Rules of Thumb : A Guide for Writers

by Silverman, Jay; Hughes, Elaine; Wienbroer, Diana Roberts

• ISBN13: 9780072449860
• ISBN10: 0072449861
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: McGraw Hill

Summary

Rules of Thumb: A Guide for Writers, Third Edition, is a brief, easy-to-use, and affordable handbook. Designed to accommodate real writing needs, Rules of Thumb offers advice on the writing process as a whole, as well as specific guidance on punctuation, mechanics, usage, and a wide variety of common writing assignments.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
How to Use Rules of Thumb
Correctness
A Word about Correctness	p. 3
Confusing Words [to and too, their and there]	p. 5
One Word or Two? [a lot]	p. 9
Spelling [ie or ei? One p or two?]	p. 12
Capitalization	p. 15
Abbreviations and Numbers	p. 17
Apostrophes ['s]	p. 19
Consistent Pronouns [he or she, they, one]	p. 20
Correct Pronouns [I vs. me]	p. 23
Vague Pronouns [which, it, this, that, and who]	p. 25
Recognizing Complete Sentences	p. 27
Sentence Fragments and Run-on Sentences	p. 30
Commas [,]	p. 36
Semicolons [;]	p. 38
Colons [:]	p. 39
Dashes and Parentheses [ - ()]	p. 40
Quotation Marks [" "]	p. 42
Underlining or Quoting Titles	p. 46
Verb Tenses	p. 47
Shifting Verb Tenses [moved, had moved]	p. 52
Verb Agreement	p. 54
Word Endings: s and ed	p. 55
Tangled Sentences [Parallel Structure, Danglers]	p. 57
Meeting Specific Assignments
Format of College Papers	p. 61
Writing in Class	p. 64
Writing about Literature	p. 68
How to Quote From Your Sources	p. 73
Using the College Library	p. 75
Writing Research Papers	p. 79
Plagiarism (Cheating)	p. 86
Documentation	p. 87
Putting a Paper Together
What to Do When You're Stuck	p. 101
Finding an Organization for Your Essay	p. 105
How to Work on a Second Draft	p. 108
How to Make a Paper Longer (And When to Make It Shorter)	p. 111
Introductions and Conclusions	p. 113
Paragraphs - Long and Short	p. 116
Transitions	p. 119
Proofreading Tips	p. 121
Writing With Elegance
Keeping a Journal	p. 125
Finding Your Voice	p. 128
Adding Details	p. 129
Recognizing Cliches	p. 131
Eliminating Biased Language	p. 133
Trimming Wordiness	p. 135
Varying Your Sentences	p. 138
Postscript	p. 143
About the Authors	p. 145
Index	p. 147
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.