WriterÆs choice composition practice grade 11

Grammar and Composition

Composition Practice
Grade 11


Acknowledgments
Grateful acknowledgment is given authors, publishers, and agents for permission to
reprint the following copyrighted material. Every effort has been made to determine
copyright owners. In the case of any omissions, the Publisher will be pleased to make
suitable acknowledgments in future editions.
p. 3
from Covered Wagon Women: Diaries & Letters from the Western Trails
1840–1890 edited & compiled by Kenneth L. Holmes. Copyright © 1990 by
Kenneth L. Holmes. Published by The Arthur H. Clark Company.
p. 8
from Away Goes Sally by Elizabeth Coatsworth. Copyright © 1934 by The
Macmillan Company. Published by The Macmillan Company.
p. 21
from The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial by Herman Wouk. Copyright © 1954 by
Herman Wouk. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Bantam
Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
p. 29
from Max Perkins, Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg. Copyright © 1978 by A.
Scott Berg. Used by permission of the publisher, Dutton, an imprint of New
American Library, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.
p. 46
from Elements of Argument: A Text and Reader by Annette T. Rottenberg.
Copyright © 1985 by St. Martin’s Press, Inc. Published by St. Martin’s Press.
Reprinted by permission of the author.
p. 52

from The Death of the Moth and Other Essays by Virginia Woolf. Copyright ©
1942 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Published by Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, Inc.

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

Copyright © 2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is
granted to reproduce material contained herein on the condition that such material be
reproduced only for classroom use; and be provided to students, teachers, and families
without charge; and be used solely in conjunction with Writer’s Choice. Any other
reproduction, for use or sale, is prohibited without written permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
Send all inquiries to:
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
8787 Orion Place
Columbus, Ohio 43240
ISBN 0-07-823291-0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 055 04 03 02 01 00

ii


Contents
Unit 1

Personal Writing
1.1
1.1
1.2
1.3

1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7

Unit 2

The Writing Process
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.7
2.8
2.9
2.9
2.10
2.11

Unit 3

Writing to Discover I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Writing to Discover II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Writing in a Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Writing to Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Writing a Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Writing a College Application Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Writing About Literature: Writing About Nonfiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Writing About Literature: Writing About Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Writing: A Five-Stage Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Prewriting: Finding Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Prewriting: Questioning to Explore a Topic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Prewriting: Audience and Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Prewriting: Observing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Drafting: Achieving Unity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Drafting: Organizing an Essay I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Drafting: Organizing an Essay II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Drafting: Writing with Coherence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Revising: Using Peer Responses I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Revising: Using Peer Responses II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Editing and Presenting: Completing Your Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Writing About Literature: Analyzing a Character in a Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Descriptive Writing
3.1
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6

Creating Vivid Description I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Creating Vivid Description II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using Sensory Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Creating a Mood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Writing a Character Sketch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Describing an Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Writing About Literature: Writing About Mood in a Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

iii


Contents
Unit 4

Narrative Writing
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5

Unit 5

Expository Writing
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9

Unit 6

Characters in Biographical Narratives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Writing a Biographical Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Structuring the Long Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Writing About Literature: Identifying Theme in a Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Writing About Literature: Responding to Narrative Poetry . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Writing Expository Paragraphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Explaining a Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Analyzing Cause-and-Effect Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Writing an Essay to Compare and Contrast I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Writing an Essay to Compare and Contrast II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Analyzing Problems, Presenting Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using Time Lines and Process Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Building a Reasonable Hypothesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Writing About Literature: Comparing and Contrasting Two
Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Writing About Literature: Comparing and Contrasting Two
Poems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Persuasive Writing
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.4
6.5
6.6

6.7
6.8

Stating Your Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Sifting Fact from Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Evaluating Evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Recognizing Logical Fallacies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Writing and Presenting a Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Writing a Letter to an Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Writing About Literature: Evaluating a Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

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Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

1.1

Writing to Discover I
Key Information
In personal writing you may express your thoughts, feelings, and experiences for yourself or others.
A life map, chart, or personal time line can help you find experiences from your life to generate
writing ideas.

