Includes index.

''Understanding the basic structures of writing is the key to writing well. Continuing the tradition of the Reading Writing series, Reading Writing Basics focuses on the relationship between reading and writing while developing essential sentence-level skills. Using a progressive structure, the text builds upon the skills learned in each unit, beginning with the basics of sentence writing and ending with the fundamentals of writing paragraphs. Reading Writing Basics features numerous engaging readings at the paragraph level that teach specific skills within context, and contains a multitude of directed, task-oriented exercises that reinforce the skills taught throughout the text.

Features: Engaging readings on such topics as the language of the Internet, whale watching, Terry Fox, Wayne Gretzky, and body language in different cultures Appendixes covering Parts of Speech, Irregular Verbs, and Dictionary Skills An Answer Key to all exercises in the text Coverage of summary skills, topics sentences, and paragraph writing A section on spelling and deadly sound-alike words A variety of exercises that reinforce skills: proofreading short paragraphs, cloze exercises, sentence-writing practices, and full paragraph and summary writing exercises. '' (Book Cover)

CONTENTS

Preface

Unit 1: Getting It on Paper

How We Write English

Capitalization

Punctuating the End of a Sentence The Period The Question Mark The Exclamation Mark

Spelling: Three Strategies for Improvement Strategy 1: Sort Out the Deadly Sound-Alike Words Strategy 2: Outsmart the Spell Checker Strategy 3: Learn to Spell Contractions Reading 1: ''r u lol @ my convo?''

How Your Finished Document Should Look

Reading Writing: More Practice Reading 2: ''When Was Language Invented?'' Reading 3: ''Our Most Remarkable Invention: Writing'' Reading 4: ''Growth of a Global Language''

Skimming, Active Reading, and Scanning

Writing Suggestions

Unit 2: Recognizing and Writing Sentences

What Is a Sentence? Reading 1: ''The World's Ocean''

The Subject

The Verb

Other Things You Need to Know about Sentences Reading 2: ''Sea Questions'' The Prepositional Phrase Clauses: Dependent vs. Independent Multiple Subjects and Verbs Unusual Word Order: Questions and Here/There Reading 2: ''Sea Questions''

Reading Writing: More Practice Reading 3: ''Sea Turtles'' Reading 4: ''The Titanic'' Reading 5: ''Tsunami Waves'' What We Do When We Read Reading 6: ''An Ocean Vacation''

Writing Suggestions

Unit 3: Working with Nouns and Pronouns Reading 1: ''The Importances of Names''

Nouns Plurals-More than One -- Irregular Plurals -- Exceptions to Exceptions Subject-Verb Agreement -- Complete / Simple Subject Review Nouns that End with ing Using Commas to Separate Words in a List or Series Showing Possession

Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Using Subject/Nonsubject Pronouns Subject-Verb Agreement Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Pronoun Consistency Possessive Pronounce -- Who and Whose Indefinite Pronouns

Reading Writing: More Practice Reading 2: ''A Nobel Prize Winner'' Reading 3: ''The Great One'' Rewording Reading 4: ''Anansi and Common Sense'' Reading 5: ''Terry Fox''

Writing Suggestions

Unit 4: Using Verbs Reading 1: ''Sharing a Language''

Recognizing Verb Tense

The Infinitive

Be, Have, Do

Making Verbs Negative Using Negative Words -- The Double Negative Negative Prefixes

Simple Verb Tenses The Present Tense The Past Tense The Future Tense

Participle Tenses Be + -ing Verbs Have + Past Participle

Consistency of Verb Tenses

The Passive Voice Forming the Passive Voice

Reading Writing: More Practice Reading 2: ''Food for Thought'' Answering Questions Reading 3: ''Moving Meaning'' Reading 4: ''How the Buffalo Was Saved''

Writing Suggestions

Unit 5: Combining Sentences

Combining Sentences Reading 1: ''Swimming the Lake''

Coordinating Conjunctions

Punctuating to Coordinate: The Semicolon

Coordinating with a Semicolon and Transition Words

Subordinating Conjunctions

Punctuating to Subordinate: The Comma

Reading Writing: More Practice Reading 2: ''Why Canadian Football Is Better Than American Football?'' Reading 3: ''Golf vs. Tennis'' Reading 4: ''Canadian Becomes World's Fastest Human''

Writing Suggestions

Unit 6: Composing Paragraphs

What Is a Paragraph?

The Topic Sentence Finding the Focus Locating a Topic Sentence Writing a Topic Sentence

Gathering Supporting Details Brainstorming Questioning Discussing

Sorting Supporting Details What You Write Why You Write How You Write

Finishing Your Paragraph

Editing and Proofreading Your Paragraph

Writing More than One Paragraph

Writing a Summary The Single-Sentence Summary The Selective Summary The Point-by-Point Summary

Reading Writing: More Practice Reading 1: ''Superstitions'' Reading 2: ''The Old Man and His Grandson'' Reading 3: ''What Is It about Sharks?''

Appendix A: Parts of Speech Adjective Adverb Conjunction Interjection Noun Preposition Verb

Appendix B: Irregular Verbs and Their Parts

Appendix C: The Dictionary Choosing a Dictionary Using a Dictionary

Appendix D: Answer Key Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6

Index