
• lower-level students are interested i n a nd capable of w riting expressively i n English,
however simple t he l anguage, o n a v ariety o f provocative a nd s ophisticated topics if
they are supplied w ith t he basic vocabulary a nd o rganizational tools;
• ESL s tudents need t o b e explicitly taught t hat d ifferent languages organize
information differently, a nd t hey need t o b e s hown h ow t o organize i nformation
c orrectly i n English.
Approach
Based o n t hese assumptions, Ready to Write is i ntended t o get students w riting early i n
t heir second language acquisition experience. By p roviding t hem w ith a wide variety of
stimulating topicS t o w rite o n a nd exercises t hat go beyond sentence m anipulation drills,
students are encouraged t o b ring t heir o wn ideas a nd t alent t o t he w riting process. W ith
a focus o n p aragraph development, students learn, step b y step, the organizational p rinci-
ples t hat will help t hem express themselves effectively i n English a nd t he application of
these principles t o a v ariety of rhetorical formats.
The activities are designed t o e ncourage students t o t hink i ndependently as well as t o
provide t hem w ith m any o pportunities t o s hare ideas w ith t heir classmates, t hus c reating
a more d ynamic l earning environment. To t his end, collaborative w riting a nd peer feed-
back activities are included i n a ll t he chapters. I n a ddition, great care has b een t aken t o
m aintain a n appropriate level of vocabulary a nd c omplexity of sentence structure for
h igh-beginning a nd l ow-intermediate students so t hat t he e xplanations, directions, a nd
readings are easily accessible.
T he Second Edition
T his second edition of Ready to Write emphasizes t he stages of t he w riting process b y
p roviding:
• p re-writing activities t o h elp students get ready t o w rite
a n a bundance of opportunities for paragraph w riting
•
g uidance i n r evising t heir w riting
•
activities for e diting a nd p roofreading t heir w riting.
•
Two features from t he first edition, "You Be t he Editor" a nd liOn Your O wn," have been
expanded to appear regularly t hroughout t he t ext. "You Be t he Editor" provides effective
practice i n e rror correction a nd p roofreading i n order t o h elp students learn to monitor
t heir o wn errors; a n Answer Key h as been provided for t his section. l iOn Your Own" pro-
vides students w ith f urther i ndividual practice i n t he p aragraph-writing skills they have
learned.
We h ope t hat you enjoy working t hrough these activities w ith y our students. At a ny
stage, they are definitely ready to write.
iv
- O rganization: The
Key t o G ood W riting
O rganization is t he key t o good writing. Different languages organize
their ideas differently. I n English, organization means dividing your
ideas i nto groups a nd p utting t hem i n a logical order. Before you begin t o
write a nd while you are writing, you will need t o organize y our ideas.
Organizing b y Grouping
Look at t he following list of places:
S outh America
New York C ity
Italy
Korea
Istanbul
Asia
Tokyo
Mexico
Europe ; ;;;J-'::UWI.!h-.c..:- ...
G~ E) 'CS?
This list c an be organized b y d ividing it i nto t hree groups.
B
A C
S outh America Italy New York C ity
Asia Korea Istanbul
Europe Mexico Tokyo
1. W hat d o all t he places i n g roup A h ave i n c ommon?
rhev~~·
2. W hat d o all t he places i n g roup B h ave i n c ommon?
3. W hat do all t he places i n g roup C h ave i n c ommon?
Each group c an be f urther o rganized b y g iving it a name.
ABC
CITIES
COUNTRIES
CONTINENTS
New York C ity
Italy
S outh America
Istanbul
Korea
Asia
Mexico Tokyo
Europe
1
CHAPTER 1
- Organizing Lists
Organize each of t he following lists b y d ividing it into three groups.
