Quick Access: Reference for Writers provides down-to-earth writing advice, cutting edge research information, and trusted, class-tested, grammar instruction to help students succeed in their composition courses, in other classes, and beyond.
Table of Contents:
Hands-On Advice for Writers
1 Ten Top Tips for College Writers
2 Ten Troublesome Mistakes Writers Make
Sentence fragments
Comma splices and run-ons
Subject-verb disagreement
Pronoun-antecedent disagreement
Unclear pronoun reference
Sentence shifts
Misplaced modifiers
Comma errors
Apostrophe errors
3 Thinking Critically
a Critical thinking
b Rhetoric and the appeals
c Inductive and deductive reasoning
d Logical fallacies
4 Reading Texts and Visuals Critically
a Critical reading
b Steps for critical reading
c Close reading techniques
d Reading-writing connection
e Critical reading of visuals
Writing Processes
5 Planning Your Writing
a Writing processes
b Thinking like a writer
c Planning a writing portfolio
d Purposes for writing
e Audience
f Developing ideas
g Thesis statement
h Outlining
6 Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
a First draft
b Overcoming writer’s block
c Revising
d Revising with thesis statements and titles
e Revising for style and tone
f Editing
g Editing software
h Proofreading
7 Composing Paragraphs
a Understanding paragraphs
b Introductory paragraphs
c Topic sentences
d Supporting details
e Coherent paragraphs
f Strategies for body paragraphs
g Concluding paragraphs
8 Designing Documents
a Understanding document design
b Principles of design
c Text
d Headings
e Photographs
f Other visuals
g Page layout
Frames for College Writing
9 Personal Essays
a Understanding personal essays
b Generating ideas and revising
c Frame for a personal essay
d Sentence and paragraph guides
e Student essay example
10 Informative Essays
a Understanding informative essays
b Generating ideas and revising
c Frame for an informative essay
d Sentence and paragraph guides
e Student essay example
11 Essays Analyzing a Text
a Understanding rhetorical and content analysis
b Generating ideas and revising
c Frame for a textual analysis
d Sentence and paragraph guides
e Student essay example
12 Argument
a Understanding argument
b Generating ideas and revising
c Frames for argument
d Sentence and paragraph guides
e Student essay example
13 Proposal or Solution Essays
a Understanding proposal/solution essays
b Generating ideas and revising
c Frame for a proposal/solution essay
d Sentence and paragraph guides
e Student essay example
14 Evaluations
a Understanding evaluations
b Generating ideas and revising
c Frame for an evaluation
d Sentence and paragraph guides
e Student essay example
Source-based Writing
15 Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
a Integrating sources
b Quoting sources
c Paraphrasing sources
d Summarizing sources
e Verbs for integrating sources
16 Avoiding Plagiarism
a Understanding plagiarism
b Avoiding plagiarism
c Avoiding plagiarism of Internet sources
d What not to document
e Documenting ideas
17 Writing about Readings
a Typical assignments
b Summary essays
c Response essays
d Synthesis essays
Research Writing
18 Starting a Research Project
a Understanding research
b Choosing a topic
c Developing a research question
d Types of research papers
19 Developing a Search Strategy
a Understanding search strategies
b Understanding sources
c Doing field research
d Choosing a documentation style
e Using a research log
f Creating a working bibliography
g Using documentation software
h Creating an annotated bibliography
I Taking content notes
j Planning a research project
20 Finding Published Sources
a Understanding published sources
b Using libraries
c Search engines v. databases
d Using search engines and databases
e Using subject directories
f Finding books
g Finding periodicals
h Using reference works
i Finding images
j Finding government documents
21 Evaluating Sources
a Location of a source
b Credibility of the publisher
c Credibility of the author
d Sufficiency/accuracy of evidence
e Other critical thinking tests
f Combining evaluation strategies
22 Synthesizing Sources in Research Papers
a Understanding the synthesis of sources
b Relationships between sources
c Sources about different subtopics?
d Sources that agree
e Sources that partly agree
f Sources that disagree
g One source more specific than the other
23 Drafting and Revising a Research Paper
a Writing process for research papers
b Drafting a research paper?
