Proofreading

Proofread your essay, following the steps in the Proofreading Checklist on page 142. You may have to make corrections in sentence structure, capitalization, punctuation, or spelling.

A. Think about how the material in the paragraphs was classified.

1. What principle of choice, or basis for classification, did the author use?

2. How many groups are included in the classification? Name them.

3. How are the groups consistent with the author's principle of choice?

4. How does the classification break up the material into understandable parts?

B. Think about the material included in each group of classification.

1. Does the author present the same sort of material about each volcanic type?

2. What information does the title of each grouping give?

3. What does the material in each group say about the intensity of explosions?

4. What information is given in each grouping about the frequency of explosions?

5. What does the material in each group tell about the products of explosions? What is told

about the effects?

6. How is the information in each grouping organized for presentation?

C. Think about the following subjects for expository writing. Imagine that you are preparing to classify material on

each subject. music plants

food habits

games exercises

dreams machines

• Think of two bases for classification for each subject.

• Which of these bases would be complete for the material you would like to present on the subject? How can you tell?

• How many groups would you have for each subject? What would these groups be?

• Are all the groups you selected consistent with your basis for classification? If not, which ones are inconsistent? How are they inconsistent?

Summary

• Classifying means organizing material into groups based upon simi­larities.

• To classify material, a writer must select a basis for classification.

• This basis must be complete, or at least broad enough to cover all the known material.

• The basis must be applied consistently in selecting groups of mate­rial.

4. Using Cause and Effect to Explain

Expository writing is often used to explain particular events, such as scientific discoveries or moments in history. Two important factors in any event are its cause or causes and its effect or effects.

Expository writing may begin with the effect and then investigate its cause or causes. For example, in writing about an event such as the Civil War, you might ask the question, “Why did it come about?” To answer this question, you would discuss the various causes of the war.

Expository writing may also begin with the cause and explore its effects or possible effects. In dealing with the Civil War, a writer might ask, “What happened because of the war?” To answer this, it would be necessary to analyze the effects on the North, on the South, and on all black people. In writing about a discovery such as that of the Salk polio vaccine you might report the effect of widespread use of the vaccine in order to give the reader a better idea of the discovery's importance. At other times, you could use the principle of cause and effect to predict the future. You could take a current event and write about its possible future effects.

Whether you start with a cause or causes or with an effect or effects, you are tracing a process. You may be tracing forward from cause to effect. You may be tracing backward from effect to cause. In either case, your explanation will be convincing to your reader only if it is supported by accurate and relevant details.

WORKING WITH THE MODEL

Read the following paragraphs from a book. Note that the effects are presented first. Note that the last paragraph states the cause.

Perhaps the most common example of distorted seeing on or off the tennis courts is what I have come to call the “uh-oh experience”. I discovered this phrase one day while watching two advanced players engaged in a long rally. On about the tenth shot, Paul hit a ball deep to John's backhand corner and rushed to the net. John, who had always considered deep backhands his greatest weakness, seemed to lose his composure. His lips tightened and his neck jutted forward while his feet shuffled backward hurriedly, jerking his racket back at the last possible second, he flailed away, and as he saw his shot land just wide of the alley, he exclaimed, “There I go again!”

“What was the last thought you remember before hitting that shot?” I asked later.

“Just 'uh-oh, here comes another deep backhand!” said John ruefully.

I realized that John's error had originated in his mind even before he had moved his racket. It was not a lack of sufficient talent or technique but his actual perception of the ball, which had lost him the point. He had not really seen the ball; rather, he was watching all his past backhand errors approaching him. A threat was coming toward his weakness, so he tightened and retreated. Half of him wanted to defend himself; the other half wanted to strike out against his aggressor. Like Don Quixote, he defended himself against an illusionary monster and struck out.

W. Timothy Gallwey

Inner Tennis

A. Think about the cause-and-effect relationship analyzed in this passage.

1. What is the cause of the tennis player’s problem? Where had the cause originated?

2. What was the final effect? What sequence of thoughts and actions led to this effect?

3. What did the author name this effect?

B. Imagine you have been asked to rewrite these paragraphs, starting with the cause and then describing the effects. Outline the paragraphs you would write.

C. Imagine you are preparing to develop a cause-and-effect paragraph about each of the following subjects:

• an automobile accident

• losing a game

• gaining ten pounds

• environmental pollution

• getting a poor grade on a test

• financial problems

1. Write a cause-and-effect statement for each paragraph.

2. List at least three details to support each statement.