Let me ask you a different question, ‘‘Why English?’’ Well you know the answer to that; it is a language you speak. Think a little further, what is the most widely spoken human language? Chinese is the mother tongue for more people than any other language, so why are you not writing in Chinese? On the other hand languages
like Spanish is far easier to learn than English so why are you not writing in one of those?
As you know, English is not only the mother tongue of a few hundred million people but it is also the second language for immensely more people. If you were an alien visitor to Earth I doubt that you would think twice about which human language you should start with. For all its complexity English is overwhelmingly the first choice language for those who want to move outside their own community.
C++ is very like that in the computing community. It is a rich and complex language with dark corners and traps for the unwary. But it is also the most widely used general-purpose computer programming language. Few people, if any, ever master the whole of English and few people, if any, master the whole of C++. But we do not need mastery of the whole of English nor do we need mastery of the whole of C++. This is not an article about C++ and when you finish it you will not be a C++ programmer.
What you will be is a programmer who can use C++ to express solutions to problems and to write programs that meet real needs.
Why C++? Exactly because C++ does not get in the way of my showing you how to program. Other programming languages may be simpler but too often I would find myself frustrated because they would prevent me from showing you simple answers to programming problems. I have been able to pick and choose from the richness of C++ to empower my readers with powerful tools that match powerful ideas.
C++ has one small failing in that the basic language lacks tools for graphical work. That was easily fixed because I could write those tools in C++ and make them available to you. I needed some specialist help with those tools because of the quirkiness of computers: they have different graphical facilities, numbers of colors on the screen, etc. Using C++ allowed me to specify what I needed and have a colleague turn those specifications into tools that will work on all MS Windows machines. Eventually
I will find others who can turn that C++ into identical tools for other machines but until I do, we have to put up with an artificial limitation in that programs you write using my tools will only work on machines running some version of MS Windows.

Definition Essay When you are writing a definition essay, you take a term or an idea and write about what it is. Often, definitions are combined with classification or other forms of organization in the essay. You need to give a careful definition of the key term before going on to discuss different types or examples. Example question: Write an essay defining energy resources and discuss the different types. Introduction: Define the key term energy resources. Supporting paragraphs: 1. Define one type of energy resources: renewable resources. 2. Define another type of energy resources: non-renewable resources. Summary paragraph: Summarize energy resources. Sequence Essay In a sequence essay, you are writing to describe a series of events or a process in some sort of order. Usually, this order is based on time. You organize the essay by writing about each step of the process in the order it occurred. Example question: Write an essay outlining the stages of the salmon life cycle. Introduction: Describe what a salmon is like. Supporting paragraphs: 1. Describe young salmon. 2. Describe adult salmon. 3. Describe what salmon do before they die. Summary paragraph: Summarize the main steps of the salmon life cycle. Classification Essay In a classification essay, you separate things or ideas into specific categories and discuss each of them. You organize the essay by defining each classification and by giving examples of each type. Example question: Write an essay discussing the three types of government in Canada. Introduction: Give background information about government in Canada. Supporting paragraphs: 1. Define and describe federal government. 2. Define and describe provincial governments. 3. Define and describe municipal governments. Summary paragraph: Summarize government in Canada. Choice Essay In a choice essay, you need to choose which object, idea, or action that you prefer. You organize the essay by describing each option and then giving your opinion. Example question: Write an essay choosing between hockey in the 1890s and hockey today. Introduction: Introduce the game of hockey. Supporting paragraphs: 1. Describe hockey in the 1890s. 2. Describe hockey today. 3. State which form of hockey you prefer and why. Summary paragraph: Summarize the game of hockey. Description Essay In a description essay, you write about what a person, place, or thing is like. You organize the essay by describing different parts or aspects of the main subject. Example question: Write an essay describing the polar bear. Introduction: Introduce what a polar bear is. Supporting paragraphs: 1. Describe where the polar bear lives. 2. Describe the body of the polar bear. 3. Describe what the polar eats. Summary paragraph: Summarize what a polar bear is. Explanation Essay In an explanation essay, you explain how or why something happens or has happened. You need to explain different causes and effects. You should organize the essay by explaining each individual cause or effect. Example question: Write an essay explaining why so many Europeans moved to Canada during the early nineteenth century. Introduction: Give background information on European immigration during this time. Supporting paragraphs: 1. Explain first reason: poor economy in Europe. 2. Explain second reason: better living conditions in Canada. Summary paragraph: Summarize main reasons. Compare and Contrast Essay In a compare and contrast essay, you write about the similarities and differences between two or more people, places, or things. You can organize the essay by writing about one subject first and then comparing it with the second subject. A more effective way is to organize the essay by comparing each subject by category. Example: Write an essay comparing the weather in Vancouver and Halifax. Introduction: Introduce weather in the cities of Vancouver and Halifax. Supporting paragraphs: 1. Compare weather in spring and summer for both cities. State how they are similar or different. 2. Compare weather in fall and winter for both cities. State how they are similar or different. Summary paragraph: Summarize the similarities and differences. Evaluation Essay In an evaluation essay, you make judgments about people, ideas, and possible actions. You make your evaluation based on certain criteria that you develop. Organize the essay by discussing the criteria you used to make your judgment. Example question: Write an essay evaluating the importance of the House of Commons. Introduction: Give your judgment on whether the House of Commons is important. Supporting paragraphs: 1. Explain first criteria: meeting place for government 2. Explain second criteria: represent Canadians 3. Explain third criteria: make laws for Canada Summary paragraph: Conclude with an overall judgment about the House of Commons

