Anker Susan. Real Essays with Readings with 2009 MLA Update

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 14 • Classiﬁ cation 227

3 Another type of expertise that Algrita offers is in information tech-

nology services. Algrita allows you to build solutions in-house with our

seasoned professionals, who provide expertise in systems development

and integration, while taking advantage of outsourced back-end services.

Our breadth of knowledge is concentrated on the client’s best inter-

ests, and our methodologies are properly complemented by our systems

technology expertise.

4 By helping you strengthen your technology processes and systems,

we make a difference in your interactions with employees, customers,

and suppliers. We help you improve intranet communications, retain in-

tellectual property with knowledge-management tools, streamline pro-

cesses through centralized systems, and develop Web-enabled solutions

to automate or update legacy systems.

5 A third area of expertise is in our outsourcing services. Algrita’s

international development partners offer world-class infrastructure and

technology know-how and can help you deliver results with speed and

substantial savings. Augmenting your staff for big, short-duration proj-

ects allows you to focus your in-house resources on critical areas of the

business while enhancing customer service and support.

6 Algrita services provide practical and innovative solutions, allowing

you to do more. We look forward to helping you meet new challenges.

1. What is Giovanni classifying?

the areas of Algrita’s expertise or types of

services it offers

2. What is his purpose for writing?

to promote Algrita; to get a job

3. What are the categories?

business services, information services,

outsourcing services

4. What other kinds of examples of each category might help?

Answers

may vary but might include speciﬁ c companies and outcomes.

5. Does Giovanni’s essay have the four basics of good classiﬁ cation?

Be ready to explain your answer.

PAUSE: What area

of expertise does

this paragraph

describe?

PAUSE: What area

of expertise does

this paragraph

describe?

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WRITING ESSAYS

228 Part Two • Writing Different Kinds of Essays

Classiﬁ cation in Everyday Life

In this essay, a student discusses the different types of roommates he

has had.

BAD ROOMMATES

Dylan Marcos

1 Over the past few years, I have learned a lot about bad roommates.

Although I doubt that I have encountered all types, I certainly know

more now than I did before. I’ll pass on to you some of what I’ve expe-

rienced, so you can try to avoid the following types of roommates — the

romeos, the slugs, and the criminals.

2 The romeos are usually great guys and lots of fun, when they hap-

pen to be single — but they’re usually not. They always seem to have

girlfriends, who basically become nonpaying roommates. The women

are mostly nice, but they change the apartment in big ways. First, we

have to watch how we act. We can’t walk around half-dressed in the

morning, for example. Also, we have to get used to sharing: The girl-

friends spend hours at a time in the bathroom, doing their hair and put-

ting on make-up. There are always more dishes in the sink when they’re

around, more food disappears, and even shampoo goes faster than nor-

mal. The romeos don’t seem to understand that having semipermanent

guests in the apartment really changes the way we live.

3 Another type, the slug, is even harder to live with than the romeo

because the slugs are slobs. They never wash the dishes or put away

food, they leave a trail of dirty clothes behind them, and they com-

pletely destroy the bathroom every time they use it. Slugs pretty much

live in front of the television, so you’ll probably never have a chance

to watch what you want. The slug is also sloppy about paying rent and

bills. Although he usually has the money, he has to be reminded — no,

hounded — before he will actually pay what he owes.

4 The worst type of roommate is the criminal, for obvious reasons.

I’ve had only one of these, but one was more than enough. He was a

nice guy for about two weeks — clean, not around too much, but good

to have a beer with when he was there. One day, though, I came home

PAUSE: What is

Dylan’s purpose in

writing the essay?

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 14 • Classiﬁ cation 229

after work to ﬁ nd that he was gone, along with everything valuable in

the apartment — our laptops, iPods, some cash, a bunch of CDs, and

my favorite leather jacket. Although we called the police, I know I’ll

never get back anything he stole.

5 What I’ve learned from my experience is that, when I interview

potential roommates, I should ask for at least two references, prefer-

ably from former roommates, so I can weed out the romeos, slugs, and

criminals. That should keep my living situation sane — at least until I

meet someone who seems great at ﬁ rst but turns out to fall into another,

equally bad category. I’ll keep you posted.

1. Double-underline the thesis statement.

2. What kind of organization does Dylan use?

He saves the worst for last.

3. Underline the topic sentences.

4. Does Dylan’s essay have the four basics of good classiﬁ cation?

Be prepared to explain your answer.

