New Handbook of Basic Writing Skills

by Robey, Cora L.; Maloney, Helen M.; Kreps, Sarah E.

• ISBN13: 9780155036949
• ISBN10: 0155036947
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-08-01
• Publisher: Harcourt College Pub

Summary

With its clear and simple language and abundance of exercises, The New Handbook of Basic Writing Skills is specifically designed for use by developing writers and students of ESL.

Table of Contents

To the Instructor	p. v
To the Student	p. ix
Sentence Basics	p. 1
Sentence Makeup	p. 3
What is a sentence?	p. 3
Subject and verb	p. 10
Negative sentences	p. 17
Incomplete Sentences	p. 20
Phrase fragments	p. 21
Clause fragments	p. 23
Verb fragments	p. 27
Noun fragments	p. 27
Infinitive fragments	p. 29
Run-Together Sentences and Comma Splices	p. 32
Separating sentences	p. 33
Comma splices	p. 39
Adjectives and Adverbs	p. 44
Adverbs	p. 46
-ed and -ing endings	p. 47
With linking verbs	p. 50
In comparisons	p. 51
Good and well	p. 55
Nouns and Pronouns	p. 57
Singular and plural nouns	p. 58
Pronoun subjects and objects	p. 62
Possessive pronouns	p. 66
Reflexive pronouns	p. 70
Agreement	p. 72
Making subjects agree with verbs	p. 72
Pronoun reference	p. 82
Verbs	p. 85
Past forms	p. 87
Past participles	p. 89
Irregular verbs (chart)	p. 92
-ing endings	p. 98
The verb be	p. 99
Will, would, do, can, could, etc., as helpers	p. 103
Lay and lie, and set and sit	p. 105
Tense and time	p. 110
Logical sequences of verb tenses	p. 115
Words that look like verbs but aren't	p. 122
Making Sense of Sentences	p. 126
Avoiding mixed-up sentences	p. 126
Curing mixed-up sentences	p. 133
Giving sentences direction	p. 134
Improving Sentences	p. 136
Sentences with Misplaced and Dangling Parts	p. 139
Relocating misplaced parts	p. 139
Giving dangling parts something to describe	p. 140
Nonparallel Sentences	p. 144
Making sentences parallel	p. 144
Avoiding Shifts and Confusing References	p. 149
Avoiding shifts of tense	p. 149
Avoiding shifts of person	p. 151
Using clear noun references	p. 153
Using clear pronoun references	p. 153
Writing Effective Sentences	p. 158
Varying sentence length	p. 158
Coordination and subordination	p. 160
Varying sentence beginnings	p. 166
Punctuation	p. 170
Commas and No Commas	p. 173
Between main clauses	p. 173
With dependent clauses	p. 174
Between words in a list	p. 176
Between adjectives	p. 176
In direct address	p. 178
In quotations	p. 178
In addresses	p. 179
With nonessential information	p. 180
To make meaning clear	p. 183
Not between subject and verb	p. 184
Not between verb and object	p. 185
Not around essential information	p. 186
Misuse of commas between adjectives	p. 186
Misuse of commas with dependent clauses	p. 187
Not between state and ZIP code	p. 188
Using commas only with good reason	p. 188
The Semicolon	p. 191
Between main clauses	p. 191
With transitional words	p. 192
Between word groups containing commas	p. 193
Not in place of commas	p. 193
Not in place of colons	p. 194
Using semicolons only with good reason	p. 194
The Apostrophe	p. 197
Showing possession	p. 197
With nouns and pronouns	p. 199
Showing joint ownership	p. 201
In contractions	p. 202
Plurals of numbers, letters, etc.	p. 204
Using apostrophes only with good reason	p. 205
Quotation Marks	p. 207
Quoting exact words	p. 207
With literary titles	p. 212
Misuse with nicknames	p. 212
Overuse of quotes	p. 212
Misuse around title of paper	p. 213
The Period and Other Marks	p. 215
The period	p. 216
The question mark	p. 217
The exclamation point	p. 217
The colon	p. 218
The dash	p. 219
Parentheses	p. 221
Brackets	p. 221
The hyphen	p. 222
Ellipsis marks	p. 224
Capitals	p. 225
First word of sentence	p. 225
Proper names	p. 225
Titles	p. 230
First word of quotation	p. 230
Avoiding overuse	p. 231
Underlining, Abbreviations, and Numbers	p. 234
Underlining and italicizing	p. 234
Abbreviations	p. 237
Numbers	p. 239
Words	p. 242
The Dictionary and Spelling	p. 245
Finding words	p. 245
Information in the dictionary	p. 246
Using the dictionary for spelling	p. 249
Some simple spelling rules	p. 250
Avoiding extra and omitted letters	p. 257
Using spellcheck programs	p. 258
Using the Right Word	p. 259
Using correct words	p. 259
Using specific words	p. 261
Using appropriate words	p. 262
Slang	p. 262
Cliches	p. 262
Regional expressions	p. 264
Jargon	p. 264
Mixed metaphors	p. 265
Sexist language	p. 266
Problem words	p. 267
Too Few Words	p. 278
Omitting short words	p. 278
Omitting short verbs is, was	p. 279
Omitting words in asking questions	p. 279
Clear comparisons	p. 280
Comparisons with so	p. 280
Too Many Words	p. 282
Repeating words	p. 282
Other forms of repetition	p. 283
Using a simple, direct style	p. 285
Paragraphs and Beyond	p. 288
The Writing Process	p. 291
Collecting ideas for writing	p. 291
Deciding on topic, purpose, audience, and tone	p. 297
Using a working outline and main idea statement	p. 302
Writing the first draft	p. 305
Revising your paper	p. 306
Editing your paper	p. 311
Editing on the computer	p. 313
Proofreading your paper	p. 314
Using the correct materials	p. 316
The Paragraph-Length Paper	p. 319
Finding unity	p. 321
Organizing a purpose	p. 324
Writing that is well developed	p. 332
The Full-Length Paper	p. 339
Planning the essay	p. 343
Writing a thesis statement	p. 344
Writing formal outlines for different kinds of papers	p. 346
Developing paragraphs	p. 351
Writing an introduction	p. 353
Writing a conclusion	p. 354
Preparing different papers	p. 355
Writing the first draft	p. 368
Revising the draft	p. 369
Editing revised draft	p. 369
Proofreading final draft	p. 371
Using logic in developing ideas	p. 371
Writing suggestions	p. 375
The Mini Research Paper and Business Writing	p. 378
Choosing a topic for the mini research paper	p. 379
Locating sources	p. 379
Gathering information	p. 384
Avoiding plagiarism	p. 387
Making notecards	p. 388
Developing the paper	p. 390
Writing the paper	p. 390
Including citations	p. 391
Preparing the works cited list	p. 392
Mini research paper	p. 393
Writing business letters	p. 395
Writing memos	p. 408
Writing reports	p. 410
Writing e-mail	p. 412
ESL Reference Guide	p. 416
Using correct articles	p. 416
Using cumulative adjectives	p. 419
Problems with verbs	p. 420
Problems with use of verbs	p. 421
Index	p. 427
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