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Cover: Successful College Writing, 9th Edition by Kathleen T. McWhorter

Successful College Writing

Ninth Edition  ©2025 Kathleen T. McWhorter Formats: Achieve, E-book, Print

Authors

  • Headshot of Kathleen T. McWhorter

    Kathleen T. McWhorter

    Kathleen T. McWhorter is professor emerita of humanities and former director of the Learning Skills Center at Niagara County Community College. She has also been on the faculty of the State University College at Buffalo. She is the author of a number of books on writing for freshmen-level students, including the popular guide Successful College Writing, Seventh Edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018), and the composition reader Reflections: Patterns for Reading and Writing, Second Edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017). She has also written a number of textbooks on reading and writing for developmental students, including In Concert: Reading and Writing, Second Edition (2016); In Harmony: Reading and Writing, Second Edition (2016); Reading Across the Disciplines: College Reading and Beyond, Sixth Edition (2015); Academic Reading, Eighth Edition (2014); and Efficient and Flexible Reading, Tenth Edition (2014).

Table of Contents

Part 1 An Introduction to Reading, Writing and Learning in College
1 Reading and Writing for College Success
2 Active Reading and Responding
3 Thinking, Reading, and Writing Critically
Quick Help Guide to Reading
 
Part 2 Strategies for Writing Essays
4 Prewriting: How to Find and Focus Ideas
5 Developing and Supporting a Thesis
6 Writing Effective Paragraphs
7 Drafting an Essay
8 Revising Content and Organization
9    Editing Sentences and Words
 
Part 3 Patterns of Development
10 An Introduction to Patterns of Development
11 Narration: Recounting Events
12 Description: Portraying People, Places, and Things
13 Illustration: Explaining with Examples
14 Process Analysis: Explaining How Something Works or Is Done
15 Comparison and Contrast: Showing Similarities and Differences
16 Classification and Division: Explaining Categories and Parts
17 Definition: Explaining What You Mean
18 Cause and Effect: Using Reasons and Results to Explain

Part 4 Reading and Writing Arguments
19 Reading Arguments
20 Writing Arguments

Part 5 Writing with Sources
21 Planning a Research Project and Evaluating Sources
22 Finding Sources, Taking Notes, and Synthesizing Ideas
23 Drafting, Revising, and Formatting a Research Project

Part 6 Academic and Business Applications
24 Reading and Writing about Literature
25 Essay Examinations and Portfolios
26 Multimedia Presentations and Business Writing

Part 7 Handbook: Sentence Grammar, Punctuation, and Mechanics

Product Updates

Ninth Edition Updates (c2025)

AI tools are discussed throughout the text, beginning with Chapter 1’s “Why improve your reading and writing skills in the age of AI?” The focus remains on developing students’ own powers of critical reading, writing, and thinking, and on writing ethically while experimenting with AI tools.  

New readings and examples ensure that students from all backgrounds and cultures see themselves reflected in the text. From Shonda Rhimes’s humorous descriptions in “My Summer of Scooping Ice Cream” to Syris Valentine’s comparative analysis in “Which Is More Dangerous: Outer Space or the Deep Sea?”, students should find readings that will engage as well as model aspects of writing. 

New online activities in Achieve reinforce the text with auto-scored chapter quizzes, open-response AI explorations, and self-paced tutorials on study skills, time management, and growth mindset.  For teachers of corequisite courses, there is a new guide with advice tailored to this context.  

Authors

  • Headshot of Kathleen T. McWhorter

    Kathleen T. McWhorter

    Kathleen T. McWhorter is professor emerita of humanities and former director of the Learning Skills Center at Niagara County Community College. She has also been on the faculty of the State University College at Buffalo. She is the author of a number of books on writing for freshmen-level students, including the popular guide Successful College Writing, Seventh Edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018), and the composition reader Reflections: Patterns for Reading and Writing, Second Edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017). She has also written a number of textbooks on reading and writing for developmental students, including In Concert: Reading and Writing, Second Edition (2016); In Harmony: Reading and Writing, Second Edition (2016); Reading Across the Disciplines: College Reading and Beyond, Sixth Edition (2015); Academic Reading, Eighth Edition (2014); and Efficient and Flexible Reading, Tenth Edition (2014).

Table of Contents

Part 1 An Introduction to Reading, Writing and Learning in College
1 Reading and Writing for College Success
2 Active Reading and Responding
3 Thinking, Reading, and Writing Critically
Quick Help Guide to Reading
 
Part 2 Strategies for Writing Essays
4 Prewriting: How to Find and Focus Ideas
5 Developing and Supporting a Thesis
6 Writing Effective Paragraphs
7 Drafting an Essay
8 Revising Content and Organization
9    Editing Sentences and Words
 
Part 3 Patterns of Development
10 An Introduction to Patterns of Development
11 Narration: Recounting Events
12 Description: Portraying People, Places, and Things
13 Illustration: Explaining with Examples
14 Process Analysis: Explaining How Something Works or Is Done
15 Comparison and Contrast: Showing Similarities and Differences
16 Classification and Division: Explaining Categories and Parts
17 Definition: Explaining What You Mean
18 Cause and Effect: Using Reasons and Results to Explain

Part 4 Reading and Writing Arguments
19 Reading Arguments
20 Writing Arguments

Part 5 Writing with Sources
21 Planning a Research Project and Evaluating Sources
22 Finding Sources, Taking Notes, and Synthesizing Ideas
23 Drafting, Revising, and Formatting a Research Project

Part 6 Academic and Business Applications
24 Reading and Writing about Literature
25 Essay Examinations and Portfolios
26 Multimedia Presentations and Business Writing

Part 7 Handbook: Sentence Grammar, Punctuation, and Mechanics

Product Updates

Ninth Edition Updates (c2025)

AI tools are discussed throughout the text, beginning with Chapter 1’s “Why improve your reading and writing skills in the age of AI?” The focus remains on developing students’ own powers of critical reading, writing, and thinking, and on writing ethically while experimenting with AI tools.  

New readings and examples ensure that students from all backgrounds and cultures see themselves reflected in the text. From Shonda Rhimes’s humorous descriptions in “My Summer of Scooping Ice Cream” to Syris Valentine’s comparative analysis in “Which Is More Dangerous: Outer Space or the Deep Sea?”, students should find readings that will engage as well as model aspects of writing. 

New online activities in Achieve reinforce the text with auto-scored chapter quizzes, open-response AI explorations, and self-paced tutorials on study skills, time management, and growth mindset.  For teachers of corequisite courses, there is a new guide with advice tailored to this context.  

Support today’s students when they need help, challenge them when they’re ready

Successful College Writing moves first-year composition students—whatever their level of preparedness—toward achieving their goals in college using a unique visual approach and extra support for academic reading and writing. Flowcharts, annotated readings, and graphics provide help with abstract concepts and  Guided Writing Assignments provide step-by-step instruction for drafting and revising. In addition to coverage of the reading and writing process, Successful College Writing also includes a handbook; a quick help guide to reading; coverage of argument, research, and writing about literature; 60 model readings; and attention to how to ethically and responsibly work with AI tools.

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