The Allyn & Bacon Handbook with MLA Guide

The Allyn & Bacon Handbook is designed as a superior resource for classroom and reference use, and is distinguished by its coverage of critical thinking and academic reading, writing, and thinking. The handbook is uniquely suited to students learning how to write in college settings, both in and beyond their freshman composition courses. Its opening chapters on “Critical Thinking and Writing” provide a foundation for decision-making skills from the invention and planning stages, to whole essay development, to the design of sentences. Writing and argument-as-a-way-of-knowing are developed from early chapters through to the three unique chapters on writing and reading in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

Table of Contents:
1. Critical Thinking and Reading. Active, Critical Habits of Mind. Components of a Close, Critical Reading. 2. Critical Thinking and Writing. Writing a summary. Writing an evaluation. Writing an analysis (an application paper). Writing a synthesis. 3. Planning, Developing, and Writing a Draft. Discovering your topic, purpose, and audience. Generating ideas and information. Reviewing and categorizing ideas and information. Writing a thesis and sketching your paper. Writing a draft. Student paper: Rough draft. 4. The Process of Revision. Early revision: Rediscovering your main idea. Later revision: Bringing your main idea into focus. Final revision. Responding to editorial advice from peers or professors. Sample paper: Final draft. 5. The Paragraph and the Paper. The relationship of paragraphs to sections. The paragraph: Essential features. Writing and revising to achieve paragraph unity. Writing and revising to achieve paragraph coherence. Writing and revising to achieve well-developed paragraphs. Writing and revising paragraphs of introduction and conclusion. 6. Writing and Evaluating Arguments. An overview of argument. Making a claim (an argumentative thesis). Gathering evidence. Linking evidence to your claim. Making rebuttals. Preparing to write an argument. Evaluating arguments and avoiding common errors. 7. Constructing Sentences. Understanding sentence parts. Understanding basic sentence patterns. Expanding sentences with single-word modifiers. Modifying and expanding sentences with phrases. Modifying and expanding sentences with dependent clauses. Classifying sentences. 8. Case in Nouns and Pronouns. Using pronouns as subjects. Using pronouns as objects. Using nouns and pronouns in the possessive case. In compound construction, use pronouns in the objective or subjective form according to their function in the sentence. Pronouns paired with a noun take the same case as the noun. Choose the appropriate form of the pronouns whose, who, whom, whoever, and whomever depending on the pronoun's function. Choose the case of a pronoun in the second part of a comparison depending on the meaning intended. 9. Verbs. Verb Forms. Tense. Voice. Mood. 10. Agreement. Subject-Verb Agreement. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement. 11. Adjectives and Adverbs. Distinguishing between adjectives and adverbs. Use an adverb (not an adjective) to modify verbs as well as verbals. Use an adverb (not an adjective) to modify another adverb or an adjective. Use an adjective (not an adverb) after a linking verb to describe a subject. Use comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs. Avoid double comparisons, double superlatives, and double negatives. Avoid overusing nouns as modifiers. 12. Sentence Fragments. Check for completeness of sentences. Eliminate fragments: Revise dependent clauses set off as sentences. Eliminate fragments: Revise phrases set off as sentences. Eliminate fragments: Revise repeating structures or compound predicates set off as sentences. 13. Comma Splices and Fused Sentences. Identify fused sentences and comma splices. Correct fused sentences and comma splices in one of five ways. 14. Pronoun Reference. Make pronouns refer clearly to their antecedents. Keep pronouns close to their antecedents. State a pronoun's antecedent clearly. Avoid mixing uses of the pronoun it. Use the relative pronouns who, which, and that appropriately. 15. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers. Misplaced Modifiers. Dangling Modifiers. 16. Shifts and Mixed Constructions. Shifts. Mixed Constructions. Incomplete or Illogical Sentences. 17. Being Clear, Concise, and Direct. Revise to eliminate wordiness. Use strong verbs. 18. Maintaining Sentence Parallelism. Use parallel words, phrases, and clauses with coordinating conjunctions. Use parallelism with correlative conjunctions: either/or, neither/nor, both/and, not only/but also. Use parallelism in sentences with compared and contrasted elements. Use parallelism among sentences to enhance paragraph coherence. Use parallel entries when writing lists or outlines. 19. Building Emphasis with Coordination and Subordination. Coordination. Subordination. Other Devices for Achieving Emphasis. 20. Controlling Length and Rhythm. Monitoring sentence length. Strategies for varying sentence length. Strategies for controlling sentence rhythm. 21. Choosing the Right Word. Understanding denotation and connotation. Revising awkward diction. Using general and specific language. Using abstract and concrete language. Using formal English as an academic standard. Using figures of speech with care. Eliminating biased, dehumanizing language. Avoiding euphemistic and pretentious language. 