■ A. Charting Significant Events

The left-hand column in the chart below lists general areas in which any writer might find
ideas. Fill out the middle and right-hand columns for at least three areas as you recall significant events in your life. You may list more than one item in each column.

Area of Experience

Place/Time

Event

School
Family
Trips/Vacations
Current Events
Friendships

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Games/Sports
■ B. Creating a Life Map

On a separate sheet of paper, map out the events from the chart in chronological order.
Examine your life map, and write answers to the questions below.
1. Do you see a pattern of causes and effects? Any other type of pattern? ______________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. What specific events from the life map are part of the pattern(s) you identify?________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1

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Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

1.1

Writing to Discover II
Key Information
Patterns connect events like a path that often cannot be seen until it has been traveled. Sometimes
one event can cause a string of reactions resulting in a great accomplishment. Through personal
writing you can gain a better understanding of your own path.

Planning Your Writing

Select an event or chain of events that represents part of a pattern in your life. Brainstorm
for interesting details to include in a personal writing assignment. Record your ideas in the
graphic organizer below. Write the experience to be described on the “trunk” of the “tree” and
supporting details on each of the “branches.” Add as many branches as you need. Consider
how the experience affected you and how you felt and reacted at the time.

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Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

Writing in a Journal

1.2

Key Information
A diary or journal lets you record information, impressions, feelings, and events. What you write
in your journal is your choice.

■ A. Identifying Features of a Journal

Read this excerpt from the diary of Ruth Shackleford, who traveled from Missouri to
California with her family in 1865. Then answer the questions that follow.
Literature Model

C

lark County, Missouri, May 1, 1865. This
morning we started from Clark in company
with two other families. . . . I feel very sad and
low spirited on account of Frankie being sick

and seeing them part with their friends. . . . We
travelled today over very rough, muddy roads.
The children and I rode in At's horse wagon, the
cattle being unruly and it raining. Frank's team
stalled twice; had to pry the wagon out with
fence rails. . . .

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May 2 . . . We had a big time getting the unruly
cattle yoked. It is still cloudy and the roads are
awful muddy. Every now and then the women
and children have to get out and walk through

a mud hole. We are camped tonight by a house
in a lot; turned the cattle in the lot and fed
them. The wind being very high, we liked never
to get supper [we thought we'd never get supper ready], it being the first time we have
cooked out of doors.
May 3 A beautiful morning. We all slept in our
wagons. Frankie was sick all night with a pain in
his side. I feel very uneasy about him. . . . We
passed through Memphis, a very pretty little
town. We stopped there while Frank got two
iron rods made to put in his wagon; paid $1 for
them. Circuit court was in session.
Ruth Shackleford, from Covered Wagon Women

1. Why do you think Shackleford is keeping a journal?

______________________________________________________________________________
2. What does she record in her journal?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
■ B. Keeping a Travel Journal

Imagine you are keeping a journal during a trip. After choosing a situation from the list below,
jot down some images or phrases that come to mind. On a separate sheet of paper, write a
one-paragraph entry for your journal.
1. seeing a city, landform, or well-known monument for the first time
2. a day of travel by car, train, bus, or plane
3. encountering severe weather conditions

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1

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Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

Writing to Learn

1.3

Key Information
People use primarily three basic learning styles: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), and tactile (doing
or manipulating). Analyzing your primary learning style and keeping a learning log will help you get
more out of the time you spend studying.

