A fun, user-friendly guide that takes the confusion out of writing essays and papers for students of all ages.

Table of Contents

• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 - Before You Write
• Lesson 1-1: Choosing a Topic
• Lesson 1-2: Make a List
• Lesson 1-3: Make Notes
• Lesson 1-4: Your Thesis Statement
• Lesson 1-5: Make an Outline
• Exercise 1-1
• Chapter 2 - Basic Essay
• Lesson 2-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 2-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 2-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 2-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 2-1
• Chapter 3 - Argumentative/Persuasive Essay
• Lesson 3-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 3-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 3-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 3-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 3-1
• Chapter 4 - Cause and Effect Essay
• Lesson 4-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 4-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 4-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 4-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 4-1
• Chapter 5 - Critical Essay
• Lesson 5-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 5-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 5-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 5-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 5-1
• Chapter 6 - Compare and Contrast Essay
• Lesson 6-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 6-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 6-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 6-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 6-1
• Chapter 7 - Definition Essay
• Lesson 7-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 7-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 7-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 7-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 7-1
• Chapter 8 - Descriptive Essay
• Lesson 8-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 8-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 8-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 8-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 8-1
• Chapter 9 - Division and Classification Essay
• Lesson 9-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 9-2: Getting Started
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 9-1
• Chapter 10 - Evaluation Essay
• Lesson 10-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 10-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 10-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 10-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 10-1
• Chapter 11 - Literary Analysis Essay
• Lesson 11-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 11-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 11-3: Elements of the Essay
• Lesson 11-4: Putting It Together
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 11-1
• Chapter 12 - Narrative Essay
• Lesson 12-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 12-2: Getting Started
• Lesson 12-3: Elements of the Essay
• Sample Essays
• Exercise 12-1
• 13 Research or Term Paper
• Lesson 13-1: What Is It?
• Lesson 13-2: Week 1-Choose a Topic and Create a Rough Outline
• Lesson 13-3: Week 2-Choose Your Sources
• Lesson 13-4: Week 3-Make Notes
• Lesson 13-5: Week 4-Final Outline
• Lesson 13-6: Week 5-Rough Draft
• Lesson 13-7: Week 6-Final Draft
• Sample Papers
• Chapter 14 - Quick Tips for Researching
• Lesson 14-1: Know What You Don't Know
• Lesson 14-2: Look in a Book, Online Style
• Lesson 14-3: Look in a Book, the Old-Fashioned Way
• Lesson 14-4: Magazines and Journals
• Lesson 14-5: Surf the Internet
• Lesson 14-6: Online Encyclopedias and Information-Gathering Websites
• Chapter 15 - Proofreading
• Lesson 15-1: Why Bother?
• Lesson 15-2: Technical Mistakes
• Lesson 15-3: Editing for Content
• Chapter 16 - Citations
• Lesson 16-1: Overview
• Lesson 16-2: The Humanities and MLA
• Lesson 16-3: Social Sciences and APA
• Lesson 16-4: History and Chicago or Turabian Style
• Lesson 16-5: The Sciences and CSE
• Chapter 17 - SAT Essay
• Lesson 17-1: What to Expect
• Lesson 17-2: Types of Questions You May See
• Lesson 17-3: The Game Plan
• Lesson 17-4: Important Points to Remember
• Sample Essay
• Chapter 18 - Taking It One Step Further
• Lesson 18-1: Be Economical
• Lesson 18-2: Keep It Active
• Lesson 18-3: Make It Matter
• Lesson 18-4: Be Gender-Inclusive
• Lesson 18-5: Be Logical
• Lesson 18-6: Know Your Audience
• Answer Key
• References
• About the Author