The five-hundred-word theme
By: [by] Lee J. Martin, revised by Harry P. Kroitor.
Contributors: Kroitor, Harry P., 1924-
Edition: [2d ed.]
Publisher: Prentice-Hall
Published: 1974
Place of publication: Englewood Cliffs, N.J
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 214
Subjects: English language -- Rhetoric.
First sentence: Preface
This book offers the freshman composition student the basic knowledge necessary to write a short theme of the type most often required in beginning composition courses. I have made two assumptions: that most students will profit little in college by further formal study of "mechanics" of the language, and that students need above all an orderly approach to the problem of organizing and writing a short paper that makes a logical point and supports it. Such an orderly approach is the subject of this book. The student is not burdened with the trivia of mechanics.
I have used the five-hundred-word theme because in this length a student can best learn and practice basic principles that apply to all writing. Never do I intend to imply, however, that themes assigned should be exactly five hundred words. I do intend that they should be close to this length. A shorter paper gives the student little opportunity...
Description: This completely revised, new book takes you systematically through the conception, organization, writing, and revision of an expository theme of five hundred words. Step-by-step exercises in analysis and in writing guide you through the entire process of discovering and limiting a broad subject, organizing the material into introductory and developmental paragraphs, and then revising the final paper. Clear directions catch and hold your interest throughout.
Extensive rhetorical material has been added to the chapter "Getting Started" and to the sections on revising the theme, where you are introduced to tone (intention and audience) and to style. New exercises in classification show you how to improve the "discovery phase" of prewriting. Expanded material on introductory paragraphs explains how to get reader acceptance and how to use a "blueprint" for developing your theme. The added self-check sheets on the whole theme and on style will make self-evaluation easier. The new ideas, diagrams, and exercises will improve your mastery of the book's three major subjects: discovery, arrangement, and style.                  
The Five-Hundred-Word Theme is a step-by-step guide to thinking and writing that helps you master theme writing according to simple, clear, and interesting directions. No other book contains the same concise innovations that guide you in writing clearly and easily, putting into imme-diate practice the pointers described for your success. New practical examples and illustrations make the descriptions easy to learn and show you how to complete your writing assignments with greater ease and precision.