■ A. Describing Learning Styles

Read the following excerpt from a geography textbook. Then, in the space provided below,
explain how people with different learning styles would best learn and remember the information presented.
Literature Model

L

ook [at a time zone map, and you can see
that] moving east, you lose time. Moving
west, you gain time. However, if you were to
keep moving west, you would eventually lose
time at the International Date Line. Suppose, for
example, that you traveled west from
Greenwich, starting at 12 noon on Thursday,
and returned in 24 hours. You would be traveling as fast as the Earth is rotating. You would
gain an hour in each of the 24 time zones you

entered. You would seem to be returning the
same day you left. However, in Greenwich it is 1
day later. To avoid such confusion, an imaginary
line was established at 180 longitude. At this
line, called the International Date Line, the day
changes. The calendar date on the east side of
the International Date Line is 1 day earlier than
it is to the west.
McGraw-Hill World Geography

1. a visual learner__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. a tactile learner _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
■ B. Keeping a Learning Log

Evaluate your understanding of the International Date Line. Imagine the lines below are part
of your learning log, and use them to summarize the material above in your own words. Read
your summary, and then list facts or concepts you need to clarify. Use a separate sheet of paper
if necessary.

4

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1

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2. an auditory learner ______________________________________________________________


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

1.4

Writing a Letter
Key Information
Your purpose and your audience should influence the language and tone of your personal letters.

■ A. Planning to Write

Imagine that you have spent a month of your summer vacation visiting the family of a former
neighborhood friend who now lives some distance away. During the vacation your hosts took
you sightseeing, to a baseball game, to the beach, and to a theme park. In the space provided,
make two lists. One list will include items you want to mention in a letter to your friend. The
other list will include items you want to say in a letter to your friend’s parents. The purpose of
both letters is to thank your hosts for their hospitality. Think about the differences in language
and tone for these two audiences.
Friend

Parents

___________________________________

_______________________________________

___________________________________

_______________________________________

___________________________________

_______________________________________

___________________________________

_______________________________________

■ B. Writing a Letter

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Write a letter of thanks either to your friend or your friend’s parents. Use the appropriate list
from Part A to help you decide what to include in the letter.

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1

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Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

1.5

Writing a College Application Essay
Key Information
A good college application essay reveals what is unique about you. Before writing, think about your
personality traits, accomplishments, and skills. Aim for clarity as well as creativity.

■ A. Highlighting Personality Traits

A common type of college application question asks you to describe yourself. Below are
examples from essays in which students were asked to describe themselves based on an
adjective. Choose the excerpt that comes closest to something you might write, making slight
revisions if you wish. Then add at least two sentences of your own to “personalize” the essay.
1. I am very superclastic. Superclastic means “adventurous around new people in new situations as

well as always looking at the familiar with new eyes.”____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. I could use words that were very broad and subject to a wide range of interpretations. I considered

words such as industrious, accomplished, and motivated. _________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Unfortunately, I am doomed to see eighteen solutions to every problem, six sides to every square,

because I’m very analytical. ________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. I guess what I fear most is being described as ordinary. __________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
■ B. Preparing to Write a Self-Descriptive Essay

List some adjectives that you think best describe yourself, including one of your own creation.
Jot down examples, experiences, or other details you could use to back up this assessment of
yourself.

6

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1

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______________________________________________________________________________

Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................
W R I T I N G

1.6

A B O U T

L I T E R AT U R E

Writing About Nonfiction
Key Information
Writing about what you have read is one way of organizing your thoughts and deepening your understanding of the information. You can respond to nonfiction by recording your reactions in a readerresponse journal. As you develop your response, you may want to write another article with a
different perspective, write a research paper on the same topic, or fashion your thoughts into a poem,
short story, or script.

Responding to an Article

Read the excerpt below. Respond to the information presented by describing your initial reactions on the journal page that follows. If necessary, read the excerpt more than once.
Literature Model
[Bill and Kathy Magee are the founders of]
Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that
dispatches medical teams to developing countries to perform free corrective surgery on disfigured children. The things they deal with are
misfortunes that brand the spirit as much as the
flesh: cleft lips and palates, congenital hand and
foot deformities, burns and facial tumors. . . .

