Amazon.com: Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide (9780312404314): Laurie G. Kirszner, Stephen R. Mandell: Books

Product Description

Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell, best-selling authors with more than twenty-five years' experience teaching college writing, know what works in the classroom. In Patterns for College Writing, they offer a balance of classic and contemporary essays by writers like Sandra Cisneros, Deborah Tannen, E. B.White, and Henry Louis Gates Jr., providing students with exemplary models for their writing--and instructors with excellent, class-tested selections. With extensive headnotes before each reading, abundant apparatus after, and more examples of student writing than any other reader, Patterns has always been an exceptional resource for students. In the tenth edition, a new chapter on editing and proofreading in Part One, "The Writing Process," gives students more help recognizing and correcting errors common in their writing, while Part Two, "Readings for Writers," offers a greater number of informative and argumentative essays, preparing students better than ever for the demands of college writing.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

During their more than 25-year collaboration, LAURIE KIRSZNER and STEPHEN MANDELL have produced a number of best-selling college texts for Bedford/St. Martin’s, including Foundations First: Sentences and Paragraphs (2005), Writing First: Practice in Context (2006), and Patterns for College Writing (2007). Laurie Kirszner teaches composition, literature, and creative writing at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Stephen Mandell is the founder and former director of the basic writing program at Drexel University, where he teaches composition, literature, and technical and business writing.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

Paperback: 763 pages
Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; Ninth Edition edition (July 14, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031240431X
ISBN-13: 978-0312404314
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #523,832 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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	60% buy the item featured on this page: Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide 4.4 out of 5 stars (12)
	31% buy Patterns for College Writing with 2009 MLA Update: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide 4.0 out of 5 stars (2) $47.81
	5% buy Little, Brown Handbook (11th Edition) 4.4 out of 5 stars (56) $62.93
	2% buy A Writer's Reference 4.5 out of 5 stars (91) $57.50

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Write this way..., April 20, 2004

By	FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide (Paperback)

This book, `Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide' edited by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell, is a book widely used in colleges and universities, as well as advanced high school classes across the nation. It is a very useful text, and I use it when tutoring students in preparation for community college level writing and reading work. It is used at our college in the basic skills reading courses, too.

The book looks at how writers develop their work. The first few chapters look at some of the basic mechanics of writing - planning, writing, editing and revising. It also looks briefly at certain skills needed for writing, such as brainstorming and idea generation, as well as journal writing. There are many exercises included here to give students first-hand experience.

The second section looks at the various types of writing students will be called upon to produce - narrative papers, process papers, cause-and-effect, descriptive works, comparison-and-contrast, classification, definition, and persuasive/argumentative papers. Each chapter keeps a solid focus on the type of work presented, so that students can develop the particular skills; the final chapter in this section looks at combining the patterns, to produce more complex and comprehensive research papers and essays.

There is a thematic listing of articles that shows the breadth of topics covered - family relationships, language, education, business and work, sports, race and culture, gender, nature and the environment, media and society, history and politics, and ethics. Among more than one hundred articles are sixteen pieces written by actual students, so that students can see the model produced by people at their same level of development. Writings from famous people such as Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Flannery O'Connor and Mark Twain also give breadth and interest to the selections included here.

The writing assignments include journal writing, essays of the types modeled in the chapters, collaborative activities, and even an internet assignment. There is a companion website for students to use, and instructors can take advantage of materials provided by the publisher, such transparencies and additional samples.

The appendix has a ten-step process for writing a research paper (one of the more common types of college writing expected of students). The steps include everything from choosing a topic to documenting sources. Avoiding common pitfalls such as plagiarism (intentional and inadvertent) is also covered.

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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even for the casual reader, October 31, 2000

By	Kimberly M Wilson "precisioner" (Newport News, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide (Paperback)

I used this book in a highschool course called Advance Composition. It was excellent, not only as a tutor in how to write essays, but because of it's choice of examples. Essays on everything from workaholics to environmental issues, made for hours of reading pleasure. Also, it drew on works of relevant authors of the time, including Deborah Tannen and even Al Gore. I didn't realize essays could have such value, even for the casual reader.

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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This isn't just another college text., July 26, 2003

By	Matthew McCann "Skylerdragon" (Festus, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patterns for college writing: A rhetorical reader and guide (Paperback)

For me, this collection of student and author essays was worth the purchase alone. However the chapters are also helpful how-tos for writing research papers and essays in college. The book provides a thorough look at different types of writing expected in college.

I remember using this book frequently. I also remember how much I had to write in college. The amount of paper I used in college is staggering. It is reflective of the move to higher expectations in society for composing professional writing.

I can't stress enough the importance of reading and writing as a learning tool. Through writing, students, readers and others can record their thoughts, become more expressive, and be more effective communicators.

Gradually the internet and the world wide web have made us more and more reckless with our writing. Books like this can only be beneficial. Chapters address essays, research papers, analysis , and reading responses. Although newer editions are available, the same high quality found in this edition can be expected. I have three editions of this book. All have been helpful.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Did Not Ship Purchase Paid For
I was emailed by Amazon, on August 22, 2009, saying the book that I paid for was shipped. On september, 14 2009, After four and a half weeks of waiting for my book, I tracked the... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Maxine Paille

5.0 out of 5 stars Book for school
Is a great value purchase for my daugther's pre-college english class. Help her prepare for her class and the book is in great shape thank you so much.

Published 12 months ago by Golfer Genday

5.0 out of 5 stars OK transaction
I expected the book to arrive earlier then it did. It didn't come till like 3 days after the expected delivery date. But the book was packaged very well.

Published 14 months ago by Vincent A. Irving

5.0 out of 5 stars Patterns for College Writing
Shipper was very helpful in getting me the book quicker than Amazon submitted. Book arrived in the condition described, Very happy with choice and very happy with shipper.

Published 14 months ago by Dawn M. Bossert

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
brand new, good book and i recommend to anyone that wants to get a little more creative in their writing.

Published 21 months ago by Drake Dracoheart

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful
This book helped me out a lot in my college writing class. When the teacher would correct my paper I could go back and look at some examples in the book to make my essays better... Read more

Published 21 months ago by S. Kendrick

5.0 out of 5 stars Wrong book
The picture is of the 9th edition. Make sure you are getting the 10th edition if that is the one you need. There are two listings on Amazon for the 10th edition. Read more

Published 22 months ago by H. Lynn Simmons

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource and guide!
Very accessible and thorough..the eighth edition is a wonderful text for teaching introductory college writing. As a writing instructor, this text is highly recommended.

Published on August 22, 2000 by Christopher Trogan

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Book
This textbook is helpful as well as enjoyable. The essays in this book are interesting and are great examples of the writing style. Read more

Published on August 17, 1999

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