What is BasicComposition.Com?
Basic Composition.com is an open resource for teachers, tutors, and students of basic composition (e.g., basic literacy, basic writing, second-language writing, freshman composition, sophomore composition, and other lower-level English composition courses). Our mission is to meet the needs of basic composition students, tutors, and instructors by providing a repository of instructional materials and scholarly artifacts.

While the materials and artifacts posted on our site help to engage students and supplement instruction, they are not a substitute for textbooks or proper classroom instruction. However, please feel free to use our materials to construct your own courses, course packets, and lessons.

How can I support BasicComposition.Com?
Basic Composition.com operates solely on donations and volunteer service efforts. In addition, Basic Composition.com accepts monetary donations. If you are interested in contributing to our 'little project,' please use the link below to contribute:

Any 'donated' funds will be used exclusively to aid in the process of designing learning materials and to support the longevity of the site, as well as fund any additional space or bandwidth needed by the site by our host provider. We are committed to providing informational materials for free to the world. Operating costs, research expenses, public relations, the purchasing of learning materials, and design/writing time of the documents here are tremendous factors in operating and sustaining this site. With your help, we can provide even more resources for students, tutors, and teachers.

Besides, we would be eternally grateful for even a few dollars.... : )

Donations are not tax-deductible at this time; however, we will be working towards becoming a government registered non-profit entity shortly in the future.

Who administers, writes, and peer-reviews the content on this site?
Basic Composition.com is administered, written, and peer-reviewed by an advisory board, who work as administrators, consultants, authors, and editors of content. These individuals include basic writing, second-language writing, and composition scholars in higher education from all across the United States.

Advisory Board
Dr. Thomas Henry, Ph.D. (C) - Director & Creator
Dr. Deborah Marrott, Ph.D. (C)
Dr. Forrest Williams, Ed.D. (C)
Dr. Chitralekha Duttagupta, Ph.D. (C)
Dr. Joshua Hilst, Ph.D.(C & WC)
Dr. Regina Clemens Fox, Ph.D. (C)
Dr. Jim Pettersson, Ph.D. (TESL)
Dr. Laura Gray-Rosendale, Ph.D. (C)
Dr. Christa Albrecht-Crane, Ph.D. (C)
Leigh Ann Copas, M.A. (WC)
Kaye Jeffery, M.S. (C)
Miriam Diaz-Gilbert, M.Ed. (WC)
Melinda Bender, M.S. (C)
Heidi Condie, M.A. (TESL)
Kevin Eyraud, M.A. (TESL)
Madeline Quayle, M.A. (TESL)
Timothy Hall, M.A. (TESL)

How do I join the advisory board?
If you are interested in becoming a member of our advisory board (that is, you are willing to author content, edit content, consult, and help to make decisions related to the site), please contact pr@basiccomposition.com. Please include a curriculum vita.

Who is the audience of BasicComposition.Com?
We are able to see (through user statistics/data) who is using our site. So far, we have seen everyone from home-schoolers to ivy-leaguers using our site. Basic Composition.com serves thousands of individuals (students, tutors, and teachers) from around the globe every month. And, we are very pleased to provide our materials to those teaching in developing countries and developing institutions around the globe. We are happy that you are here....

How reliable is the information provided on this site?
The information collected and provided on this site is about as reliable as any information found in a published and edited textbook. We try to keep things as current and diverse as possible. Also, we are constantly learning new concepts as well.

A few things to consider: We observe and use trends (e.g., stylistic, grammatical, etc.) found in current textbooks and popular texts. The lessons presented here are indictative of such trends in the English language and in composition. We preserve some traditions as well; however, we only preserve those traditions which foster important values in college writing, such as clarity, coherence, consistency, conciseness, and creativity. Please recognize that the English language is always challenging. Moreover, please recognize that we try to represent as many approaches to teaching and learning as possible.

Why are the names of the authors of the worksheets not provided?
We are not in the business of allowing our fellow teachers or scholars to come under academic or disciplinary criticism. We will post information which we deem appropriate and useful. If you have a problem with something, you are always welcome to contact public relations at pr@basiccomposition.com. Of course, if you can't beat us, join us. We would love to have as many different perspectives as possible from the discipline.

Are these materials copyrighted?
All of the materials contained within this site retain domestic (United States) and some international copyrights. Individual contributors have granted specific permissions to distribute these materials for educational purposes through this site.

By using this site you are granted a limited license (permission) to disseminate copies –both paper and/or digital- for classroom use, private tutoring, and individual use only. Reproductions and/or distribution without permission (in electronic and/or paper form) is a violation of federal copyright law. To obtain permission for distribution or reproduction, contact pr@basiccomposition.com.