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

[Operation Smile] resembles a mini-Peace Corps,
with a $2 million annual budget, 14,000 volunteers, and chapters in a dozen U.S. cities and
four countries. To date, the Magees have
launched 32 medical missions to nine countries,

including China, Vietnam, Colombia, Ghana,
and Kenya, where a total of 4,800 children have
been treated. The money—the existing missions
require about $1.5 million in cash and $1 million in supplies each year—comes from private
contributions and corporate gifts or just from
bursts of inspiration. For example, the cost of
the Panama mission was offset in part by
$6,500 raised by teenagers in Greensboro, N.C.,
who organized a bowlathon.

Quotation or paraphrase from text

Richard Lacayo,
“No One Will Ever Laugh at Me Again,”
People magazine

What text makes me think of

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1

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Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

W R I T I N G

A B O U T

L I T E R AT U R E

Writing about Poetry

1.7

Key Information
Readers may respond to the same poem in different ways. Some are moved emotionally; others take
a more intellectual approach, analyzing the literary elements of the poem. You can enrich your
responses by writing about your reactions to a poem, by finding out more about the poet, or by
creating a poem of your own.

■ A. First Response

On the lines provided, describe your first response to the poem below. What images came to
mind as you read the poem? What words or features did you like?
Literature Model

S

wift things are beautiful:
Swallows and deer,
And lightning that falls
Bright-veined and clear,
Rivers and meteors,
Wind in the wheat,

The strong-withered horse,
The runner's sure feet.

And slow things are beautiful:
The closing of the day,
The pause of the wave
That curves downward to spray,
The ember that crumbles,
The opening flower,
And the ox that moves on
In the quiet of power.
Elizabeth Coatsworth,“Swift Things Are
Beautiful”

Read the poem again, and then complete the activities below.
1. Paraphrase the main idea or message of this poem. _____________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
2. Add images of your own to illustrate that “swift things are beautiful.” ______________________

______________________________________________________________________________
3. Add images of your own to illustrate that “slow things are beautiful.”_______________________

______________________________________________________________________________
4. If you were to add two more stanzas to this poem, what would their first lines be? ____________

______________________________________________________________________________
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Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 1

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■ B. Extending Your Response


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.1

Writing: A Five-Stage Process
Key Information
The writing process consists of five stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading,
and publishing/presenting. Writers progress from one stage to the next and accomplish specific
tasks within each stage. Writers often go back to earlier stages to rework their material.

■ A. Understanding the Components of the Writing Process

Fill in the following flow chart by first writing the name of each stage in the writing process.
Then under each stage, write the letters of the tasks that writers do in that stage.

Tasks

Stage 5:
FINISH

a. correct grammar, spelling,
mechanics
b. write first version

Stage 1:

Stage 4:

START

c. set neatly in final form
d. research topic
e. organize material
f. improve content, structure,
flow

Stage 2:

Stage 3:

g. find topic

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h. identify audience and purpose

■ B. Using the Writing Process

Imagine that you are writing an essay or speech and you get stuck for the reasons described
below. To which earlier stage of the process would you return? Write your answers in the
spaces provided.
1. You are having trouble deciding what information to put in and what to leave out because you are

not sure of your purpose. Go back to ___________.
2. You think of a new piece of evidence that would strengthen your position. Go back to
___________.
3. You are running for local office and discover that you have prepared your speech for tomorrow

night’s audience instead of tonight’s. Go back to ___________.
4. You notice that your paper is full of typographical errors. Go back to ___________.
5. Your friend reads your essay and gives you suggestions to make it flow better. Go back to

___________.

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

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Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.2

Prewriting: Finding Ideas
Key Information
When you need a writing topic, freewriting can help. Begin writing about a word or subject and
allow yourself to move freely from one idea to the next. To help you get going in the freewriting
process, you can use a writing starter like the ones in Part A, below. When you have decided on a
topic, you can use a tree diagram to explore different ways of thinking about the topic.

■ A. Using Writing Starters

Use one of the following starters to freewrite on the lines below. You may continue on another
sheet of paper if you need more room.
1. If I were a famous . . .
2. Americans love to . . .
3. The first thing I see when I wake up is . . .
4. A perfect day would be . . .

