Articles Index
Essay Sampler: Models of Good Writing (Part 2)
Twelve more essays, articles, and speeches--some written within the past few years, others more than a century old--that vividly illustrate the principles of effective writing.
Ten Tips for Composing a Successful Essay for the SAT or ACT
Here are ten tips for composing an effective essay under pressure for the SAT or ACT. But be warned: we've saved the most important piece of advice for the very end.
Three Good Reasons Not to Buy an Online Essay
Stop right there. You're not going to do it. You're not going to cheat. You're not going to buy an essay or a term paper online. And here's why.
Sample Topic Number Three for the SAT Writing Test
One way to prepare for the writing portion of the SAT is to practice composing essays on topics similar to those that appear on the actual test. Sample topic number three concerns a proposal to offer "cash for clunkers"--a government program to buy and scrap polluting vehicles.
Sample Topic Number One for the SAT Writing Test
One way to prepare for the writing portion of the SAT is to practice composing essays on topics similar to those that appear on the actual test. Sample topic number one concerns social-networking sites.
Sample Topic Number Two for the SAT Writing Test
One way to prepare for the writing portion of the SAT is to practice composing essays on topics similar to those that appear on the actual test. Sample topic number two concerns the legalization of drugs.
Forty Writing Topics: Causes and Effects
Some of the following topic suggestions emphasize causes; others focus on effects. But keep in mind that these two approaches are closely related and sometimes not easily separated.
Forty Writing Topics: Examples
If you're asked by your writing instructor to compose a paragraph or essay developed with examples, these 40 topic suggestions should help you to get started.
Forty Writing Topics: Description
Descriptive writing calls for close attention to details. To help you get started, here are some topic suggestions for a descriptive paragraph or essay.
Fifty Writing Topics: Process Analysis
You'll find that it's not too difficult to develop a paragraph or essay through process analysis if you've chosen a topic that you know quite well. These 50 prompts are meant to help you to discover that topic.
Fifty Writing Topics: Narration
At least one of these 50 topic suggestions should remind you of a particular incident that you can relate in a clearly organized narrative essay.
Forty Writing Topics: Comparison & Contrast
To write an effective comparison and contrast, keep in mind that your subjects should be logically comparable and your composition should have a clear purpose. The 40 topic suggestions listed here are offered as starting points to help you discover some fresh ideas on your own.
Fifty Writing Topics: Classification
Many subjects can be explored through classification. These 50 topic suggestions should help you discover a subject that particularly interests you.
Thirty Writing Topics: Argument & Persuasion
These thirty statements may be either defended or attacked in an argument essay.
Sixty Writing Topics: Extended Definition
Abstract and controversial ideas can often be clarified through extended definitions. The 60 concepts listed here can be defined in various ways and from different points of view.
Writing About Fiction: A Critical Essay on Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises"
In this short critical essay about Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises," the author demonstrates how minor characters shed light on some of the conflicts experienced by the protagonist, Jake Barnes. The essay is based on a close reading of the novel and does not rely on secondary sources.
Miss Brill, by Katherine Mansfield
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, and educated at Queen's College in London, Katherine Mansfield was one of the major short story writers of the early 20th century. In "Miss Brill," first published in 1920, Mansfield recounts the observations of an aging English teacher on a Sunday afternoon in a French vacation town.
Miss Brill's Fragile Fantasy
After you have finished reading "Miss Brill," by Katherine Mansfield, compare your response to the short story with the analysis offered in this sample critical essay.
Rhetorical Analysis of E B. White's "The Ring of Time"
One way to develop our own essay-writing skills is to examine how professional writers achieve a range of different effects in their work. Such a study is called a rhetorical analysis. Here you will find a sample rhetorical analysis of E. B. White's essay "The Ring of Time."
Revision Checklist
This checklist should serve as a guide when it comes time to revise your writing.
Essay Sampler: Models of Good Writing (Part 1)
The authors of the twelve essays gathered here include the most famous American essayist of the 19th century, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and three of the finest essayists of the 20th century--Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, and E. B. White.
Compose a Narrative Essay or Personal Statement
This assignment will give you practice in composing a narrative essay based on personal experience--sometimes called a personal statement.
Essay Sampler: Models of Good Writing (Part 5)
Our fifth and final essay collection includes classic pieces by Francis Bacon, Benjamin Franklin, and Virginia Woolf alongside works by such contemporary writers as Garrison Keillor, Steve Martin, and Stephen King.
Essay Sampler: Models of Good Writing (Part 4)
Our fourth installment of the Essay Sampler offers another dozen essays and articles that illustrate the principles of effective writing.
Essay Sampler: Models of Good Writing (Part 3)
Another dozen essays and articles--most published within the past few decades, but one almost 300 years old. All of these nonfiction texts vividly illustrate the principles of effective writing.
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