Remember to p ut s imilar ideas together and to give each group a
name.
w inter
1. Sunday
spring
January
Friday
February
December
summer
Tuesday
C
B
A
Name: ~ Name:
Name:
~
r~
F~
truck
2. jet
helicopter
bus
submarine
boat
ship
car
airplane
A C
B
Name:
Name: Name:
3. Spanish chemistry
calculus Arabic
biology geometry
algebra physics
Japanese
c
A B
Name: _ ________________ _ Name: _ ________________ _ Name: _ ________________ _
2 CHAPTER 1
- O ften t here is more t han one way to organize things. Study the follow-
ing list:
wine
roast beef
milk
potatoes
pork
carrots
beer
chicken
whiskey
spinach
juice
coffee
First divide the list into two groups and give each group a name.
1.
A B
Name: _ ____________
Name: _ ____________
2. Now divide each group again. Give each new group a name.
c D
A B
Name: _ __________ _
Name: _ __________ _
Name: _ __________ _ Name: ___________ _
C an you t hink of something else to add to each group?
Making and Organizing Your Own Lists
1 . Make a nd organize a list of things you have to do this weekend.
2. Make a list of all the people i n your class. Organize t he list by di-
viding the people into groups. There are m any ways t o do this. For ex-
ample, you can have one list for females and another for males. How
many ways can you t hink of to organize your classmates? Remember
t hat all members of a group should have something i n common.
3. Make a list of all t he t hings you should d o when you are learning a
new language. Make another list of all the things you shouldn't do.
:t
CHAPTER 1
- Topics
W hen y ou m ade these lists, you p ut s imilar t hings together. You also
gave each group a name. The name represented t he m ain idea. We call
t he m ain idea t he topic.
Choosing a Topic
Each of t he following lists contains one word t hat is more general t han
t he others. T his word c an b e considered t he topic of t he list. Circle
t hat word:
EXAMPLE: S panish
Japanese
Arabie
~anfu~g~
Eng is
C
B
A
t ennis W ashington
Volkswagen
Lincoln
soccer
cars
Nixon
Volvo sports
baseball Carter
Mercedes
presidents
football
Ford
E
0
o ccupations flowers
dentist trees
teacher vegetation
lawyer plants
doctor grass
Irrelevancies
W hen y ou are organizing your information, it is i mportant t o be able t o
recognize w hen s omething does not belong. W hen s omething does n ot
belong, i t is called irrelevant.
I dentifying Irrelevancies
1 . Each of t he following groups contains one figure t hat is irrelevant.
Find i t a nd cross it out.
A. ~
2 6 8 4
o. 00
~
(!)
B.
< >> ~
t:::::::J
C.
r1
r 11 I
1
D. T
+ X
.......-:
E. ; ::>'
4 CHAPTER 1
- 2 . Cross o ut t he word i n each of t he following groups t hat does n ot
belong. T hen write a topic for each list o n t he l ine provided.
fowd
EXAMPLE: . ..!L._ _ _ _ __
candy
chicken
plants
vegetables
B.
A. D.
C.
P ennsylvania
g reen desk S panish
Philadelphia
dress c hair T urkish
yellow Florida table Chinese
blue California book m odern
H.
G.
F.
E.
February k ing t ire
physics
Wednesday
s wimming p resident h orn
p rime m inister s teering wheel
April
biology
Volkswagen
s ecretary
chemistry J une
Read t he following sentences a nd decide w hich ones are irrelevant
3.
to t he topic. Draw a line t hrough t he irrelevant sentences.
Topic Sentence: I t is interesting t o v isit foreign countries.
EXAMPLE:
1. You c an meet n ew people.
2. You c an eat different k inds of food.
I t is expensive.
~.
4. You c an see t he way other people live.
Number .3 is irrelevant because i t"~ ~~t ie idea tiat"
it"i4~~~~~.
a. Topic Sentence: There is a l ot t o d o i n New York City.
1. There are m any m useums t o see.
2. I t is t he c ultural center of t he United States.
3. The subways are dirty.
4. The restaurants are interesting.
Number _ _ is irrelevant because _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
b . Topic Sentence: People prefer small cars for a n umber o f reasons.
1. T hey are cheaper t o buy.
2. They use less gas t han bigger cars.
3. They are easier t o park.
4. Some s mall cars d o n ot have e nough legroom.
Number _ _ is irrelevant because _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
CHAPTER 1 S
- c. Topic Sentence: Different people spend their free time i n
different ways.