■ B. Using a Tree Diagram

10

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

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Take one of the topics that emerged from your freewriting above, and use the tree diagram
below to explore it further. Write a word or a brief phrase to designate the topic at the base of
the tree. Then write specific ideas about the topic in the branches that grow out of the trunk.


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.3

Prewriting: Questioning to Explore a Topic
Key Information
To generate ideas for your writing, you can ask four different types of questions: personal, creative,
analytical, and informational. Each type of question serves a different purpose in the search for
information and perspective on a topic.

■ A. Exploring a Subject

You are preparing to write a character sketch of a close friend or relative. Complete the chart
below by identifying the type of question provided. Then choose your subject, and briefly
answer each question.

Question
1. What kinds of clothes does the
person like to wear?

Type

Answer

2. What do I like about this person?
3. When I think about this person’s
habits, what patterns of behavior
become evident?
4. How does this person resemble
a famous character or famous person?

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■ B. Identifying Questions to Generate Detail

The details about spring in each of the following sentences were generated by different types of
questions. Identify the type of question that was most likely used with a P for personal, C for
creative, A for analytical, or I for informational.
______ 1. After nature’s long inertia in the winter, the sudden activity in the spring is like the

molecules in a pot of boiling liquid.
______ 2. In the spring I feel enthusiastic about the most mundane activities.
______ 3. Some flowers bloom when their sensors measure the lengthened day of spring,
while others bloom in response to increased temperature.
______ 4. By midspring in the country, the temperature can reach 75°.
______ 5. Streets that were drab and lifeless only weeks before have become almost tropical,
exotic places with abundant color and vigorous life.
______ 6. The combination of increased temperature and moisture provides an environment
suitable for plant growth.

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

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Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

Prewriting: Audience and Purpose

2.4

Key Information
Before you can start to write about a topic, consider your audience. Keep in mind the reader's or listener’s identity, needs, and interests. Is your audience the general public or a highly specialized group?
What is the average age of its members? How much does the audience know about your topic? After
identifying the nature of your audience, decide whether your purpose in writing about your topic is
to explain, entertain, describe, persuade, or narrate.

■ A. Adjusting Purpose to Fit the Audience

For each topic listed in the chart, write two possible audiences and two corresponding
purposes for presenting the topic to those audiences.

Topic
the local newspaper
roller-skating
mall walking
learning to drive

Audience
a.
b.
a.
b.
a.
b.
a.

Purpose
a.
b.
a.
b.
a.
b.
a.

b.

b.

■ B. Writing for Your Audience

Topic:
Audience

Details

a.
b.

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Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

Tone

Word Choice

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Choose one of the topics above in Part A. Describe briefly the kinds of details (factual, descriptive, fantastic), the tone (serious, poetic, humorous, casual), and the choice of words (technical,
simple, slang) that you would use for each of the audiences you selected.


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.5

Prewriting: Observing
Key Information
To create a sharp, vivid description, start by observing sensory details: sight, smell, hearing, touch,
and taste. Then go beyond simple sensory details to record your own associations, impressions, and
observations from different perspectives.

■ A. Recording Sensory Observations

Examine the following observation chart. In the first column is a list of subjects—people, animals, objects, places, or situations—that are under observation. In the second column is space
for notes recording the sensory information learned from observation. Record details from as
many of the five senses as possible for each category.

Subject
a rainy day
in the city

Sensory Impressions

the window
of a toy shop
lunch with a friend
in a restaurant
inside a
movie theater

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

a favorite pet
■ B. Developing Observations

Choose one of the scenes from the chart above to focus on further. Think about your own
associations, emotions, and impressions in regard to the scene. Then imagine the scene from a
different perspective: inside the toy shop, for instance, or outside the movie theater during the
daytime. Record these additional impressions on the lines below.

