The Brief McGraw-Hill Handbook

by Maimon, Elaine P.; Peritz, Janice H.; Yancey, Kathleen Blake; Wcb; Mcgraw-hill

• ISBN13: 9780073383750
• ISBN10: 0073383759
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-28
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

Drawing on its authors' more than twenty years of research into writing in college, this economy handbook offers extensive technological support and an indispensable resource for learning, writing, researching, and editing.The Brief McGraw-Hill Handbookfeatures practice exercises throughout, a focus on visual rhetoric, content tied to outcomes, grammar diagnostic quizzes, strong coverage of research and plagiarism, extensive support for multilingual writers, a fully integrated online component, and much more.

Table of Contents

The Brief McGraw-Hill Handbook

Preface for Students and Tutorials

Preface for Instructors

Introduction: Writing to Learn

Studying a range of academic disciplines

Using writing as a tool for learning

Taking responsibility for reading, writing, and research

Recognizing that writing improves with practice

Writing and Designing Papers

Reading, Thinking, Writing: The Critical Connection

Reading critically

Thinking critically

Writing critically

Planning and Shaping

Learning how to approach assignments

Exploring your ideas

Developing a working thesis

Planning structure

Considering visuals

Drafting

Using online tools for drafting

Developing ideas and using visuals

Writing focused, clearly organized paragraphs

Integrating visuals effectively

Revising and Editing

Getting comments from readers

Using online tools for revising

Focusing on the purpose of your writing

Testing your thesis

Reviewing structure

Revising paragraphs

Revising visuals

Editing sentences

Proofreading carefully

Using campus, Internet, and community resources

Learning from one student’s revisions

Designing Academic Papers and Portfolios

Considering audience and purpose

Using computer toolbars

Thinking intentionally about design

Compiling a portfolio

Writing in College and beyond College

Informative Reports

Understanding the assignment

Approaching writing an informative report as a process

Student paper: Informative report

Interpretive Analyses and Writing about Literature

Understanding the assignment

Approaching writing an interpretive analysis as a process

Student paper: Interpretive analysis

Arguments

Understanding the assignment

Approaching writing an argument as a process

Student paper: Argument

Other Kinds of Writing Assignments

Personal essays

Essay exams

Oral Presentations

Planning

Drafting

Preparing

Multimedia Writing

Tools for creating multimedia texts

Interpreting images

Hypertext essays

Multimedia presentations

Web sites

Blogs

Writing beyond College

Addressing the community

Designing brochures, posters, and newsletters

Internships

Résumés

Job application letters and interviews

Writing on the job

Researching

Understanding Research

Primary and secondary research

Research and college writing

Choosing a research question

Understanding the research assignment

Creating a research plan

Finding and Managing Print and Online Sources

Using the library in person and online

Kinds of sources

Keyword searches

Printed and online reference works

Print indexes and online databases

Search engines and subject directories

Using the library’s online or card catalog

Government documents

Online communication

Finding and Creating Effective Visuals

Finding and displaying quantitative data

Online and print sources

Evaluating Sources

Print sources

Internet sources

Evaluating a source’s arguments

Doing Research in the Archive, Field, and Lab

Ethics

Archival research

Field research

Lab research

Plagiarism, Copyright Infringement, and Intellectual Property

Definitions

Avoiding plagiarism

Fair use

Working with Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism

Maintaining a working bibliography

Creating an annotated bibliography

Taking notes

Taking stock

Integrating quotations, paraphrases, and summaries

Writing the Paper

Planning and drafting

Revising

Documenting

MLA Documentation Style

MLA Style: In-Text Citations

MLA Style: List of Works Cited

MLA Style: Explanatory Notes

MLA Style: Paper Format

Student Paper in MLA Style

APA Documentation Style

APA Style: In-Text Citations

APA Style: References

APA Style: Paper Format

Student Paper in APA Style

Editing for Clarity

Avoiding Wordiness

Redundancies and unnecessary modifiers

Wordy phrases

Roundabout sentences

Adding Missing Words

Compound structures

The word that

Words in comparisons

The articles a, an, the

Unscrambling Mixed Constructions

Mixed-up sentences

Illogical predicates

Fixing Confusing Shifts

In point of view

In tense

In mood and voice

Between direct and indirect quotations and questions

Using Parallel Constructions

Items in a series

Paired ideas

Function words

Fixing Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Misplaced modifiers

Ambiguous modifiers

Disruptive modifiers

Split infinitives

Dangling modifiers

Using Coordination and Subordination Effectively

Coordination for equal ideas

Major ideas in subordinate clauses

Excessive subordination

Varying Your Sentences

Sentence openings

Length and structure

Cumulative and periodic sentences

Inversions, rhetorical questions, and exclamations

Choosing Active Verbs

Alternatives to "be" verbs

Active voice

Using Appropriate Language

Slang, regional expressions, and nonstandard English

Levels of formality

Jargon

Euphemisms and doublespeak

Biased or sexist language

Using Exact Language

Connotations

Specific and concrete words

Standard idioms

Clichés

Figures of speech

Misusing words

Using the dictionary

Glossary of Usage

Editing for Grammar Conventions

Fixing Sentence Fragments

Dependent-clause fragments

Phrase fragments

Other types of fragments

Repairing Comma Splices and Run-on Sentences

Adding a coordinating conjunction

Using a semicolon

Separating into two sentences

Making one clause dependent

Transforming two clauses into one independent clause

Maintaining Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject separated by a word group from the verb

Compound subjects

Collective subjects

Indefinite subjects

When the subject comes after the verb

Subject complement

Relative pronouns

–ing phrases

Titles, company names, or words representing themselves

Recognizing Problems with Verbs

Regular and irregular verbs

"Lay" and "lie," "sit" and "set," "rise" and "raise"

"–s" or "–es" endings

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