1. A lot of people spend their free time going to movies.
2. The price of movies has increased recently.
3. Some people like to read.
4. Many people enjoy sports.
S. Some people prefer to listen to music.
Number _ _ is irrelevant because _ ____________
d . Topic Sentence: Smoking cigarettes is a bad habit.
It is expensive.
1.
2. I t may cause cancer.
3. There are many kinds of cigarettes.
4. The smoke often bothers other people.
S. Cigarettes left burning can cause fires.
Number _ _ is irrelevant because _ ____________
6 CHAPTER 1
- Topic a nd
S upporting Sentences
A p aragraph is a group of sentences about the same topic. The m ain idea
of t he paragraph is usually given i n t he first sentence. This sentence is
called the topic sentence. I t introduces the topic a nd controls the infor-
mation given i n t he other sentences. The other sentences add details to
the topic and are called the supporting sentences.
Topic Sentences
Identifying Topic Sentences
EXAMPLE: The students i n t he class come from m any different
parts of the world. Some are from European countries such as France,
Spain, a nd Italy. Others are from Middle Eastern countries, like Saudi
Arabia and Israel. Many are from Asian countries like Japan. The
largest number are from Latin American countries, such as Venezuela
a nd Mexico.
What is the topic sentence?
rU~Metie~ txHne~~~~i9{
tie~
Notice that all the sentences relate t o t he topic sentence.
Read t he following paragraphs a nd answer the questions.
1. There are many reasons why millions o f Americans move every year. Some
move to find better jobs or to advance their careers. Others are attracted to
places with better weather. Still others want to move to a place with less crime.
Finally, many people want to move to a place with a lower cost of living.
What is the topic sentence? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Do all the supporting sentences relate to the topic sentence? _ _ _ _ __
2. Many men are now employed in what were traditionally women's jobs. For
example, there are now twice as many male nurses as there were ten years ago.
Since 1972, the number o f male telephone operators has almost doubled and
the number o f male secretaries is up about 24 percent.
What is the topic sentence? _ ________________
Do all the supporting sentences relate to the topic sentence? _ _ _ _ __
CHAPTER 2 1
- 3. Throughout history garlic has had many uses. The Romans gave garlic t o
their slaves f or strength and t o their soldiers f or courage. During the Middle
Ages, some people used garlic t o keep witches away. In t he eighteenth century
i t was used t o cure diseases. Even today some people believe t hat eating garlic
can prevent colds.
W hat is the topic sentence?
Do all the supporting sentences relate to the topic sentence? _ _ _ _ __
4. Video games are very popular on college campuses in t he United States.
M ost colleges have at least one video game. These games, which cost f ifty cents
t o play, make hundreds o f dollars per week and thousands o f dollars per year! In
many cases, the schools use t he money from the machines for school improve-
ments and scholarships.
What is the topic sentence? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Do all the supporting sentences relate t o the topic sentence?
Choosing a Topic Sentence
Choose t he b est topic sentence for each of t he following paragraphs a nd
write i t o n t he l ine provided.
EXAMPLE:
a. The city needs t he money.
b. The city needs money t o fix t he buses.
c. The state has lots of money.
rk~~~~/i%tJe~
M any of t he buses need repair work. City officials say there is n ot e nough
m oney t o fix them. They will borrow money from t he state.
1. a. Taxes should be raised.
b. Many teachers are n ot paid.
c. Tax money is used t o build new roads.
The city needs more money and will have serious problems i f it is n ot raised
soon. We need money t o pay f or new roads and the repair o f old roads. We also
need money t o pay teachers' salaries and t o pay f or services such as trash col-
lection. In addition, more tax money is needed f or financial aid t o the poor.
2. a. Shopping is d ifficult.
b. The stores are crowded a t Christmas.
c. It is better to do your Christmas shopping early.
It will be more difficult for you i f you wait until just before Christmas. Many
stores run o ut o f the more popular items, so i t will be harder for you t o find what
you want. The stores are also more crowded, and the lines are much longer.
