The Essentials of English A Writer's Handbook (with APA Style)

by Hogue, Ann

• ISBN13: 9780131500907
• ISBN10: 0131500902
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-14
• Publisher: Pearson Education ESL

Summary

From grammar and punctuation to the creation of essays and business letters, "The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook" is a must-have reference tool for today's writer. As easy to use as a dictionary, this handbook is designed specifically for non-native English speakers: Pays extra attention to articles, phrasal verbs, subordinate clauses, and other commonly troublesome items. Uses everyday language and simple sentence structure in both explanations and examples. Examples reflect topics of multicultural interest. Includes reference lists especially helpful to non-native speakers.Each part focuses on a single topic, building from sentence structure and mechanics to writing, revising, and proper formatting. Students also learn how to write a research paper in the MLA and APA styles. Practice exercises provide immediate application, and "Special Tips" throughout indicate common errors, explain confusing points, and offer helpful hints. "The Essentials of English" includes,eight parts, an answer key, and an index: The Basics Clear Sentences Grammar Punctuation Mechanics Writing and Revising Formats Research Papers Reference Lists"Exercises to Accompany The Essentials of English" provides additional practice related to the writing process, sentence structure, grammar, pronunciation, and more.

Table of Contents

Preface	x
PART 1 The Basics	1	(28)
Words	2	(14)
Nouns	2	(1)
Pronouns	3	(1)
Verbs	4	(4)
Adjectives	8	(1)
Articles	9	(1)
Adverbs	9	(2)
Prepositions	11	(1)
Conjunctions	12	(3)
Interjections	15	(1)
Phrases	16	(3)
Noun phrases	16	(1)
Infinitive phrases	17	(1)
Gerund phrases	17	(1)
Prepositional phrases	17	(1)
-ing and -ed phrases	18	(1)
Appositive phrases	18	(1)
Clauses	19	(2)
Independent clauses	19	(1)
Dependent clauses	19	(2)
Sentences	21	(8)
Sentence parts	22	(2)
Sentence patterns	24	(2)
Question patterns	26	(1)
Kinds of sentences	27	(2)
PART 2 Clear Sentences	29	(44)
Connecting Ideas	30	(2)
Coordination	30	(1)
Subordination	30	(1)
Coordination or subordination?	31	(1)
Connecting Ideas by Coordination	32	(10)
Making compound sentences	33	(4)
Connecting words with coordinating conjunctions	37	(1)
Connecting words with correlative conjunctions	38	(2)
Using parallel forms	40	(2)
Connecting Ideas by Subordination	42	(11)
Making complex sentences	42	(7)
Using appositives	49	(1)
Using -ing and -ed phrases	50	(1)
Using shortened adverb clauses	51	(2)
Common Sentence Problems	53	(8)
Fragments	54	(3)
Run-together sentences	57	(2)
Choppy writing	59	(1)
Overuse of and, but, and so	60	(1)
Word Order	61	(7)
Normal word order	61	(1)
Inverted (verb-subject) word order	62	(3)
Word order of direct and indirect objects	65	(1)
Varying sentence openings	66	(2)
Word Choice	68	(5)
Dictionaries and thesauruses	68	(1)
Informal language and slang	69	(1)
Gender-sensitive (sexist) language	70	(3)
PART 3 Grammar	73	(120)
Verb Forms and Tenses	75	(50)
Verb forms	75	(1)
Verb tenses	76	(18)
Special tense combinations	94	(15)
Modals	109	(11)
Passive voice	120	(5)
Special Situations with Verbs	125	(17)
Gerunds	125	(6)
Infinitives	131	(8)
Gerunds vs. infinitives	139	(2)
Phrasal verbs	141	(1)
Subject-Verb Agreement	142	(7)
Singular subjects	144	(1)
Singular or plural subjects	145	(1)
Plural subjects	145	(1)
Confusing situations	146	(3)
Nouns: Count and Noncount	149	(7)
Count nouns	150	(1)
Noncount nouns	150	(1)
Count or noncount nouns	151	(1)
Expressing quantity	152	(4)
Articles	156	(9)
For generic nouns: a, an, or no article (Ø)	157	(1)
For indefinite nouns: a, an, or some	158	(1)
For definite nouns: the	159	(4)
Idiomatic uses of articles	163	(1)
Choosing the right article	164	(1)
Pronouns	165	(5)
Subject, object, and possessive forms	165	(1)
Special situations	166	(2)
Myself, ourselves	168	(1)
Each other and one another	169	(1)
Pronoun Agreement	170	(3)