c Frames for research papers
d Argumentative research paper frame
e Revising a research paper
f Editing and formating a research paper
MLA Documentation
24 MLA In-Text Citations
a MLA documentation style
b MLA in-text parenthetical documentation
c Additional MLA guidelines for parenthetical citations
25 MLA Works-Cited List
a MLA guidelines for a Works Cited list
b MLA guidelines for sources in a Works Cited list
c MLA guidelines for content or bibliographic notes
26 A Student’s MLA Research Paper
a MLA format guidelines for research papers
b A student’s MLA research paper
APA, CM, and CSE Documentation
27 APA In-Text Citations
a APA documentation style
b APA in-text parenthetical citations
c APA guidelines for in-text citations
d APA guidelines for writing an abstract
e APA guidelines for content notes
28 APA References List
a APA guidelines for a references list
b APA guidelines for sources in a references list
29 A Student’s APA Research Paper
a APA format guidelines for research papers
b A student’s APA research paper
30 CMS Documentation
a CMS documentation
b CMS guidelines for bibliographic notes
31 CSE Documentation
a CSE documentation
b CSE guidelines for sources in a list of references
Grammar Basics
32 Parts of Speech and Parts of Sentences
PARTS OF SPEECH
a Nouns
b Pronouns
c Verbs
d Verbals
e Adjectives
f Adverbs
g Prepositions
h Conjunctions
i Interjections
PARTS OF SENTENCES
j Subjects and predicates
k Direct and indirect objects
l Complements, modifiers, and appositives
m Phrases
n Clauses
o Sentence types
33 Verbs
a How verbs function
b Forms of main verbs
c Auxiliary verbs
d Using lie or lay
e Verb tenses
f Indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods
g “Voice” in verbs
34 Subject-Verb Agreement
a What subject-verb agreement is
b Ignoring words between a subject and its verb
c Verbs when subjects are connected by and
d Verbs when subjects are connected by or
e Verbs with indefinite pronouns
f Verbs with who, which, and that
g Verbs with one of the . . . who
h Other complicated cases
35 Pronouns: Agreement, Reference, and Case
PRONOUN ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT
a What pronoun-antecedent agreement is
b Pronouns when and connects antecedents
c Pronouns when or connects antecedents
d Pronouns when antecedents are indefinite pronouns
e Pronouns when antecedents are collective nouns
PRONOUN REFERENCE
f Avoiding unclear pronoun reference
g Pronouns with it, that, this, and which
h Using you for direct address
i Using who, which, and that
PRONOUN CASE
j What pronoun case is
k Personal pronouns
l Selecting the correct case
m Case when and connects pronouns
n Matching case in appositives
o Subjective case after linking verbs
p Using who, whoever, whom, and whomever
q Case after than and as
r Case with infinitives and -ing words
s Case for -self pronouns
36 Adjectives and Adverbs
a Differences between adjectives and adverbs
b Double negatives
c Adjectives or adverbs after linking verbs
d Comparative and superlative forms
e Nouns as modifiers
Sentences and Words
37 Sentence Fragments
a Recognizing fragments
b Correcting fragments that start with a subordinating word
c Correcting fragments that lack a verb
d Correcting fragments that lack a subject
e Correcting fragments in a compound predicate
f Intentional fragments
38 Comma Splices and Run-On Sentences
a What comma splices and run-on sentences are
b Correcting comma splices and run-on sentences
39 Problems with Sentence Shifts
a Consistent person and number
b Consistent subject and voice
c Consistent mood
d Consistent verb tense
e Consistent direct and indirect discourse
f Sentences with mixed parts
g Ellipticals and comparisons
40 Misplaced Modifiers
a Misplaced modifiers
b Squinting modifiers
c Split infinitives
d Modifiers that disrupt a sentence
e Dangling modifiers
41 Conciseness
a Writing concisely
b Avoiding redundancies
c Avoiding wordy sentence structures
d Combining sentence elements
e Verbs and conciseness
42 Coordination and Subordination
a Coordination: Expressing equivalent ideas
b Coordination: Avoiding problems
c Subordination: Expressing nonequivalent ideas
d Subordination: Avoiding problems
43 Sentence Style
a Understanding parallelism
b Avoiding faulty parallelism
c Parallelism with conjunctions
d Strengthening a message with parallelism
e Understanding sentence variety
f How subjects affect emphasis
g Adding modifiers
h Inverting standard word order
44 Word Meanings and Word Impact
a Words and their meanings
b Exact words
c Increasing my vocabulary
d Suitable language
e Figurative language
f Clichés
g Effect of tone in writing
45 Using Inclusive Language
a Gender in English
b Gender-neutral language
46 Spelling
a Plurals
b Suffixes
c The ie, ei rule
d Homonyms and other frequently confused words
e Other spelling errors
Punctuation and Mechanics
47 Commas
a When to use commas
b With introductory words
c Before coordinating conjunctions
d With a series
e Between adjectives
f With nonrestrictive and restrictive elements
g With quoted words
h Other word groups to set off
