This composition reader is organized by the common patterns of rhetorical development. It is particularly distinguished by its selection of readings, all of which have been class-tested and chosen for their ability to stimulate and interest today's college students. The text draws a strong connection between active, critical reading and careful, thoughtful writing. Two introductory units offer step-by- step suggestions for sound reading strategies and for writing as a process.

Each unit begins with an introduction to a rhetorical pattern and provides an abundance of illustrative examples to help students understand the methods and purposes writers use in employing the pattern. Annotated student essays in each unit introduction illustrate students' thought processes in working with each rhetorical strategy. Extensive post-reading apparatus for each selection includes questions on Meaning and Purpose, Strategy and Structure, Style and Language, and Writing Tasks.