写作是重要的语言技能。分析写作是大学教育中使用最广的写作任务，是各门课程的基本要求。本书是《分析性写作》的第三版，反映出美国高校写作教学的最新发展动态，该书2006年一出版，就非常畅销，2008年三次再版。本书再版后的特色十分明显：(1)删除了第二版中的有关分析定义的5个相关章节，压缩了篇幅；(2)使重点更加突出，更加方便查找；(3)调整了部分章节的内容，如，将妨碍写作构思的习惯独立成章，加以全面论述；(4)在学术写作一章加入了有关的阅读建议；(5)全书缩编后更加符合写作教材的特点，每章结尾都有练习与思考题，供学生复习，可以满足课堂教学课时的需要。

本书的特色可以概括为三个方面：切合需要、说理透彻、使用方便。

UNITI THE ANALYTICAL FRAME OF MIND:INTRODUCTIONTO ANALYTICAL METHODS 

 CHAPTER 1 Analysis: What It Is and What It Does

 CHAPTER 2 Counterproductive Habits of Mind

 CHAPTER 3 A Toolkit of Analytical Methods

CHATTER 4 Interpretation: What It Is, what It Isn't, and How to Do It

 CHAPTER 5 Analyzing Arguments

 CHAPTER 6 Topics and Modes of Analysis

UNIT II WRITINGTHE ANALYTICAL ESSAY

 CHAPTER 7 what Evidence Is and How It Works

 CHAPTER 8 Using Evidence to Build a Paper: 10 on 1 versus 1 on 10

 CHAPTER 9 Making a Thesis Evolve

 CHAPTER 10 Structuring the Paper: Forms and Formats

 CHAPTER 11 Introductions and Conclusions

 CHAPTER 12 Recognizing and Fixing Weak Thesis Statements

UNIT III WRITING THE RESEARCHED PAPER 

 CHAPTER 13 Reading Analytically

 CHAPTER 14 Using Sources Analytically: The Conversation Model

 CHAPTER 15 Organizing and Revising the Research Paper: Two Sample Essays

 CHAPTER 16 Finding, Citing, and Integrating Sources

UNIT IV GRAMMAR AND STYLE

 CHAPTER 17 Style: Choosing Words for Precision, Accuracy, and Tone

 CHAPTER l8 Style: Shaping Sentences for Precision and Emphasis

 CHAPTER 19 Common Grammatical Errors and How to Fix Them