The Writer's FAQ's: A Pocket Handbook by Muriel Harris

From the Publisher

The easiest pocket handbook to use. . .for writers who want a simple guide to writing the rules of composition.  With The Writer's FAQs, Third Edition, writers can easily use the Question and Correct  feature at the beginning of the handbook to find quick answers and clear explanations.  This brief handbook is the easiest pocket reference for students to use in any course where writing or research is required as well as outside the classroom.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Forewords & Introductions

Table of Contents

Forewords & Introductions

BRIEF CONTENTS How to Use This Book
xxx Question and Correctxxx I. WRITING and SPEAKINGxxx 1. Checklist for Effective Papers/Presentationsxxx II. SENTENCE CHOICES 2. Clarityxxx 3. Concisenessxxx 4. Varietyxxx 5. Voice (Formal and Informal)xxx 6. Mixed Constructionsxxx 7. Active and Passive Verbsxxx 8. Parallelismxxx 9. Transitionsxxx 10. Nonsexist Languagexxx III. SENTENCE GRAMMAR 11. Fragmentsxxx 12. Comma Splices and Fused Sentencesxxx 13. Subjects and Verbsxxx 14. Pronounsxxx 15. Adjectives and Adverbsxxx 16. Modifiersxxx 17. Shiftsxxx IV. PUNCTUATION 18. Sentence Punctuation Patterns (for Commas, Semicolons, and Colons)xxx 19. Commasxxx 20. Apostrophesxxx 21. Semicolonsxxx 22. Quotation Marksxxx 23. Other Punctuationxxx V. MECHANICS 24. Capitalizationxxx 25. Italicsxxx 26. Numbersxxx 27. Abbreviationsxxx 28. Spellingxxx VI. MULTI-LINGUAL SPEAKERS (ESL) 29. American Style in Writing/ESL Resourcesxxx 30. Verbsxxx 31. Nouns (Count and Non-count)xxx 32. Articlesxxx 33. Prepositionsxxx 34. Omitted/Repeated Wordsxxx 35. Idiomsxxx VII.RESEARCH PAPERS 36. Doing Print and Online Researchxxx 37. Evaluating Print and Internet Sources xxx 38. Integrating Sourcesxxx 39. Document Designxxx VIII.DOCUMENTATION 40. MLA Stylexxx 41.APA Stylexxx 42. Chicago Manual of Stylexxx 43. CSE (Council of Science Editors)xxx 44. Style Manuals and Resources for Various Fieldsxxx GLOSSARY OF USAGExxx GLOSSARY OF TERMSxxx INDEXxxx CORRECTION SYMBOLSInside back cover HOW TO USE THIS BOOK This book has many ways to help you easily find the information you need: • Brief Contents: This is the table of contents for the book, listing only the sections and chapter titles.Each section of the bookbegins with a more complete list of its contents.xx • Question and Correct: This is a list typical questions writers ask. When you find a question similar to the one you have, you'll see the section number and page to turn to. You won't need to know any terminology.xx • Sections of the Book: Here you'll find summaries of the contents of each part of the book to help you find the type of information you need.xx • HINT boxes: Throughout the book you'll find HINT boxes that offer advice, help you remember rules, and keep you from making mistakes that often arise. xx • Questions at the Beginning of Each Part of the Book: To help you find what you need in a section of the book, you'll find a list of more questions writers typically ask.xx • Glossary of Usage: This is an alphabetical list of words that can be confusing, such as when to write "may" and when to write "can" (or "your" or "you're") or whether or not terms such as "could of" or "use to" are correct.xx • Glossary of Grammatical Terms: This is an alphabetical list of grammatical terms and their definitions.xx • Index: This is an alphabetical list of the topics covered in this book with the pages to turn to, to find explanations.xx • Correction Symbols: This is a list of correction symbols many instructors use when reading student papers.Inside back cover Sections of the Book I. Writing and Speaking Here you'll find checklists for planning, writing, and revising papers and has information about developing a thesis statement, linking sentences and paragraphs, writing introductions and conclusions, and using computers effectively when you write. There is also information and advice on developing oral and multimedia presentations. II. Sentence Choices Included here is information about composing sentence including how to write clear, effective sentences that don't overuse the passive and are varied, concise, and nonsexist in word choices. You'll also find help with using transitions that connect sentences and paragraphs smoothly. III. Sentence Grammar This section explains the rules of grammar and includes many HINT boxes to help you avoid such errors as fragments, comma splices and fused sentences, subject/verb agreement errors, pronoun and adjective errors, dangling modifiers, and shifts in voice and number. IV. Punctuation This section begins with an overview of sentence punctuation patterns, and then you'll find information on using commas, apostrophes, semicolons, quotation marks, and other punctuation. V. Mechanics Here you'll find information when you need to check on which words to capitalize, when to use italics, how to write out numbers and when to use figures instead, which words can be abbreviated and how to do that, and what rules you can use for spelling correctly. VI. Multilingual Speakers (ESL) For students whose first language is not English this section includes a discussion of American style of writing and a list of resources for learning English. There are also explanations of English verbs, count and noncount nouns, articles, prepositions, words that should not be repeated or omitted, and idioms. VII. Research Here you'll find extensive help with moving through process of planning, researching, writing, and revising research papers. There is also advice and information about using