This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. Forming the building blocks you need for academic writing in any course. The Prentice Hall Reader helps you organize your writing around structural patterns and engage in these patterns by reading. These patterns help you organize your knowledge to see different ways in which information can be conveyed. Most commonly used in academic writing, the structural patterns will guide you through skills such as narration, description, classification, comparison, explanation, analysis, definition, and argument across all subject matter you may encounter in a classroom. These skills will extend to your academic work across subjects. The 12th Edition expands on previous editions with 43 essays. This includes 26 new essays, 11 written by students, and 27 that employ examples of the organizational strategies emphasized throughout the book, used in academic and literary texts, and visuals. Readings are chosen based on how well they demonstrate a particular pattern of organization, appeal to an audience of first-year students, and promote interesting discussion and writing activities.