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

13


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.6

Drafting: Achieving Unity
Key Information
To achieve unity in your written work, first make sure that you have clearly stated the main idea in
your topic sentence. Then make sure that all the details, facts, and examples you use support the
main idea.

Writing Unified Paragraphs

The following sets contain information about a subject for a paragraph. Each set, however,
contains one irrelevant detail that does not belong in the paragraph. Draw a line through the
irrelevant detail in each set. Then use the remaining information to write a paragraph. Be sure
to state the main idea clearly in your topic sentence.
SET A
SUBJECT: the characteristics of a good auctioneer
1. a sense of humor to hold the audience's attention

2. sharp eyes to spot bidders’ signals
3. a clear, carrying voice
4. comfortable shoes
5. the ability to deal with large audiences
6. a talent for showmanship
7. the ability to think quickly in a fast-paced auction

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Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

SET B
SUBJECT: a navy flier’s rescue by dolphins
1. a navy flier is shot down over the ocean
2. he loses blood and waits for an air-sea rescue
3. dolphins were considered sacred by ancient Greeks
4. a school of dolphins drives off sharks
5. dolphins circle the flier until the rescue plane arrives
6. sharks’ triangle-shaped fins were seen to infest the entire area


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.7

Drafting: Organizing an Essay I
Key Information

Five techniques that you can use to organize the information you have gathered into an essay are
compare and contrast, order of importance, pro and con, spatial order, and chronological
order.

Selecting an Organizing Technique

Each set below contains a statement of purpose and a description of the data that will be
used in an essay. Select the best organizing technique for the purpose and data given in
each set by writing compare and contrast, order of importance, pro and con, spatial order, or
chronological order.
SET 1
Purpose: To give a balanced view of the benefits and dangers of nuclear power
Data: Historical facts about accidents in nuclear power plants; statistics on safe and unsafe
performance; explanation of problems of waste disposal; facts about low air pollution from
nuclear power
Organizing Technique: _______________________________________________________________
SET 2
Purpose: To provide instructions for putting a bicycle together
Data: Suggestions for common household tools that can be used; descriptions of each step in
putting the bicycle together; diagrams

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Organizing Technique: _______________________________________________________________
SET 3
Purpose: To describe an old house in which a crime takes place
Data: Details of the house’s location in relation to neighboring houses and to the nearby town;
description of the exterior appearance of the house; details of the locations of rooms and furnishings within the house
Organizing Technique: _______________________________________________________________
SET 4

Purpose: To argue that a busy intersection needs the installation of a traffic light rather than a
stop sign
Data: Eyewitness accounts of motorists’ confusion at the intersection; police statistics on the
number of cars that have been caught speeding through the intersection; statistics and descriptions of traffic accidents that have occurred at the intersection
Organizing Technique: _______________________________________________________________
SET 5
Purpose: To describe common characteristics and differences among four siblings
Data: Descriptions and examples of physical appearance, temperament, likes and dislikes, work
habits
Organizing Technique: _______________________________________________________________

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

15


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.7

Drafting: Organizing an Essay II
Key Information
An essay comprises three parts. The introduction presents a general picture of the essay’s subject and
purpose. The body presents a long, close-up view of the subject consistent with the general picture
presented in the introduction. The conclusion presents a new view of the material.

Understanding the Parts of an Essay

Read the following short text on ultrasound. Then answer the questions below.

a. Two and a half million pulses of sound per second are fired through the skin, and the echoes
that bounce off the body’s internal structures are converted rapidly into a visual map.
b. This is the miracle of the ultrasound transducer, which already has changed medicine and
promises to play a role in a wide range of human activity.
c. In medicine, the list of ultrasound’s uses grows longer every year.
d. Ultrasound provides clear views of the brain, heart, arteries, liver, and other internal organs, as
well as easier and less painful treatments for kidney stones, eye tumors, and glaucoma.
e. Ultrasound is also used to seal plastic packaging and to clean minute crevices in jewelry and
laboratory equipment.
f. In the future, fishermen could use ultrasound to locate schools of fish deep below the ocean’s
surface.
g. All kinds of equipment could be inspected with ultrasound for cracks and other flaws.
h. Ultrasound enables us to see things that we could never see before.