libraries; going online to find, evaluate, and document information; using search engines, avoiding plagiarism; and designing effective documents (by preparing papers appropriately and by using visuals). The "Research" section offers advice on choosing a topic, finding information, using the library, evaluating and integrating sources into your paper, and avoiding plagiarism. This section will also help you use search engines efficiently, locate useful resources, find Web addresses to lead you to useful starting places, and follow guidelines for document design. VIII. Documentation This section includes information on how to document sources in MLA, APA, Chicago Manual of Style, and Council of Science Editors style. There is also an extensive list of style manuals in various fields and sources for writing in various fields. I hope that you find this book easy to use and that it becomes a writing friend that you keep nearby as you write. Then you'll be more confident that you are writing correctly and effectively and are conveying your ideas in ways that others will appreciate and respect. Muriel Harris Question and Correct When you don't know the term you need to look up or don't know where to locate the information you're looking for, find a question here that is similar to yours. The question then indicates where to turn in the book for your answers. Each major section of the book also has more questions to guide you to the right chapter or pages. WRITING • What are some reminders and writing tips to keep in mind as I write?1 a • How do I write a good argument?1a •What should I look for when I revise?1a • What do I look for when I proofread?1b •How useful is a spell checker?1c • How do I plan a speech or a presentation with visuals?1d More questions about writing and revising papers and oral presentations: pp.xx-xx. SENTENCE CHOICES •How do I make my sentences clearer and easier to read?2 • What's wrong with "The utilization of.... " or "Her activation of the engine is...."2d • Are phrases like "It is a fact that..." OK to use?3 •How can I make my writing less choppy?4, 9 •What is passive voice?7 • How do I fix sentences such as "He knows how to speak Spanish and fixing computers"?8 •Can I start sentences with "And" or "But"? 9 • Can I write "Everyone... his"?10 More questions about choices when writing sentences: pp.xx-xx. SENTENCE GRAMMAR •What's wrong with the following? "I'm a vegetarian. Because I don't want to eat animals." Why is it a fragment?11 • How should verb endings and subjects match?13 •Which is correct? -Between you and (I/me)....14a • When do I use "who" or "whom" and "we" or "us"?14a •Are these phrases correct? -"real bad," "talk loud"15 •What's wrong with writing "She is so happy"?15 • Where in the sentence should I put words like "almost" and "only"?16b More questions about sentence grammar pp.xx-xx. PUNCTUATION •What are most of the ways sentences are punctuated?18 • When do I use commas around a group of words?19d • Where do the commas go in a list like "red, white and blue"?19d •How do I punctuate dates and addresses?19g • How do I punctuate quotations?19h, 22a, 22d •When am I using too many commas?19i • Which is correct: "Well-known speaker" or "well known speaker"?23a •What's the difference between "its" and "it's"?20b •Are these apostrophes correct? "his' car" and "the melon's are ripe"? 14a, 20d •How do I show left-out words in a quotation?23h More questions about punctuation: pp. xx-xx. MECHANICS •Which is correct? -spring semester (or) Spring semester24a -April 1(or)April first26 -6 million(or)6,000,00026,27c -The data is...(or)The data are...28a • Do I write "your" or "you're"? 28b More questions about mechanics:pp. xx MULTILINGUAL (ESL) •How is academic writing in American English different from academic writing in my country?29 •What is the difference between "he ran" and "he has run"?30 •Which is correct? -She enjoys (to drink/drinking) coffee.30d -two furnitures(or)some furniture31 •When do I use "the", "a" and "an"?32 •Do I write "in Tuesday" or "on Tuesday"?33 More questions for multilingual speakers:pp. xx RESEARCH •How do I start a library search for information?36b •How do I start searching the Internet for information?36c •What are some useful Web sites to try?36d •How do I know if a source is reliable?37 •When do I cite a source?38e •How do I set margins and spacing on papers?39a •How and when should I use tables and charts?39b More questions about research:pp. xx DOCUMENTATION •What is MLA style?40 •Is there a list of which examples are given for MLA style?40c •What are some ways that APA and MLA are alike and different?41 • Is there a list of which examples are given for APA style?41c •How do I set up my paper (title, margins, etc.) -in MLA format?40d -in APA format?41d •What is Chicago Manual of Style format, and how and when do I use that?42 •How and when do I use the Council of Science Editors (CSE) styles for notes and references?43 •What are some other style manuals and sources for other fields?44 More questions about how to document sources:pp. xx GLOSSARY OF USAGE •What is the difference between "accept" or "except"?USAGE •Is it acceptable to write "a lot" or "and etc."?USAGE •What's the difference between similar words such as "anyone" / "any one" or "awful" / "awfully"?USAGE •When do I use "that" or "which" and "who" or "whom"?USAGE GLOSSARY OF GRAMMATICAL TERMS •What's the meaning of terms such as "adjective," "case," or "linking verb"?GRAMMATICAL TERMS •Where do I look for charts to illustrate terms such as "personal pronouns," "sentence diagram," or "verb conjugations"?GRAMMATICAL TERMS