8 CHAPTER 2
- 3. a. Skiing is expensive.
b. Skiing is a popular sport.
c. Skiing has many disadvantages.
Many people enjoy i t even though i t is expensive and dangerous. A l ot o f people
spend every winter weekend skiing, and many families go on winter ski vaca-
tions. Neither the high cost o f equipment nor the severe cold keeps skiers away
from the slopes.
4. a. Airplanes have changed our lives.
b. Advances in technology have made the world seem smaller.
c. The telephone was an i mportant invention.
For example, a person can have breakfast in New York City, board an airplane,
and have dinner in Paris. A businessman in London can instantly place an order
w ith a factory in Hong Kong by picking up the telephone. Furthermore, a
schoolboy in Tokyo can turn on a TV set and watch a baseball game being
played in Los Angeles.
5. a. I t is expensive t o attend a university in t he United States.
b. There are many things t o consider when choosing a university.
c. A good education is important.
First o f all, you must consider the quality o f the university's academic program.
The university's size and location should also be given careful thought. Finally,
you must always be sure t o consider the tuition before you decide which univer-
sity t o attend.
Writing a Topic Sentence
Decide what each of the following paragraphs is about. Then write a
topic sentence i n t he space provided. Make sure your topic sentence is
general enough.
EXAMPLE:
h1it:mU .u a -nice place /Q. L de a ~
I t is always s unny a nd warm. The beaches are gorgeous w ith soft, white
sand a nd beautiful, blue water. There are m any fine restaurants i n t he
Miami area, a nd most of the big hotels offer terrific e ntertainment
nightly.
1.
He has collected stamps and coins ever since he was a child. He is very proud o f
his valuable collections. He also enjoys painting and drawing. Recently he has be-
come interested in gardening. Out o f all his hobbies, Paul's favorite one is read-
ing. He tries t o read at least one book every week.
2.
First o f all, t he plumbing doesn't w ork properly and the landlord refuses t o fix it.
I also have noisy neighbors w ho keep me up every night. Furthermore, there are
so many bugs in my apartment that I could start an insect collection.
CHAPTER 2 9
- 3.
Some people hijack airplanes f or political reasons. Others do i t for financial rea-
sons. Still others hijack airplanes because they want to be famous.
4.
To me, books are the most wonderful things in the world. I can pick up a book
and be in another place or another time without leaving my room. I could spend
my whole life reading books.
5.
I can't wait to come home from school to eat the delicious meals she has pre-
pared. She is always experimenting with different ingredients and recipes. No
one in the world can cook the way my mother does.
6.
It never starts in cold weather and uses too much gasoline. The horn and the left
turn Signal don't work properly. I wish I could get a new car.
7.
First of all, the work is very interesting. I learn new things every day, and I get to
travel a lot. Secondly, my boss is very nice. He is always willing to help me when
I have a problem. I have also made many new friends at my job. And last, but
not least, the salary is fantastic.
8.
My plane was six hours late. The hotel was horrible. On the third day my wallet
was stolen, so I lost all my credit cards. It rained every day I was gone except for
one day, and on that day I got a terrible sunburn.
Compare your topic sentences with your classmates' by putting t hem
o n t he chalkboard. Discuss the differences.
Remember t hat a topic sentence controls the information for the rest of
the paragraph.
Supporting Sentences
Recognizing Irrelevant Sentences
The following paragraphs each contain one sentence t hat is irrelevant.
Cross o ut t hat sentence a nd be prepared t o e xplain why it does n ot be-
long i n t he paragraph.
Cats make wonderful house pets. They are very loving and friendly.
1.
They are also clean. They don't eat much, so they are n ot e xpen-
sive. Many people are allergic to their hair. They look beautiful.
2. There are several reasons why many American women are waiting
until they are t hirty years old or older t o have their first baby. Some
women have good jobs and want to continue their careers. Many
American couples have two children. O ther women don't want the
responsibility of having children until they are older. Still others are
waiting until they are financially secure before they start a family.