______ 1. Which sentences are part of the introduction?
______ 3. Which sentence states the main idea?
______ 4. Which sentence sets up the organizing technique?
______ 5. Which sentences are part of the body?
______ 6. Which sentence provides an overview, or conclusion?
7. What organizing technique is used? ____________________________________________
8. What new perspective does the conclusion offer? _________________________________

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Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

______ 2. Which sentence is intended to capture the audience’s attention?

Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.8

Drafting: Writing with Coherence
Key Information
Coherent writing is writing that develops connections between sentences and paragraphs.
Transitional words and phrases, pronoun references, and repeated words and images will help
to make your written work a coherent piece.

■ A. Using a Transitional Statement

The two following paragraphs could be found together as part of an essay. However, their logical connection is weak. Add a sentence at the beginning of the second paragraph to serve as a
transition from the first paragraph.

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The science of devising and breaking secret ciphers and other secret codes is called
cryptography. Cryptographers who specialize in the breaking rather than the making of codes
are known as cryptographic analysts. Their work is as challenging as a game of chess but far
more difficult to master than most games of skill. In fact, secret codes that are based on a code
book that lists code words with their decoded meanings are almost impossible to break. The
code book is the key. Therefore, the captain of a naval vessel threatened with capture must
always jettison his lead-bound code book.

Secret ciphers, which encipher the actual letters in a message, are of two basic types—
substitution and transposition. In substitution ciphers, each letter of the alphabet stands for
another letter. For example, A could stand for Z, B could stand for Y, C for X, and so on. You

could quickly set up this substitution system yourself by printing the alphabet twice, first in
the normal order and then, right below, in reverse order. In a transposition cipher, the letters
of the message are scrambled in a systematic way. Here is a simple example of transposition:
Each word is written backward is changed to drawkcab nettirw si drow hcae. Guided by clues
rooted in the nature of the English language, cryptographic analysts can and do break these
ciphers, no matter how complex the systems by which they are enciphered. Of course, recipients of such an enciphered message do not need to carry a heavy code book; they need only to
memorize the encoding system.
HINT: If you can decipher this cryptographic question, it will give you a hint about the transitional sentence for the second paragraph: Dsrxs rh vzhrvi gl wvxrksvi, z xlwv yzhvw lm z xlwv
yllp li z xrksvi?
■ B. Identifying Words That Develop Connections

Underline the transitional words and phrases, pronoun references, and repeated words and
images in the sentences of the two paragraphs above.

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

17


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.9

Revising: Using Peer Responses I
Key Information
A peer reviewer can give you an objective reading of your work. In a successful peer review, the
writer and the reviewer understand their different roles.

Describing the Roles of the Writer and the Reviewer

The box below includes the tasks of both the writer and the peer reviewer. Choosing the correct tasks for each person, write a paragraph describing the role of the writer in the review
process and another paragraph describing the role of the reviewer.
Tasks
1. directs criticism at the writing
2. seeks fresh insights into the
work
3. tries to bring out the writer’s
best work
4. questions confusing comments
5. asks for suggestions
6. begins with praise
7. seeks to understand the
writer’s intentions
8. takes careful notes

10. decides on all final changes
11. seeks to understand the
writer’s meaning
12. suggests specific solutions
13. listens with an open mind

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Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

9. directs criticism at the writing

Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

Revising: Using Peer Responses II

2.9

Key Information
Reviewers read a written work at least twice—first, to get an overall impression of the piece and,
second, to examine its content, coherence, and flow. Reviewers should not be concerned with
misspelled words or grammar problems but should ask themselves questions about the clarity of the
thesis, the strength of the supporting evidence, and the expression of the argument.