5. What kinds of roommates have you had?

Critical Reading and Writing: Key College Skills

1. Summary. Brieﬂ y summarize each of the three selections, including

the major categories of each classiﬁ cation.

2. Analysis. Reread the introductions to each essay. Does each of them

set up the classiﬁ cation so that you know what is being classiﬁ ed? What

purpose does each of the classiﬁ cations serve?

Fitzgerald — to entertain;

Bohorquez — to sell; Marcos — to warn

3. Synthesis. Review the paragraph on learning styles (p. 219) and the

essay about blood type and personality (p. 224). Drawing from these

two pieces and your own experience and knowledge, discuss the variety

of methods there are for determining what kind of person you are

(hint: horoscopes, colors, and so on).

4. Evaluation. Using the Four Basics of Good Classiﬁ cation (p. 218)

as a measure, decide which of the three essays is the best classiﬁ cation

and why. Give speciﬁ c examples to support your choice. Is your choice

for the best classiﬁ cation essay different from the essay you like the best?

PAUSE: What three

types of roommate

does Dylan iden-

tify? Which one

does he like least?

■ TEACHING TIP

The Critical Reading

and Writing assign-

ments can be done

either in writing or in

a class discussion.

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WRITING ESSAYS

230 Part Two • Writing Different Kinds of Essays

Write a Classiﬁ cation Essay

In this section, you will write your own classiﬁ cation essay. Before you

begin to write, review the four basics of good classiﬁ cation on page 218.

Also, read the Tips for Tackling Classiﬁ cation in the box that follows.

TIPS FOR TACKLING CLASSIFICATION

Read the assignment carefully, highlighting the key words.

They may be describe or discuss the kinds of, what types of,

explain the kinds of, or identify the kinds of.

2. List the most important categories and the things that ﬁ t

into them.

3. Be speciﬁ c and descriptive.

4. In the end, draw a conclusion about the various types of

whatever it is you’re describing.

ASSIGNMENT 1 WRITING ABOUT COLLEGE,

WORK, AND EVERYDAY LIFE

Write a classiﬁ cation essay on one of the following topics or on a topic of your

own choice.

COLLEGE

• Types of degree programs

• Types of students

• Skim a textbook from another class to ﬁ nd a topic that is broken into

categories. Then, summarize the topic.

WORK

• Types of work spaces

• Types of customers or clients

• Types of skills needed for a particular job.

EVERYDAY LIFE

• Types of drivers

• Types of restaurants in your town

• Types of cell phones

■ Use the diagram on

page 223 to help you

organize.

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 14 • Classiﬁ cation 231

ASSIGNMENT 2 WRITING ABOUT AN IMAGE

This public service ad from the Department of Homeland Security is a refer-

ence to the USDA’s “food pyramid,” which illustrates the different categories

of food a person should eat every day. To communicate the idea of being pre-

pared for an emergency, the ad shows us the kind of “food pyramid” most of us

could construct from our understocked kitchens. Write an essay in which you

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WRITING ESSAYS

232 Part Two • Writing Different Kinds of Essays

discuss the ingredients necessary for one of the following — being ready for an

emergency, being a successful student, running a proﬁ table business, being a

good friend, or staying in shape. How many of the necessary ingredients do

you have right now? How might you acquire the rest?

ASSIGNMENT 3 WRITING TO SOLVE A PROBLEM

THE PROBLEM: When you were a freshman in college, you received a ﬂ ood of

credit-card offers, and you signed up for three. Over time, you have run up a

big debt, partly from the charges themselves and partly from the interest. Now

you are seriously in debt and don’t know how to get out of it.

THE ASSIGNMENT: Working on your own or in a small group, ﬁ rst classify your

monthly expenses. Then, divide them into “necessary expenses” and “unnec-

essary expenses.” Once you have done this, write an essay that classiﬁ es your

expenses. Finally, cite some options you will pursue to pay down your debt.

RESOURCES: Review the chart on pages 868–69 for advice on problem solving.

Also, check Web sites for advice about paying down debt without getting into

even bigger trouble. You might start by typing in the words advice on how to

pay off credit cards into a search engine. List any Web sites that you use.

ASSIGNMENT 4 WRITING ABOUT READINGS

Read both Scott Russell Sanders’s “The Men We Carry in Our Minds”

(p. 788) and Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” (p. 796). Then, write a short

paper based on one of the following assignments:

• Both Sanders and Tan describe people who have inﬂ uenced how they

see themselves and the world. Write an essay classifying important

people in your life by the ways in which they have inﬂ uenced you. Begin

by summarizing the inﬂ uences described by Tan and Sanders.

