This is a great question you might be asking yourself, and if you’re not asking it, you probably should be. If you are a native speaker of English, you don’t even have to think about it to use grammar correctly, at least for the most part. If you have ever watched a child develop language, you know that, at a very young age, children know what is necessary for language to make sense.

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of Emily Dickinson resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes audio and video lectures and short talks, downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents a collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes downloadable electronic texts and ebooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of Geoffrey Chaucer resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes audio and video lectures and short talks, downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of James Joyce resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes audio and video lectures and short talks, downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of Jane Austen resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes audio and video lectures and short talks, downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of John Milton resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes audio and video lectures and short talks, downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents an illuminating collection of Virginia Woolf resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents a collection of Walt Whitman resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes downloadable, electronic texts and ebooks, and background contextual resources.

Great Writers Inspire presents a collection of William Shakespeare resources curated by specialists at the University of Oxford. It includes audio and video lectures and short talks, downloadable electronic texts and eBooks, and background contextual resources.

Greek and Latin Roots: Part II - Greek is part two of a two part series. This series examines the systematic principles by which a large portion of English vocabulary has evolved from Latin and (to a lesser degree) from Greek. This book focuses on Greek roots. A link to the first part focusing on the Latin roots can be found below. Part II will try to impart some skill in the recognition and proper use of words derived from Greek. There is a stress on principles: although students will be continually looking at interesting individual words, their constant aim will be to discover predictable general patterns of historical development, so that they may be able to cope with new and unfamiliar words of any type that they have studied. They will be shown how to approach the problem by a procedure known as “word analysis,” which is roughly comparable to the dissection of an interesting specimen in the biology laboratory. The text assumes no previous knowledge of Greek, and does not involve the grammatical study of this language—except for a few basic features of noun and verb formation that will help students to understand the Greek legacy in English. All students will be asked to learn the Greek alphabet. This skill is not absolutely essential for a general knowledge of Greek roots in English. However, it will help students understand a number of otherwise puzzling features of spelling and usage. Although there will be some attention paid to the historical interaction of Greek with English, this text is definitely not a systematic history of the English language. It focuses on only those elements within English that have been directly or indirectly affected by this classical language. In order to provide the broadest possible service to students, the text emphasizes standard English vocabulary in current use. The more exotic technical vocabulary of science and medicine can be extremely interesting, but is explored in only summary fashion. Nevertheless, this text should be of considerable value, say, to a would-be botanist or medical doctor, if only by providing the foundation for further specialized enquiry.

Greek and Latin Roots: Part I - Latin is part one of a two part series. This series examines the systematic principles by which a large portion of English vocabulary has evolved from Latin and (to a lesser degree) from Greek. This book focuses on Latin roots. A link to the second part focusing on the Greek roots can be found below. Part I will try to impart some skill in the recognition and proper use of words derived from Latin. There is a stress on principles: although students will be continually looking at interesting individual words, their constant aim will be to discover predictable general patterns of historical development, so that they may be able to cope with new and unfamiliar words of any type that they have studied. They will be shown how to approach the problem by a procedure known as “word analysis,” which is roughly comparable to the dissection of an interesting specimen in the biology laboratory. The text assumes no previous knowledge of Latin, and does not involve the grammatical study of this language—except for a few basic features of noun and verb formation that will help students to understand the Latin legacy in English. Although there will be some attention paid to the historical interaction of Latin with English, this text is definitely not a systematic history of the English language. It focuses on only those elements within English that have been directly or indirectly affected by this classical language. In order to provide the broadest possible service to students, the text emphasizes standard English vocabulary in current use. The more exotic technical vocabulary of science and medicine can be extremely interesting, but is explored in only summary fashion. Nevertheless, this text should be of considerable value, say, to a would-be botanist or medical doctor, if only by providing the foundation for further specialized enquiry.

This book combines the Introduction to Writing in College by Melanie Gagich and ENG 102: Reading, Writing and Research by Emilie Zickel, which were both supported by Cleveland State University’s 2017 Textbook Affordability Small Grant.

In its premier edition, Horse of a Different Color: Composition and English Rhetoric is a textbook for English 101 students and faculty grown out of the belief that high-quality textbooks should be affordable and functional, providing materials that teach strong academic writing skills in a supportive, creative, and conversational manner that appeals to students and faculty. Considering the rising costs of textbooks coupled with the need for materials that match the course objectives and learning outcomes set by the Maricopa Community College District (MCCD), the English Instructional Council (EIC), and the Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) English division, Horse of a Different Color: Composition and English Rhetoric has been written and designed to deliver academic writing basics in printed form to all faculty and students at a cost in line with MCCD’s Maricopa Millions Project.

The text includes writing processes, “Rhetorical Strategies” descriptions and techniques, professional models, and actual PVCC student sample essays for use in the classroom. Questions following all readings and chapter material demonstrate the key concepts of each rhetorical strategy. All Modern Language Association (MLA) rules are current, as the material has been updated to reflect the changes in MLA Handbook, Eighth Edition, published in spring 2016. The “Grammar and Mechanics” section seeks to cover the most common areas concerning student writing with practice exercises. In addition, since PVCC college faculty composed the sections and/or accessed free materials through creative commons websites (with royalties paid to some professional authors or copyright holders of our “Sample Professional Essays” selections), Horse of a Different Color: Composition and English Rhetoric has the ability to be revised with feedback from its users.

Paul Tyndall, English instructor at KPU, introduces the critical commentary surrounding Marilynne Robinson's award winning novel Housekeeping, considered one of the most brilliant debut novel's in contemporary fiction.

How Arguments Work takes students through the techniques they will need to respond to readings and make sophisticated arguments in any college class. This is a practical guide to argumentation with strategies and templates for the kinds of assignments students will commonly encounter. It covers rhetorical concepts in everyday language and explores how arguments can build trust and move readers.

Technical writing courses introduce you to some of the most important aspects of writing in the worlds of science, technology, and business—in other words, the kind of writing that scientists, nurses, doctors, computer specialists, government officials, engineers, and other professionals do as a part of their regular work. The skills learned in technical writing courses can be useful in other fields as well, including education and social sciences.

Emphasizes the logical means of supporting claims in argumentative essays, thesis statements and reasoning. Includes logic, style and research.

This project was funded by a grant from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission in Oregon, a grant that ran from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. The text of the book is complete (though, in the way of these things, still evolving), but moving it online is still in progress. The chapters available here are ready to be used or copied; additional chapters will be added during July as the conversion and final copyedits are completed.

An introduction to the writing and research process for first-year undergraduate students enrolled in the required composition course at Texas A&M University.

Welcome to composition and rhetoric! While most of you are taking this course because it is required, we hope that all of you will leave with more confidence in your reading, writing, researching, and speaking abilities as these are all elements of freshman composition. Many times, these elements are presented in excellent textbooks written by top scholars. While the collaborators of this particular textbook respect and value those textbooks available from publishers, we have been concerned with disenfranchising students who do not have the resources to purchase textbooks. Therefore, we decided to put together this Open Educational Resource (OER) explicitly for use in freshman composition courses at Texas A&M University. Thanks to a generous grant from Dean David Carlson of the Texas A&M University Libraries, this project became a reality. It is a collaborative endeavor undertaken by faculty in the libraries and English Department as part of the Provost’s Student Success Initiatives at Texas A&M and continues to be a work in progress. Combined, Dr. Terri Pantuso, Dr. Kathy Anders, and Prof. Sarah LeMire have over 30 years of experience in writing and research instruction. Our goal is for students to leave this course as critical thinkers, polished writers, and informed citizens who can engage in civil public discourse. Gig ‘em, Ags!