The Least You Should Know About English Writing Skills, Form C

by Wilson, Paige; Glazier, Teresa Ferster

• ISBN13: 9781413002539
• ISBN10: 1413002536
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-11
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Featuring the same simple, friendly approach that has helped students with their spelling, punctuation, and sentence and paragraph structure for over twenty years THE LEAST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ENGLISH now provides an electronic version with interactive exercises.

Table of Contents

What Is the Least You Should Know?	1	(3)
1 WORD CHOICE AND SPELLING	4	(51)
Your Own List of Misspelled Words	4	(1)
Words Often Confused (Set 1)	5	(10)
Proofreading Exercise	14	(1)
Sentence Writing	14	(1)
Words Often Confused (Set 2)	15	(9)
Proofreading Exercise	23	(1)
Sentence Writing	23	(1)
The Eight Parts of Speech	24	(5)
Paragraph Exercise	28	(1)
Sentence Writing	29	(1)
Contractions	29	(7)
Proofreading Exercise	34	(1)
Sentence Writing	35	(1)
Possessives	36	(8)
Proofreading Exercise	41	(1)
Sentence Writing	42	(1)
Review of Contractions and Possessives	42	(2)
Words That Can Be Broken into Parts	44	(1)
Rule for Doubling a Final Letter	44	(5)
Progress Test	48	(1)
Using a Dictionary	49	(6)
2. SENTENCE STRUCTURE	55	(118)
Finding Subjects and Verbs	56	(7)
Paragraph Exercise	62	(1)
Sentence Writing	62	(1)
Locating Prepositional Phrases	63	(7)
Paragraph Exercise	68	(1)
Sentence Writing	69	(1)
Understanding Dependent Clauses	70	(7)
Paragraph Exercise	76	(1)
Sentence Writing	76	(1)
Correcting Fragments	77	(7)
Proofreading Exercise	83	(1)
Sentence Writing	83	(1)
Correcting Run-on Sentences	84	(8)
Review of Fragments and Run-on Sentences	90	(2)
Proofreading Exercise	91	(1)
Sentence Writing	92	(1)
Identifying Verb Phrases	92	(6)
Review Exercise	97	(1)
Using Standard English Verbs	98	(7)
Proofreading Exercise	104	(1)
Sentence Writing	104	(1)
Using Regular and Irregular Verbs	105	(10)
Progress Test	114	(1)
Maintaining Subject/Verb Agreement	115	(7)
Proofreading Exercise	121	(1)
Sentence Writing	122	(1)
Avoiding Shifts in Time	122	(3)
Proofreading Exercises	123	(2)
Recognizing Verbal Phrases	125	(6)
Paragraph Exercise	130	(1)
Sentence Writing	131	(1)
Correcting Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers	131	(5)
Proofreading Exercise	135	(1)
Sentence Writing	135	(1)
Following Sentence Patterns	136	(6)
Paragraph Exercise	141	(1)
Sentence Writing	142	(1)
Avoiding Clichés, Awkward Phrasing, and Wordiness	142	(9)
Proofreading Exercise	150	(1)
Sentence Writing	151	(1)
Correcting for Parallel Structure	151	(8)
Proofreading Exercise	158	(1)
Sentence Writing	158	(1)
Using Pronouns	159	(9)
Proofreading Exercise	166	(1)
Sentence Writing	167	(1)
Avoiding Shifts in Person	167	(1)
Proofreading Exercises	168	(5)
Review of Sentence Structure Errors	169	(18)
Proofreading Exercise	172	(1)
3. PUNCTUATION AND CAPITAL LETTERS	173	(40)
Period, Question Mark, Exclamation Point, Semicolon, Colon, Dash	173	(7)
Proofreading Exercise	179	(1)
Sentence Writing	179	(1)
Comma Rules 1, 2, and 3	180	(7)
Proofreading Exercise	186	(1)
Sentence Writing	186	(1)
Comma Rules 4, 5, and 6	187	(9)
Proofreading Exercise	194	(1)
Sentence Writing	194	(1)
Review of the Comma	195	(1)
Comma Review Exercise	195	(8)
Sentence Writing	195	(1)
Quotation Marks and Underlining/Italics	196	(7)
Paragraph Exercise	202	(1)
Sentence Writing	202	(1)
Capital Letters	203	(10)
Review of Punctuation and Capital Letters	209	(1)
Comprehensive Test	210	(3)
4. WRITING	213	(40)
What Is the Least You Should Know about Writing?	214	(1)
Basic Structures	214	(6)
I. The Paragraph	214	(3)
Defining a Paragraph	215	(1)
Types of Paragraphs	215	(2)
II. The Essay	217	(3)
The Five-Paragraph Essay and Beyond	218	(1)
Defining an Essay	218	(1)
A Sample Essay	219	(1)
"Raggedy Ann"	219	(1)
Writing Skills	220	(33)
III. Writing in Your Own Voice	220	(5)
Narration	221	(2)
Description	223	(1)
Writing Assignments	224	(1)
Assignment 1 Narration: Famous Sayings	224	(1)
Assignment 2 Description: Toy Choices	225	(1)
IV. Finding a Topic	225	(3)
Look to Your Interests	225	(1)
Focused Free Writing (or Brainstorming)	226	(1)
Clustering	227	(1)
Talking with Other Students	227	(1)
Assignment 3 List Your Interests	227	(1)
Assignment 4 Do Some Free Writing	228	(1)
Assignment 5 Try Clustering Ideas	228	(1)
V. Organizing Ideas	228	(5)
Thesis Statements	228	(1)
Exercise 1 Thesis or Fact?	229	(1)
Assignment 6 Write a Thesis Statement	230	(1)
Organizing an Essay	230	(1)
Topic Sentences	230	(1)
Organizing Body Paragraphs (or Single Paragraphs)	231	(1)
Transitional Expressions	231	(1)
Exercise 2 Adding Transitional Expressions	232	(1)
Assignment 7 A Chip on the Old Block?	233	(1)
VI. Supporting with Details	233	(3)
Types of Support	233	(1)
Assignment 8 Write an Essay on One of Your Interests	235	(1)
Assignment 9 An Embarrassing Experience	236	(1)
VII. Revising Your Papers	236	(2)
Assignment 10 First Impressions	238	(1)
Exchanging Papers	238	(1)
Proofreading Aloud	238	(1)
Revision Checklist	239	(1)
Assignment 11 Are You an Optimist or a Pessimist?	239	(1)
Assignment 12 Are There Different Ways to Be Smart?	240	(1)
Assignment 13 The Best (or Worst) Decision	240	(1)
Assignment 14 I Would If I Could	240	(1)
VIII. Presenting Your Work	240	(1)
Paper Formats	240	(1)
Titles	241	(1)
IX. Writing about What You Read	241	(12)
Writing a Reaction	241	(1)
Sample Reaction Paragraph	242	(1)
Assignment 15 Write a Reaction Paragraph	242	(1)
"Bad Initials"	243	(1)
Coming to Your Own Conclusions	243	(1)
"Going Postal"	243	(1)
Assignment 16 What Are Your Conclusions?	245	(1)
Writing 100-Word Summaries	245	(1)
"Milton Hershey and the 'Good Old Hershey Bar"	246	(1)
Assignment 17 Write a 100-Word Summary	247	(1)
"Cat Lovers vs. Dog Lovers"	247	(1)
Assignment 18 Write a Reaction or a 100-Word Summary	249	(1)
"Sheer Lunacy"	249	(4)
Answers	253	(80)
Index	333