i In dates, names, places, addresses, letter format, and numbers
j Preventing misreadings
k Avoiding other comma errors
48 Semicolons
a Instead of periods
b Instead of commas
49 Colons
a Lists, appositives, or quotations
b Between sentences
c Conventional formats
50 Apostrophes
a Possessive nouns
b Possessive indefinite pronouns
c Possessive pronouns: hers, his, its, ours, yours, and theirs
d Verbs that end in -s
e Contractions
f Letters, numerals, symbols, and terms
51 Quotation Marks
a Short direct quotations
b Long direct quotations
c Spoken words
d Titles
e Terms, translations, and irony
f When quotation marks are wrong
g With other punctuation
52 Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points
a Periods
b Question marks
c Exclamation points
53 Other Punctuation Marks
a Dashes
b Parentheses
c Brackets
d Ellipsis points
e Slashes
54 Hyphens
a End of a line
b Prefixes and suffixes
c Compound words
d Spelled-out numbers
55 Capitals
a “First” words
b Quotations
c Nouns and adjectives
56 Italics (Underlining)
a Italics versus quotation marks
b For emphasis
57 Abbreviations
a Times and amounts
b People’s names
c Jr., Sr., II, III, 2nd, 3rd
d Names of countries, organizations, and government agencies
e Addresses
f Using etc. and other Latin abbreviations
58 Numbers
a Spelled-out numbers
b Dates, addresses, times, and other numbers
TIPS FOR MULTILINGUAL WRITERS
A Message from Lynn Troyka and Doug Hesse to Multilingual Writers
59 Singulars and Plurals
a Count and noncount nouns
b Determiners with singular and plural nouns
c Nouns used as adjectives
60 Articles
a Singular count nouns
b Count and noncount nouns
c Using the with proper nouns
61 Word Order
a Standard and inverted word orders
b Placing adjectives
c Placing adverbs
62 Prepositions
a Using in, at, and on to show time and place
b Phrasal verbs
c Passive voice
d Expressions
63 Gerunds and Infinitives
a Gerund objects
b Infinitive objects
c Using stop, remember, or forget
d Sense verbs
e Choosing between -ing and -ed adjectives
64 Modal Auxiliary Verbs
a How modals differ from be, do, and have
b Expressing ability, necessity, advisability, or probability
c Expressing preference, plan, or past habit
SPECIFIC WRITING SITUATIONS
65 An Overview of Writing Across the Curriculum
a Writing across the curriculum
b Audience and Purpose
66 Writing About the Humanities
a What the humanities are
b Types of papers
c Documentation styles
67 Writing About Literature
a What literature is
b Types of papers
c Rules for writing about literature
d Documentation styles
e A student’s literature essay
68 Writing in the Social Sciences
a What the social sciences are
b Types of papers
c Documentation styles
69 Writing in the Natural Sciences
a What the natural sciences are
b Types of papers
c Documentation style
70 Making Presentations
a What oral presentations are
b Focusing the presentation
c Adapting for the listening audience
d Organizing a presentation
e Incorporating multimedia
f Presentation styles
g Collaborative presentations
71 Writing for Digital Environments
a What digital environments are
b Blogs
c Wikis
d Video and sound
72 Writing for Work
a Workplace writing purposes
b Features of workplace correspondence
c Work-related e-mail
d Memos
e Business letters
f Resumés
g Job application letters
Usage Glossary
Terms Glossary
Index
About the Author :
Lynn Quitman Troyka, Adjunct Professor of English in the MA Program in Language and Literature at the City College (CCNY) of the City University of New York (CUNY), taught freshman English and basic writing for many years at Queensborough Community College. Dr. Troyka is a past chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC); the College Section of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE); and the Writing Division of the Modern Language Association (MLA). She has won many awards for teaching, scholarship, and service, and has conducted hundreds of faculty workshops about teaching writing and its relation to college-level reading.
“This information,” says Dr. Troyka, “tells what I’ve done, not who I am. I am a teacher. Teaching is my life’s work, and I love it.”
Doug Hesse is Professor of English and Executive Director of Writing at the University of Denver, one of only thirty writing programs to receive the CCCC Certificate of Excellence. Dr. Hesse is a past chair of the CCCC, the nation’s largest association of college writing instructors. A past president, as well, of the Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA), Dr. Hesse edited WPA: Writing Program Administration. He has served on the NCTE executive committee, chaired the MLA Division on Teaching as a Profession, and served on the MLA Committee on Contingent Labor. Author of nearly sixty articles and book chapters, he has been named University Distinguished Scholar at the University of Denver.
“Of various awards I’ve received,” says Dr. Hesse, “the one that matters most is Distinguished Humanities Teacher. That one came from my students and suggests that, in however small a way, I’ve mattered in their education and lives.”
