Focus: Writing Sentences and Paragraphs Book

1. Focus on Writing.

Writer's Inventory. Understanding the Writing Process. Why Writers Write. The Writer's Audience. The Writer's Rewards. Writing Assignments. Writers as Spiders.

2. Focus on the Writing Process.

Stage 1: Planning. Stage 2: Organizing. Stage 3: Revising. Stage 4: Editing. Stage 5: Finishing. Writing Assignments. Writers as Spiders.

3. Focus on the Topic Sentence

Limiting a Topic. Writing A Topic Sentence. Locating the Topic Sentence. Discovering Topic Sentences in Textbooks. Writing Assignment. Writers as Spiders.

4. Focus on the Supporting Details

Creating Supporting Details. Organizing Details. Writing a Concluding Sentence. Sticking to the Topic. Using Transitions. Writing Assignment. Writers as Spiders..

5. Focus on the Sentence, Part I.

Focus on Subjects: The Actors of the Sentence. Focus on Verbs: The Heartbeat of the Sentence. Focus on Editing: Avoiding Fragments. Writing Assignment. Writers as Spiders.

6. Focus on the Sentence: Part II.

Focus on Phrases: The Music of the Sentence. Focus on Clauses: The Backbone of the Sentence. Focus on Editing: Dependent Clause Fragments. Focus on Punctuation: The Breath of the Sentence. Writing Assignment. Writers as Spiders.

7. Focus on Narration.

What is Narration? Choosing a Topic. Organizing a Personal Narrative. Transitions in Narrative Paragraphs. Focus on Diction. Focus on Revising: Unrelated Details. Revising Tip: Writing with a Computer. Focus on Editing. Writing Assignment. Writing as Spiders.

8. Focus on Description: Part I

What is Description? Choosing a Topic. Organizing a Descriptive Paragraph. Transitions in Descriptive Paragraphs. Focus on Diction. Focus on Revising: Using a Thesaurus. Focus on Editing. Writing Assignment. Writers as Spiders.

9. Focus on Description: II

Describing People. Describing Places. Choosing a Topic. Organizing a Description of a Person or Place. Transitions in Descriptive Paragraphs. Focus on Diction. Focus on Editing. Pronoun Agreement. Writing Assignment. Writers as Spiders.

10. Focus on Development by Example.

Choosing a Topic. Organizing a Development-by-Example Paragraph. Transitions in Development-by-Example Paragraphs. Focus on Revising: Sentence Combing. Focus on Editing. Writing Assignment. Writers as Spiders.

11. Focus on Process.

Choosing a Topic. Organizing a Process Paragraph. Transitions in Process Paragraphs. Focus on Revising. Focus on Editing. Writing Assignment. Writers as Spiders.

Appendix A Spelling.

Appendix B. Manuscript Form.

Appendix C. Glossary of Key Grammatical Terms.

Answers to Selected Odd-Numbered Exercises

Index