Are the ideas represented here secured by copyright?
Good question. Honestly, copyright "does not protect ideas, concepts, systems, or methods of doing something" nor does it protect "facts [or] methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed."

Is there anything on this site that would infringe on copyright?
If anything on our site were to infringe on copyright, then we hope you would contact us immediately (so that we could remove it promptly - in good faith).

Why do you use particular pedagogies/terminology and not others?
The pedagogy (and terminology) one person uses is generally different from the pedagogy (and terminology) another person uses. We have changed some terms to make particular concepts more accessible to a broad range of students, especially those enrolled in basic composition courses. In other words, we attempt to make our lessons appropriate to the level where the lesson is taught (e.g., basic writing courses, etc.). We have changed some academic terminology in order to facilitate student learning. If you find something completely disagreeable to you and/or completely wrong, then feel free to contact us pr@basiccomposition.com.

Why do you not include citations for your handouts and/or supplements?
First, most of what we present here is common knowledge within our disciplines. Second, we do not endorse one citation system over others. Third, intellectually "fixed points" of knowledge change (e.g., books change editions, publishers change names, dates change, websites change, etc.); therefore, we would like to be able to adapt to changing forms of knowledge. Fourth, only a few of us are in the business of upkeeping and updating the information on this site (which is literally, thousands of files), if we had to change the source documentation information every time someone changed a perspective, an idea, had a new edition, or made changes to the citation system itself, we would have a huge number of files to change. Finally, as scholars, researchers, and teachers, we are inventing new forms of knowledge ourselves... some scholarly eurekas found here are our own and are approved for dissemination by the advisory board.

Why do you use Wikipedia entries on your TIKI Indices?
Wikipedia is increasing its offerings at an astronomical rate. We could never compete with the amount of the information by providing our own WIKI site. Besides, why reinvent the wheel (when the wheel is constantly updated and evolving)? Additionally, wikipedia offers their material free (through their copyleft policy). They actually allow and encourage links from other sites to their site. On the topic of legitimacy and reliability, we have this thought for you: Wikipedia and all wikis are collaborative sources of information (and disinformation). If you find something on a wiki is entirely off (entirely wrong), then take personal responsbility to fix it yourself (that's what it is for...).

Why is the site entirely in black and white?
Basic Composition.Com maintains a minimalist and simplified appearance to promote reduced browser workload, to promote faster downloads, and to promote easy access (for dial-up internet connections, wireless connections, and mobile devices). All items will appear in black and white, unless they contain unique individual visuals or are meant to be highlighted deliberately.

Will you ever use color?
We like to see things mostly in "black and white." Black and white forms/formats allow for everyone to see things equally (considering those with color blindness and other differences in visualization). However, the blind-resistant orange is gaining favor with some of our colleagues.

Why does the site contain particular file formats and not others?
All pages on this site are written in conventional html (hypertext markup language), and all documents are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (to reduce the import and export of viruses, malware, and other third-party content). Audio elements are available in mp3 format (for streaming and for use in portable electronic devices). And, video? Honestly, reliability and compression are huge concerns for us. We will be experimenting with different forms until we find a solution. Right now, YouTube is our best friend and is conveniently available to the masses.

Why are there some empty spaces and a few non-active links?
Well, we just started the site in January of 2009. We are adding new content and processing copyright permission forms as fast as we can. We have many new things to share... several documents and artifacts are forthcoming.

How do I become a partner/sponsor?
Currently, we are open to developing partnerships with community, corporate, and institutional friends/sponsors of higher education.

Currently, we have partnered with the Utah Valley University Department of Basic Composition, the Utah Valley University English-as-a-Second Language Program, the Utah Valley University Writing Center, The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia Writing Center, scholars from other institutions, and other professionals to create and edit materials for dissemination through our site.

If you wish to become a partner or sponsor (that is, share resources through our site), then please contact pr@basiccomposition.com.

If I sponsor the site, will you advertise my company, service, or product?
Absolutely, we are always willing to host advertisements by sponsors approved by our advisory board. However, with respect to our audience, we will only post images/logos which meet our specifications and approval. We will not post animated/motion graphics, which may affect our audience members with special needs or distract them. If you are interested in advertising on our site and need more information, please contact pr@basiccomposition.com.

Special Thanks:

We would like to thank Kaye Jeffery, UVU Emeritus Professor of Basic Composition, for her exceptional generosity….

We would like to thank Marianna, our public relations/affairs specialist.

We would like to thank our office specialist (emeritus), Ernesto Escobar.

Thank you to Google (for providing our search capabilties and for providing our YouTube capabilities).

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Without these individuals, we would have nothing to share and probably be nowhere...

In Memoriam:

F. Carroll Reid, Theodore "Ted" Johnson, Gary L. Hatch, Dr. Claud Henry, and Dr. Bryan Short.