1. Reading and Writing Basics
© 2016 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

2. The Four Basics of Good Reading
Find the main point.
Find the support for the main point.
Highlight or underline, and make notes.
Review what you have read and written, and test your understanding.
© 2016 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

3. The Four Basics of Good Writing
It considers the readers (the audience).
It achieves the writer’s purpose.
It includes a main point.
It has details that support the main point.
© 2016 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

4. The Four Basics of a Good Paragraph
It has a topic sentence that includes the main point the writer wants to make.
It has detailed examples (support) that show, explain, or prove the main point.
It is organized logically, and the ideas are joined together so that readers can move smoothly from one point to the next.
It has a concluding sentence that reminds readers of the main point and makes a statement about it.
© 2016 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

5. The Four Basics of a Good Topic Sentence for a Paragraph
It has a single main point stated in a sentence.
It has something that you can write about in a paragraph, not too broad or narrow.
It is something that you can say something about, not a simple fact.
It is a confident statement, not weak or starting with I think, I hope, or In this paper I will.
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6. The Four Basics of a Good Essay
It has an introduction that gets readers interested and includes a thesis statement.
It has a topic sentence for each paragraph supporting the thesis.
It has examples and details to support each topic sentence.
It has a conclusion that reminds readers of the main point and makes an observation.
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7. The Basics of a Good Thesis Statement for an Essay
It focuses on a single main point or position about the topic.
It is neither too broad nor too narrow.
It is specific.
It is something that you can show, explain, or prove.
It is a forceful statement written in confident, firm language.
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8. The Four Basics of Good Support
It relates to your topic sentence.
It tells your readers what they need to know to understand your point.
It uses details that show, explain, or prove your main point.
The details don’t just repeat your main point; they explain it.
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9. The Four Basics of Revision
Take a break from your draft (at least a few hours).
Get feedback (comments and suggestions) from someone else.
Improve your support, deciding what to add or drop.
Make sure your ideas are ordered and connected in a way that readers will understand.
© 2016 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

10. The Four Basics of Narration
It reveals something of importance (your main point).
It includes all of the major events of the story (support).
It gives details about the major events, bringing the event or experience to life for your readers.
It presents the events using time order (according to when things happened).
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11. The Four Basics of Illustration
It has a main point to illustrate.
It gives specific examples to show, explain, or prove the point.
It gives details to support the examples.
It uses enough examples to get the point across.
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12. The Four Basics of Description
It creates a main impression—an overall effect or image—about the topic.
It uses specific examples to create the impression.
It supports the examples with details that appeal to the senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
It brings a person, place, or object to life for the readers.
© 2016 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

13. The Four Basics of Process Analysis
It tells readers either how to do the steps of the process or to understand how it works.
It includes the major steps in the process.
It explains each step in detail.
It presents the steps in the order they happen (time order).
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14. The Four Basics of Classification
It makes sense of a group of people or things by sorting them into useful categories.
It has a purpose for sorting.
It includes categories that follow a single organizing principle (for example, to sort by size, by color, by price, and so on).
It gives detailed examples or explanations of things that fit into each category.
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15. The Four Basics of Definition
It tells readers what is being defined.
It gives a clear definition.
It gives examples to explain the definition.
It gives details about the examples that readers will understand.
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16. The Four Basics of Comparison and Contrast
It has subjects (usually two) that are enough alike to be usefully compared or contrasted.
It serves a purpose—either to help readers make a decision about two subjects or to understand them.
It gives several points of comparison and/or contrast.
It uses one of two organizations: point-by-point or whole-to-whole.
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17. The Four Basics of Cause and Effect
The main point reflects the writer’s purpose: to explain causes, effects, or both.
If the purpose is to explain causes, it gives real causes, not just things that happened before.
If the purpose is to explain effects, it gives real effects, not just things that happened after.
It gives readers detailed examples or explanations of the causes and/or effects.
© 2016 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

18. The Four Basics of Argument
It takes a strong and definite position.
It gives good reasons and evidence to defend the position.
It considers opposing positions.
It has energy from start to finish.
© 2016 by Bedford/St. Martin’s