Student Success Guide

Student Success Guide – Writing Skills

© 1990 by Robert T. Carroll. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form or by any means, including electronic storage and retrieval, or translated into a
foreign language without prior agreement and written consent from the author as governed
by United States and International Copyright Law.

e-mail rtc@skepdic.com

Author: Robert Todd Carroll

Website: The Skeptic’s Dictionary at www.skepdic.com

Other books by Robert T. Carroll

• The Common-Sense Philosophy of Religion of Bishop Edward Stillingfleet, 1635-

1699. (1975). (International Archives of the History of Ideas / archives
internationales d'
histoire des idées). Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague

• Student Success Guide: Study Skills (1990).

www.skepdic.com/refuge/studyskills1.pdf

• The Skeptic’s Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions,

and Dangerous Delusions. (2003). Wiley and Sons.

• Becoming a Critical Thinker – A Guide for the New Millennium. (2005). 2nd
edition. Pearson Custom Publishing.
 Preface

The Student Success Guide: Writing Skills is a companion to the Student Success Guide: Study
Skills book. The purpose of each is to provide a systematic approach to learning the skills needed by every
successful student. The study skills text focuses on vocabulary building, time management, listening and
concentration, reading and studying textbooks, taking notes, reviewing and preparing for tests. The writing skills
text focuses on building those skills needed by the college student to fulfill typical writing assignments.
The Student Success Guides may be used independently by the student who wishes to improve his or
her chances of success in humanities and social science courses. The books could also be used as the sole text
in a College Success course or as an adjunct text in an English or Humanities course.
The driving idea behind the Student Success Guides is that methodical and purposive studying is the
most effective and efficient. I don'
t claim that my methods are the only ones. In fact, I can' t even call them my
methods, since I have taken the work and suggestions of many people and applied them as I saw fit.
To do well in college the student does not have to be an excellent writer, but a certain competence is
expected and is essential. This text is designed to help the student develop sufficient writing competency to
produce papers and exams acceptable in any college level course.

Robert T. Carroll
Sacramento City College
May 1990

Acknowledgment and dedication. For the first half of my teaching career at Sacramento City College I
was fortunate to have had Les Read as my colleague in the philosophy department. Les was one of my
closest friends until his sudden death at age 48. Ed Stupka—who taught college success classes—Les,
and I spent many fruitful hours discussing, arguing, and evaluating various teaching techniques and ideas.
Without their insights and criticisms, this guide would not have been written.
The Los Rios Community College Board of Trustees granted me a sabbatical leave in the spring of
1986 to complete this project.
STUDENT SUCCESS GUIDE: WRITING SKILLS

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 WRITING - BASIC CHECKLIST 2
Exercise 1 - Writing : Checking the Basics 3
2. ELEMENTS OF SATISFACTORY WRITING 4
2.1 CLARITY 4
Exercise 2 - Clarity in Writing 6
2.2 COHERENT AND FOCUSED WRITING 7
2.2.1 TITLES 8
2.2.2 INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPHS 9
Exercise 3 - Checking Titles & Introductions 11
2.2.3 BODY PARAGRAPHS 13
Exercise 4 - Checking Points & Support 15
2.2.4 TRANSITIONS 16
Exercise 5 - Checking Transitions 18
2.2.5 CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH 18
Exercise 6 - Checking Conclusions 18
2.2.6 WRITING ESSAYS - A CHECKLIST 19
2.3 A METHOD FOR WRITING ESSAYS 20
Exercise 7 - Grouping Ideas 25
Exercise 8 - Listing, Grouping & Outlining 30
2.3.1 SUMMARY - USING THE SLOOWER METHOD 32
2.4 WRITING THE IN-CLASS ESSAY 33
2.4.1 PREPARING FOR THE EXAM 33
2.4.2 WRITING THE ESSAY 33
2.4.3 SUMMARY : WRITING THE IN-CLASS ESSAY 35
2.5 GENERAL WRITING TIPS 36

SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO EXERCISES 1-6 38

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Before turning in a writing assignment, go through this basic checklist.

1. Is every sentence complete, not a fragment?

2. Do the subject and predicate agree in number in each sentence?

3. Is every word spelled correctly?

4. Are sentences punctuated correctly?

5. Are words capitalized properly?

6. Does each pronoun unambiguously refer to its antecedent?

7. Do you stay in the same tense and person throughout?

8. Are all words used correctly?

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 SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1 - WRITING: CHECKING THE BASICS

Below is the corrected version of this essay. Corrections are underlined.

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Throughout history the question of capital punishment has been a cause of much
controversy. I believe that capital punishment is not morally justifiable on the grounds
that it is immoral to kill a human being. And, the effect of killing criminals is to
encourage violence.
Those in favor of capital punishment claim that it is a deterrent to crime. They also
logically claim that it helps to alleviate the overcrowded situation in most federal and
state institutions. Another often heard defense is that executing criminals could save
the taxpayers many dollars that could be spent on food, shelter and clothing during a
lifetime sentence.
There has actually been little to substantiate the deterrent theory because few
criminals consider getting caught when planning an illegal action. The theory is, for the
most part, archaic and irrelevant to the question of capital punishment. It is, in fact,
another question in itself.
While it is true that our penal institutions are overcrowded, this is not a reason to kill
people. If this logic is accepted, it would be permissible to kill three-quarters of New
York City. Crowded conditions and criminal punishment should not be confused with
each other. They' re separate problems whose existence indicates that there is too
much confusion.
As to the third claim, that much money would be saved, I ask you to value the worth
of a dead man. While it is true that the criminal who has been executed will no longer
commit crimes, a person who is helped to become a useful citizen can become quite
valuable.
It is true that there may be incorrigible people who many people will think should be
killed; but that person has the same right as everyone else. He needs, perhaps, more
help than others, but I do not believe that it' s really a sound reason to kill him or have
him killed. The whole of society is affected in a bad way when we start killing in the
name of law and order. The country' s attitude better start changing or we' ll all be in a
mess.
If it is wrong to kill one man, it'
s twice as wrong to kill two.

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