With indefinite pronouns: someone, everybody	170	(1)
With generic nouns: a student, an employee	171	(1)
With collective nouns: team, class	171	(1)
With either ... or and neither ... nor	172	(1)
Pronouns: Unclear Reference	173	(1)
Adjectives and Adverbs: Position	174	(2)
Position of adjectives	174	(1)
Position of adverbs	174	(2)
Special Situations with Adjectives	176	(3)
Agreement of adjectives	176	(1)
Order of adjectives	177	(1)
Participial adjectives: boring or bored?	178	(1)
Comparisons	179	(6)
Equal degree: as big as, the same size as	180	(1)
Comparative and superlative degrees: bigger than, the biggest; more difficult than, the most difficult	181	(2)
Parallel forms with comparisons	183	(2)
Negatives	185	(1)
No vs. not	185	(1)
Double negatives	185	(1)
Adjective Clauses	186	(7)
Subject pronouns: who, which, that	187	(1)
Object pronouns: whom, which, that, Ø (no pronoun)	187	(1)
Possessive pronoun: whose	188	(1)
Relative adverbs: where and when	189	(1)
Punctuation of adjective clauses	190	(3)
PART 4 Punctuation	193	(30)
End Punctuation	194	(2)
Periods	194	(1)
Question marks	195	(1)
Exclamation points	195	(1)
Commas	196	(12)
In compound sentences	196	(2)
After introducers	198	(1)
Around extra-information modifiers	199	(3)
With transition signals	202	(1)
With direct quotations	203	(1)
With items in a series	203	(2)
Other uses of commas	205	(3)
Semicolons	208	(2)
In compound sentences	208	(1)
In compound sentences with transition signals	208	(1)
In a series containing commas	209	(1)
Colons	210	(3)
In sentences	210	(2)
Other uses of colons	212	(1)
Apostrophes	213	(4)
With possessives	213	(2)
In contractions and in years	215	(1)
With special plurals	216	(1)
Quotation Marks	217	(3)
With direct quotations	217	(1)
Other uses of quotation marks	218	(2)
Parentheses	220	(1)
Dashes	220	(1)
Brackets and Ellipses	221	(2)
PART 5 Mechanics	223	(30)
Capital Letters	224	(6)
Pronoun	224	(1)
First word of a sentence	224	(1)
Proper nouns and most proper adjectives	225	(3)
Titles and subtitles of works	228	(1)
Greetings and closings in letters	228	(1)
Certain abbreviations	228	(2)
Hyphens	230	(3)
In compound words	230	(1)
Dividing words at the end of a line	231	(2)
Underlining and Italics	233	(3)
Titles of long works	233	(1)
Foreign words	234	(1)
Numbers, letters, and words used as words	235	(1)
Abbreviations	236	(4)
Titles of people	237	(1)
Dates and times	237	(1)
Familiar abbreviations	238	(1)
Postal codes	239	(1)
Latin abbreviations	239	(1)
Words usually not abbreviated	239	(1)
Numbers	240	(4)
Numbers written as words	240	(2)
Numbers written as numerals	242	(1)
Forming plural numbers	242	(2)
Spelling	244	(9)
ei or ie rule	244	(1)
Adding suffixes	244	(2)
Forming plurals	246	(4)
British and American spelling	250	(3)
PART 6 Writing and Revising	253	(58)
Writing in English	254	(1)
The Writing Process	255	(17)
Creating	255	(6)
Organizing	261	(3)
Writing	264	(1)
Polishing	265	(7)
Paragraphs	272	(19)
Topic sentence	273	(1)
Supporting sentences	274	(3)
Paragraph unity	277	(1)
Paragraph coherence	278	(5)
Concluding sentence	283	(1)
Patterns of paragraph organization	284	(7)
Essays	291	(20)
Introduction	291	(4)
Body	295	(1)
Conclusion	296	(2)
Patterns of essay organization	298	(13)
PART 7 Formats	311	(58)
Writing on a Computer	312	(1)
Document Formats	313	(23)
Academic papers (MLA style)	313	(5)
Lab reports	318	(5)
Business documents	323	(11)
E-mail	334	(2)
Research Papers	336	(33)
Making a schedule	336	(1)
Taking a library tour	337	(1)
Choosing a topic	338	(1)
Collecting information	338	(6)
Reading and taking notes	344	(7)
Writing and revising the paper	351	(2)
Citing your sources (MLA style)	353	(6)
Sample research paper	359	(10)
PART 8 Reference Lists	369	(64)
Irregular Verbs	370	(1)
Verb + Preposition Combinations	371	(1)
Phrasal Verbs	372	(13)
Adjective + Preposition Combinations	385	(1)
Pairs of -ing/-ed Adjectives	385	(1)
Proper Nouns with The	386	(2)
Connecting Words	388	(6)
Transition Signals	394	(4)
Troublesome Words	398	(12)
Editing Symbols	410	(4)
APA Style	414	(19)
Answer Key	433	(14)
Index	447