??The department has a strong commitment to teaching basic writing skills, such as grammar and essay organization??The department wants to increase the students enthusiasm for and interest in writing.
??During the three years that the department has used The Standard Textbook of English, instructors1 in other departments have reported significant improvement in students writing skills. Nicknamed The Best and the Dullest the text contains classic essays from both ancient and modern authors and is organized to illustrate2 the various forms of the essay- such as narration3, exposition, and persuasion4. The essay average more than 10 pages and almost all are written in a formal style. While students find some of the subjects foreign, they feel the materials covered are often useful in their other coursework.
??A new text, The Modern Writer, contains both an introductions describing the basics of grammar and a number of journalistic essays by contemporary authors. The pieces are typically short （only 2 to 3 pages） and explore TOPics of interest to most college students, such as popular music and career planning. The style of the essays tends to be informal, even colloquial5. Each chapter contains several essays on a given TOPic and exercises designed to aid students in developing essays of their own. Although the introduction provides an adequate overview6 of basic grammar, the text does not discuss the essay form。
