Describes a questionnaire survey of freshman composition teachers at the University of Texas designed to determine which weaknesses they perceive as most serious. (DD)

Discusses a study which sought to determine whether a correlation existed between reading ability and writing ability of college freshmen as measured by standardized examinations. (JM)

Two narrative poems by Thomas Merton provide a much-needed contrast to the common textbook approach to research papers. (HOD)

The real basics are not grammar and the surface features of language, but syntactic fluency, accomodation to a writing situation, and responsibility for what one has written. (DD)

Discusses results of a survey of prominent engineers to determine their experience with technical writing and to solicit their opinions about its importance to them, its place in the engineering curriculum, and what should be included in a course in technical writing. (MB)

Discusses how teachers have erred on one side to teach the basics of sentence structure, usage, grammar, and spelling and have neglected the other primary basic, creativity. (MB)

Uses results from a survey of students and faculty at the University of Texas at Austin to criticize emphases within the English department and the university as a whole, particularly the heavy use of teaching assistants in undergraduate instruction. (AA)

Argues that literary journalism is no threat to fundamental news writing and that it does not place style above substance. (FL)

Compares two methods for evaluating syntactic complexity and maturity: (1) the T-unit method of W. K. Hunt and (2) the sentence weight method of P. DiStephano and S. Howie. Concludes that sentence weight is no more accurate than T-units, and more difficult to compute. (JG)

The authors discuss the new essay requirement on the General Educational Development Test. Topics covered include scoring, expected difficulty, and how test preparatory classes can help students do well on the essay. (CH)

Describes how letter writing, especially business letters, was influenced by Greek and Roman oral rhetoricians. Discusses three precepts of oral rhetoric--inventio, dispositio, and style--and notes that the classical theories' reflection in written communication can be seen in selected Italian, German, and English epistolographic works. (MM)

Claims that newswriting practice contributes to the development of advertising writing skills and that it is particularly relevant given the increasing enrollment in advertising programs. Describes five factors common to both news and advertising writing: audience, distillation, freshness, substance, and easy access. Provides examples of each…

Presents a humorous account of possible dissertation topic and its rejection. (EL)

Samples of free writing by third and fifth graders were compared to determine if the clausal options used differed in terms of grammatical function, position in sentence, and introductory connective. The writings were so similar that no significant differences were found. Conclusions and implications are explained. (MT)

Describes a variety of exercises used in a course to encourage French teachers to use creativity in developing classroom materials and activities. (MSE)