Brookdale Community College English 121
Instructor: Mrs. Ciccone
SUMMER READING 2016
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well. 30th Anniversary Ed. New York: Harpers Collins, 2006. Paperback.
The following are a series of questions and activities to do. Keep your writing in a traditional journal- or on a digital file – whichever is the most comfortable for you.
Note: Be sure to have the internet nearby for things you don’t know– This is a good habit to nurture – look up the unfamiliar.
Choose only one of the following three choices to complete for your summer reading. This assignment will be due at the end of the first week of class.
Hand in a revised typed paper in MLA format from your journal notes. The following are your choices:
Choice #1:
INTRODUCTION
1. Read the first page of the introduction. Describe the photograph of E.B. white on the wall. (100 words).
2. Read a general short biography of E.B. White. Write a short biography. (200-300 words)
3. Think of a time you had to put theory into practice. Choose a familiar field– athletics, music, science, relationships – what was one particular rule in did you use that affected the outcome. Example: Using the proper stance as a baseball batter, testing something in science, using advice –rules about friendship or dating. (200-400 words.)
4. In the last part of the introduction, Zinsser describes the evolution of writing from pen and paper to the computer. Consider how you write. What do you begin your writing process with – a journal, tablet or iphone? How do you revise your paper? Where do you do your best writing, and why do you think this is so? (200 words)
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Choice #2:
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Look at the Table of Contents. It is divided into sections: Principles, Methods, Forms, and Attitudes. Choose only one of those sections to read. Keep a reader’s journal of important points and how it relates to you. You should have several notes per chapter within that section.
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THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE:
1. Take notes on Chapter 20. (10-12 important notes)
2. Create a your own list of writing rules with explanation of why they are important. Topics can be journaling, drafting ,editing, and revision, and give your own personal examples of how you used these parts of the writing process in your experience as a writer. (200 words).
3. Consider pages 234-235. According to the author, why are “clichés the enemy of taste?” Why should a writer avoid clichés and try to say something in a fresh way? How does looking for new and fresh ways of saying things create better writing?
(200-300 words).
Any questions, email me. Good luck and have a nice summer.