• Tan refers to the “different Englishes” she uses. Analyze Tan’s use

of this term, and try to come up with your own deﬁ nition of it. Then,

classify the “different Englishes” we use depending on whom we are

speaking with (parents, spouses, children, friends, and so on). Be sure to

present your deﬁ nition of “different Englishes” and draw on examples

from Tan’s essay.

■ RESOURCES

Additional Resources

for Teaching REAL

ESSAYS has visual

planning forms for

classiﬁ cation and the

other essays covered

in Part Two. These

forms are also online at

bedfordstmartins

.com/realessays.

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 14 • Classiﬁ cation 233

Follow the steps in the Writing Guide below to help you prewrite, draft, revise,

and edit your classiﬁ cation essay. Check off each step as you complete it.

continued

WRITING GUIDE: CLASSIFICATION

STEPS IN CLASSIFICATION HOW TO DO THE STEPS

Focus.

■

■ Think about what you want to classify (sort) for your

readers and what purpose your classiﬁ cation will serve.

Review the four basics of good classiﬁ cation on page

218.

Prewrite to explore your topic.

See Chapter 4 for more on

prewriting (including clustering).

■

■ Select the topic or group that you want to classify.

■

■ Decide on the purpose of the classiﬁ cation.

■

■ Use a prewriting technique to generate useful

categories for sorting your topic. Clustering works well

for classiﬁ cation.

Write a thesis statement.

Topic + Organizing principle =

Thesis

Three professions top the list of

hot jobs in 2005.

Topic + Organizing principle +

Categories =

Thesis

Three professions top the list of hot

jobs in 2005: health care, network

systems analyst, and home services.

See Chapter 5 for more on writing a

thesis statement.

■

■ Identify the organizing principle you will use to sort

your topic into categories.

■

■ Write a thesis statement that follows one of the

suggested formats in the column to the left.

Support your thesis statement.

The primary support in classiﬁ cation

consists of the categories into which

you sort your topic.

See Chapter 6 for more on

supporting a thesis statement.

■

■ Remind yourself of your purpose and organizing

principle.

■

■ Choose categories that will serve the purpose of your

classiﬁ cation.

■

■ Give detailed examples of what ﬁ ts into each category.

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WRITING ESSAYS

234 Part Two • Writing Different Kinds of Essays

STEPS IN CLASSIFICATION HOW TO DO THE STEPS

Make a plan.

See Chapter 7 for more on

planning.

■

■ Decide how the categories you have chosen should be

arranged. Their arrangement should serve the purpose

of your classiﬁ cation (see p. 222).

■

■ Make a written plan that includes your primary sup-

port points (the categories) and supporting examples

for the categories. (See the diagram on p. 223.)

Write a draft.

See Chapter 8 for more on drafting.

■

■ Write an introduction that includes your thesis

statement. See if you can use one of the introductory

techniques in Chapter 8.

■

■ Write topic sentences for each of the categories.

■

■ Write body paragraphs that give detailed examples of

what is in each category.

■

■ Write a concluding paragraph that makes an

observation about the way you have classiﬁ ed the

topic and why (your purpose).

■

■ Title your essay.

Revise your draft.

See Chapter 9 for more on revising

a draft.

■

■ Ask another person to read and comment on your

draft.

■

■ Make sure that you have just one organizing principle.

■

■ Review the categories you have chosen to make sure

they serve the purpose of your classiﬁ cation.

■

■ Review the examples you give for each category.

Delete any that don’t really ﬁ t, and add any that you

think would give the readers a better idea of what is

in the category.

■

■ Add transitions to connect your ideas.

■

■ Reread your thesis statement. Revise it so that your

point is more concrete and forceful.

■

■ Reread your introduction, and make changes if it is

dull or weak.

■

■ Reread your conclusion to make sure it is energetic

and drives home your point.

■

■ Make at least ﬁ ve changes to your draft to improve

unity, support, or coherence (see pp. 127–40).

■

■ Check to make sure the draft follows the four basics of

good classiﬁ cation.

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WRITING ESSAYS

Chapter 14 • Classiﬁ cation 235

STEPS IN CLASSIFICATION HOW TO DO THE STEPS

Edit your draft.

See Parts Four through Seven for