Reviewing a Written Piece

You are asked to review the following paragraph, written by a classmate. Read the paragraph at
least twice, and then answer the questions below.
Model

H

umor is not always easy to define. Psychologists have identified many sources of humor, from
repetition to sudden incongruities of behavior. Sometimes when you aren’t trying to be witty, you
come up with something that makes everyone laugh. Other times, you find that your best jokes fall
flat. Comedians say that their most effective lines occur to them when they are doing something else,
like shopping for groceries or taking the dog to the vet. When they let their subconscious do the
work, they think of their most successful jokes. The best humor is usually spontaneous. What one
person finds funny another person will not find funny at all.

1. Briefly describe your first impression of the paragraph.

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

2. Does the opening make you want to keep reading? Can you suggest a better one?

______________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the main idea of the paragraph? Where is it stated?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Which sentences in the paragraph do not support the topic sentence?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. Ask two questions that will elicit new supporting details, facts, or examples.

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Is the ending strong? Can you suggest a better ending?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

19


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

2.10

Editing and Presenting: Completing Your Essay
Key Information
Editing involves examining the construction of the sentences and paragraphs; proofreading involves
searching for errors in capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Editing and Proofreading a Paragraph

Read the following paragraphs first to edit them and then to proofread them. Use correct
proofreading marks to indicate changes. Note that all proper names have been spelled
correctly. (If you wish, you may refer to pages 91 and 92 of your textbook.)
Model
When Lady Mary Montagu traveled to turkey from England in 1717 she
was’nt planning to save thousands of lives. She was simply a curious
tourist observing people and customs. The local method for avoiding
smallpox, a disease that is desimating people back home, especially
fascinated her—injections of small doses of the smallpox virus. The
injection resulted in a few days of illness , but afterward the patient
will no longer be suggestible to the disease.
Upon returning home, Montagu experimented with this procedure and
published a report of her findings; however, his discovery of what we

Edward Jenner became interested in Montagu’s findings. His similar

studies and publications made smallpox vaccinations a widely accepted
practice. Reducing the death rate in England by two thirds. In the 1970s
the World Health Organization declared the disease evaluated.

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Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

now call innoculation did not receive much attention. In 1796 physician


Composition Practice
Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................
W R I T I N G

2.11

A B O U T

L I T E R AT U R E

Analyzing a Character in a Play
Key Information
Begin an analysis of a character in a play by freewriting or by creating a cluster diagram to focus
on his or her character traits.

Freewriting About a Character in a Play

Read the following lines from a play about a fictitious Navy court-martial during World War II.
Fill in the cluster diagram with adjectives or phrases about Greenwald.
Literature Model
MARYK: I don’t like the way you’re handling
me.

MARYK: (staring at him) Greenwald, is there
something eating you?

GREENWALD: Good. That makes us even.

GREENWALD: I don’t know. (Paces in silence for
a moment. Halts) I’m a . . . good lawyer, Maryk,
and I’m a pretty poor flyer. Took quite a shellacking at flight school from snotty ensign
instructors four or five years younger than me. I
didn’t like it. Baby-faced kids couldn’t do such
things to Greenwald the hot-shot lawyer. I used
to daydream about a court-martial coming up
on that base. And some poor joe would need
defending. And I’d step in, and take over, and
twist the Navy’s arm, and make it holler Uncle.
Now—here’s my dream come true. You know
something? I don’t look forward to twisting the
Navy’s arm. Not one bit.

MARYK: How’s that?
GREENWALD: I don’t like handling you.

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

MARYK: What? Well, then, maybe I’d better—
GREENWALD: (Crossing to desk and taking
papers from briefcase) Maryk, I’d rather be prosecuting you than defending you. I told you that
the first time we met. Nevertheless, I’m defending you. If it’s humanly possible to win an
acquittal in this case I’m going to win you an
acquittal. If you want a prediction, I believe I’m
going to get you off. But you can’t help me. So
just leave me be. . . .

Herman Wouk,
from The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

Greenwald

Writer’s Choice: Composition Practice, Grade 11, Unit 2

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