What is the editing stage? The editing stage is when you check your essay for mistakes and correct them. Editing Steps: Grammar and Spelling 1. Check your spelling. 2. Check your grammar. 3. Read your essay again. 4. Make sure each sentence has a subject. 5. Make sure your subjects and verbs agree with each other. 6. Check the verb tenses of each sentence. 7. Make sure that each sentence makes sense. Style and Organization 1. Make sure your essay has an introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a summary paragraph. 2. Check that you have a thesis statement that identifies the main idea of the essay. 3. Check that all your paragraphs follow the proper paragraph format. 4. See if your essay is interesting.

What is the writing stage? The writing stage is when you turn your ideas into sentences. Five Writing Steps: 1. For the introduction, write the thesis statement and give some background information. 2. Develop each supporting paragraph and make sure to follow the correct paragraph format. 3. Write clear and simple sentences to express your meaning. 4. Focus on the main idea of your essay. 5. Use a dictionary to help you find additional words to express your meaning.

What is the prewriting stage? The prewriting stage is when you prepare your ideas for your essay before you begin writing. You will find it easier to write your essay if you build an outline first, especially when you are writing longer assignments. Six Prewriting Steps: 1. Think carefully about what you are going to write. Ask yourself: What question am I going to answer in this paragraph or essay? How can I best answer this question? What is the most important part of my answer? How can I make an introductory sentence (or thesis statement) from the most important part of my answer? What facts or ideas can I use to support my introductory sentence? How can I make this paragraph or essay interesting? Do I need more facts on this topic? Where can I find more facts on this topic? 2. Open your notebook. Write out your answers to the above questions. You do not need to spend a lot of time doing this; just write enough to help you remember why and how you are going to write your paragraph or essay. 3. Collect facts related to your paragraph or essay topic. Look for and write down facts that will help you to answer your question. Timesaving hint: make sure the facts you are writing are related to the exact question you are going to answer in your paragraph or essay. 4. Write down your own ideas. Ask yourself: What else do I want to say about this topic? Why should people be interested in this topic? Why is this topic important? 5. Find the main idea of your paragraph or essay. Choose the most important point you are going to present. If you cannot decide which point is the most important, just choose one point and stick to it throughout your paragraph or essay. 6. Organize your facts and ideas in a way that develops your main idea. Once you have chosen the most important point of your paragraph or essay, you must find the best way to tell your reader about it. Look at the facts you have written. Look at your own ideas on the topic. Decide which facts and ideas will best support the main idea of your essay. Once you have chosen the facts and ideas you plan to use, ask yourself which order to put them in the essay. Write down your own note set that you can use to guide yourself as you write your essay.

What is a summary paragraph? The summary paragraph comes at the end of your essay after you have finished developing your ideas. The summary paragraph is often called a "conclusion." What does it do? It summarizes or restates the main idea of the essay. You want to leave the reader with a sense that your essay is complete. How do I write one? 1. Restate the strongest points of your essay that support your main idea. 2. Conclude your essay by restating the main idea in different words. 3. Give your personal opinion or suggest a plan for action. Example: Overall, the changes that occurred in hockey have helped to improve the game. Hockey is faster and more exciting as a result of changes in the past 120 years. For these reasons, modern hockey is a better game than hockey in the 1890s.

What are supporting paragraphs? Supporting paragraphs make up the main body of your essay. What do they do? They develop the main idea of your essay. How do I write them? 1. List the points that develop the main idea of your essay. 2. Place each supporting point in its own paragraph. 3. Develop each supporting point with facts, details, and examples. To connect your supporting paragraphs, you should use special transition words. Transition words link your paragraphs together and make your essay easier to read. Use them at the beginning and end of your paragraphs. Examples of transition words that can help you to link your paragraphs together: For listing different points First Second Third For counter examples However Even though On the other hand Nevertheless For additional ideas Another In addition to Related to Furthermore Also To show cause and effect Therefore Thus As a result of Consequently Like all good paragraphs, each supporting paragraph should have a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a summary sentence.