3. Running has many positive effects o n t he body. First of all, it in-
creases the efficiency of t he h eart a nd lungs. Running also helps t he
body develop greater physical endurance. However, m any people
10 CHAPTER 2
- prefer swimming. Finally, i t helps the body become more mechani-
cally efficient.
4. The Japanese automobile industry uses robots i n m any phases of its
production process. In fact, one large Japanese auto factory uses
robots i n all of its production stages. Some Japanese universities are
developing medical robots to detect certain kinds of cancer. An-
other automobile factory i n Japan uses robots to paint cars as they
come off the assembly line. Furthermore, most Japanese factories
use robots to weld the parts of the finished car. together.
S. The packaging of many products is very wasteful. Often t he pack-
aging is twice as big as t he product. Packaging is used to protect
things t hat are breakable. Many food items, for example, have sev-
eral layers of extra packaging. Most of these extra layers are abso-
lutely useless.
Identifying Topic and Supporting Sentences
ACTIVITY 1
A . Read the following sentences about Springfield Academy, a board-
ing school for high-school students. There is too much information here
for one paragraph. Some of the sentences are about the quality of edu-
cation. Label these Q. Some are about the rules of the school. Label these
R. With some of your classmates read and discuss all of the sentences.
Springfield Academy is famous for the high quality of its
1.
education.
2. Students are not allowed to leave campus without
permission.
3. Students are required to wear uniforms.
The laboratories have the latest eqUipment.
4.
S. Stereos a nd televisions cannot be played after 7 P.M.
6. Most of its graduates attend very good universities.
7. Many of the students at Springfield Academy feel t hat t he
rules are too strict and old-fashioned.
8. _ __ Students who do not maintain a B average are put o n
probation.
_ __ Teachers assign a m inimum of one hour of homework per
9.
class.
B. Now divide the sentences into two groups.
A B
Quality o f Education Rules o f t he School
CHAPTER 2 11
- O ne s entence i n e ach g roup is general e nough t o b e a topic sentence.
Find t hat s entence i n e ach g roup a nd circle it.
C. Write these t wo g roups o f s entences i n p aragraph f orm i n t he
spaces provided below. P ut t he t opic sentence first.
Group A _ ____________________________________________________________________ _
G roupB _ ____________________________________________________________________ _
ACTIVITY 2
A . Read t he f ollowing sentences a bout S an Francisco. Two of t he s en-
tences are topic sentences, a nd t he rest are supporting sentences. P ut a T
i n f ront o f e ach topic sentence, a nd a n S i n f ront of e ach s upporting
sentence.
1. San Francisco is usually w arm a nd p leasant d uring t he
day.
2. Some o f t he c ountry's m ost f amous restaurants a nd h o-
tels are i n S an Francisco.
3. There are m any t hings t o see a nd d o i n S an Francisco.
4. T he c ity h as m any i nteresting t ourist a ttractions.
5. There are m any e xcellent a rt galleries.
6. T he w eather i n S an Francisco is v ery p leasant.
7. I t is never t oo h ot o r t oo c old.
8. The nightlife is exciting.
9. S an Francisco has a ballet company, a n o pera house, a nd
a s ymphony orchestra.
10. I t is cool a nd b reezy at n ight.
11. T he w inters are m ild a nd i t rarely snows.
B . Write t he t wo topic sentences o n t he l ines provided. T hen l ist t he
r elevant s upporting s entences u nder t he topic sentences.
12 CHAPTER 2
- A B
Topic Sentence: Topic Sentence:
Supporting Sentences: Supporting Sentences:
C. Check your work with your teacher, a nd t hen write the sentences
from group A i n paragraph form. Notice t hat t he first sentence is
indented.
D. Now do the same with the sentences from Group B.
--
W riting a Paragraph
CLASS ACTIVITY: BRAINSTORMING
Work through t he following steps i n class:
1 . Your teacher will put a topic sentence o n t he chalkboard such as:
I t is difficult t o l earn a new language.
CHAPTER 2 13
nguon tai.lieu . vn
