Real Skills with Readings: Sentences and Paragraphs for College, Work, and Everyday Life Book

UNIT 1. GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START
1. Staying in College: Advice from Those Who've Been There
Meet the Students Meet the Challenges Use Problem Solving to Find Solutions Chapter Review

2. Doing Well in College: Strategies for Success
Get Organized with a Course Notebook Manage Your Time Improve Your Reading Skills Take Careful Notes in Class Know How to Take Tests Think Critically Chapter Review

3. Understanding Your Learning Style: Ways to Use Your Strengths
Find Your Learning Style Use Your Learning Style in College Chapter Review

UNIT 2. WRITING PARAGRAPHS
4. Understanding the Basics of Good Writing: How to Write in College and Other Formal Settings
Understand the Basics of Good Writing Understand What a Paragraph Is Understand the Writing Process Practice Together Chapter Review

5. Narrowing and Exploring Your Topic: How to Decide What to Write About
Narrow Your Topic Explore Your Topic Pratice Together Chapter Review

6. Writing Your Paragraph: How to Put Your Ideas Together
Make a Point Support Your Point Make a Plan Write a Draft Practice Together Chapter Review

7. Improving Your Paragraph: How to Make It the Best It Can Be
Understand What Revision Is Get Feedback Improve Your Support Check the Arrangement of Your Ideas Check for the Four Basics of a Good Paragraph Edit Your Paragraph Practice Together Chapter Review

8. Developing Your Paragraph: Different Ways to Present Your Ideas
Narration Illustration Description Process Analysis Classification Definition Comparison and Contrast Cause and Effect Argument Practice Together Chapter Review

9. Moving from Paragraphs to Essays: How to Write Longer Papers
Understand Essay Structure Write an Essay Practice Together Chapter Review

UNIT 2 TEST

UNIT 3. EDITING FOR THE FOUR MOST SERIOUS ERRORS
10. The Complete Sentence: Key Parts to Know
Understand What a Sentence Is Find Subjects Find Verbs Decide If There Is a Complete Thought Edit for Sentence Elements in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

11. Fragments: Sentences That Are Missing a Key Part
Understand What Fragments Are Find and Correct Fragments Edit Fragments in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

12. Run-Ons and Comma Splices: Two Sentences Joined Incorrectly
Understand What Run-Ons and Comma Splices Are Find and Correct Run-Ons and Comma Splices Edit Run-Ons and Comma Splices in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

13. Subject-Verb Agreement: Subjects and Verbs That Don't Match
Understand What Subject-Verb Agreement Is Find and Correct Errors in Subject-Verb Agreement Edit Subject-Verb Agreement Problems in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

14. Verbs: The Past Tense
Understand Regular Verbs in the Past Tense Understand Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense Understand Four Very Irregular Verbs Edit Past-Tense Errors in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

15. Verbs: The Past Participle
Understand the Past Participle Use the Past Participle Correctly Edit Past-Participle Errors in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

UNIT 3 TEST

UNIT 4. EDITING FOR OTHER SENTENCE GRAMMAR
16. Nouns: Using Plural Forms
Understand What Nouns Are Form Plural Nouns Correctly Edit Nouns in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

17. Pronouns: Using Substitutes for Nouns
Understand What Pronouns Are Find and Correct Pronoun Problems Edit Pronouns in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

18. Adjectives and Adverbs: Describing Which One? or How?
Understand What Adjectives and Adverbs Are Use Adjectives and Adverbs Correctly Edit Adjective and Adverbs in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

19. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers: Avoiding Confusing Descriptions
Understand What Misplaced Modifiers Are Find and Correct Misplaced Modifiers Understand What Dangling Modifiers Are Find and Correct Dangling Modifiers Edit Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

20. Illogical Shifts: Avoiding Inconsistencies
Understand Consistent Tense Find and Correct Inconsistent Tenses Understand Consistent Person Find and Correct Inconsistent Person Edit Shifts in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

21. Formal English and ESL Concerns: Grammar Trouble Spots for Multilingual Students
Subjects Pronouns Verbs Articles Prepositions Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

UNIT 4 TEST

UNIT 5. EDITING TO COMBINE AND IMPROVE SENTENCES
22. Coordination: Joining Sentences with Related Ideas
Understand What Coordination Is Use Coordination to Combine Sentences Edit for Coordination in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

23. Subordination: Joining Sentences with Related Ideas
Understand What Subordination Is Use Subordination to Combine Sentences Edit for Subordination in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

24. Parallelism: Balancing Ideas
Understand What Parallelism Is Use Parallel Structure Edit for Parallelism in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

UNIT 5 TEST

UNIT 6. EDITING WORDS IN SENTENCES
25. Word Choice: Using the Right Words
Understand the Importance of Choosing Words Carefully Avoid Four Common Word-Choice Problems Edit for Word Choice in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

26. Commonly Confused Words: Choosing the Right Word When It Sounds Like Another Word
Understand Why Certain Words Are Commonly Confused Use Commonly Confused Words Correctly Edit Commonly Confused Words in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

27. Spelling: Using the Right Letters
Understand the Importance of Spelling Correctly Practice Spelling Correctly Edit Spelling Errors in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

UNIT 6 TEST

UNIT 7. EDITING FOR PUNCTUATION AND MECHANICS
28. Commas ,
Understand What Commas Do Use Commas Correctly Edit Commas in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

29. Apostrophes '
Understand What Apostrophes Do Use Apostrophes Correctly Edit Apostrophes in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

30. Quotation Marks " "
Understand What Quotation Marks Do Use Quotation Marks Correctly Edit Quotation Marks in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

31. Other Punctuation ; : ( ) -- -
Understand What Punctuation Does Use Punctuation Correctly Edit Other Punctuation in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

32. Capitalization: Using Capital Letters
Understand Capitalization Use Capitalization Correctly Edit for Capitalization in College, Work, and Everyday Life Write and Edit Your Own Work Practice Together Chapter Review

UNIT 7 TEST

UNIT 8. READINGS FOR WRITERS
33. Introduction to the Readings

34. Narration
Elizabeth Joy Stagg, "From the Welfare Rolls, a Mother's View"
Brent Staples, "A Brother's Murder"

35. Illustration
Dianne Hales, "What Your Car Says About You"
Tucker Carlson, "You Idiot! If You Believe What You See On TV, All Men Are Morons"

36. Description
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, "Common Scents"
Gary Soto, "The Jacket"

37. Process Analysis
Cindy Chupak, "The End"
Real Simple, "Saving Gas"

38. Classification
Garrison Keillor, "Hoppers"
Carolyn Foster Segal, "The Dog Ate My Disk, and Other Tales of Woe"

39. Definition
Mitch Albom, "What's Patriotic?"
Patrice Gaines, "Healing the Wounds of Crime"

40. Comparison and Contrast
Joseph Sobran, "Patriotism or Nationalism?"
Grace Hsiang, "FOB's vs. Twinkies"

41. Cause and Effect
Steve Vaught, "Walking for My Life"
Ana Veciana-Suarez and Alexandra Alter, "Life Unplugged"

42. Argument
Children's Sports
David Oliver Relin, "Who's Killing Kid's Sports?"
David Brooks, "Boys of Summer"

APPENDICES
A. Succeeding on Tests B. Building Your Vocabulary C. Getting a Job D. Useful Forms