22. Dictionaries and Vocabulary. Using Dictionaries. Building Vocabulary. 23. Spelling. Overcoming spelling/pronunciation misconnections. Learn basic spelling rules for ie/ei. Learn rules for using prefixes. Learn rules for using suffixes. Learn rules for forming plurals. 24. End Punctuation. The Period. The Question Mark. The Exclamation Point. 25. Commas. Using commas with introductory and concluding expressions. Using a comma before a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses. Using commas between items in a series. Using commas to set off nonessential elements. Using commas to acknowledge conventions of quoting, naming, and various forms of separation. Editing to avoid misuse or overuse of commas. 26. Semicolons. Use a semicolon, not a comma, to join independent clauses that are intended to be closely related. Use a semicolon, not a comma, to join two independent clauses that are closely linked by a conjunctive adverb. Join independent clauses with a semicolon before a coordinating conjunction when one or both clauses contain a comma or other internal punctuation. Use a semicolon to separate items in a series when each item is long or when one or more items contain a comma. Place semicolons outside of end quotation marks. Edit to avoid common errors. 27. Apostrophes. Using apostrophes to show possession with single nouns. Using apostrophes to show possession with multiple nouns. Using apostrophes in contractions to mark the omission of letters and numbers. Using apostrophes to mark plural forms. 28. Quotation Marks. Quoting prose. Quoting poetry, dialogue, and other material. Eliminating misused or overused quotation marks. 29. Other Marks. The Colon. The Dash. Parentheses. Brackets. Ellipses. The Slash. 30. Capitals and Italics. Capitals. Italics. 31. Abbreviations and Numbers. Abbreviations. Numbers. 32. Hyphens. Using hyphens to make compound words. Using hyphens to divide a word at the end of a line. 33. Understanding the Research Process. Making your research worthwhile. Determining the scope of your paper and identifying a research question. Generating ideas for the paper. Developing a strategy for preliminary research. Devising a working thesis. Doing preliminary research and reading. Focused research: Print sources and interviews. 34. Using Electronic Resources. Finding the right online resources. Constructing effective Internet searches. Evaluating Internet sources. URLs for researchers. 35. Using Sources. Finding sources for authoritative opinions, facts, and examples. Classifying sources: Primary and secondary. Reading sources critically. Creating a working bibliography. Taking notes: Summarizing and paraphrasing. Quoting sources. Weaving summaries, paraphrases, and quotations into your paragraphs. Avoiding plagiarism. 36. Writing the Research Paper. Refining the thesis. Developing a plan. Drawing on your sources to support your idea. Determining your voice. Writing a draft. Revising and editing. Understanding the elements of documentation. A sample research paper. 37. Documenting Research. Using the MLA system of documentation. Using the APA system of documentation. Using the CMS style of documentation. Using the CBE system of documentation. 38. Writing and Reading in the Humanities. Writing in the humanities. Reading in the humanities. Types of writing assignments in the humanities. Writing about literature. Sample student paper: "The Role of Color in Kate Chopin's 'A Shameful Affair'.” Reference materials in the humanities. 39. Writing and Reading in the Social Sciences. Writing in the social sciences. Reading in the social sciences. Types of writing assignments in the social sciences. Sample student paper. Reference materials in the social sciences. 40. Writing and Reading in the Sciences. Writing in the sciences. Reading in the sciences. Types of writing assignments in the sciences. Sample student paper: “Black Hole Flares.” Reference materials in the sciences. 41. Writing for the Web. Plan the content. Create the Web site's structure. Design the pages. Build the site. A note for advanced Web developers. 42. The Visual Design of Documents. Design elements and the audiences for your documents. Effective headings and typography emphasize content. Graphic material in reports, presentations, or proposals. Designing newsletters. 43. Writing in a Business Environment. Standard formats, spacing, and information in a business letter. Letters of inquiry. Letters of complaint. Letters of application. Résumés. Memoranda. 44. Writing Essay Exams. A strategy for taking essay exams. The importance of verbs in an essay question. 45. Making Oral Presentations. Planning oral presentations. Delivering oral presentations. 46. Using English Nouns, Pronouns, and Articles. Using the different classes of English nouns. Using articles with nouns. Using nouns with prepositions. 47. Using English Verbs. Distinguishing different types of verbs and verb constructions. Changing verb forms. Changing word order with verbs. Using the helping verbs: Auxiliaries and modal auxiliaries. Choosing gerunds and infinitives with verbs. Using two- and three-word verbs, or phrasal verbs, with particles. 48. Using Modifiers and Connectors in English Sentences. Using single-word adjectives and nouns as modifiers of nouns. Using adjectival modifiers with linking verbs and prepositions. Positioning adverbial modifiers. Using phrases and clauses to modify nouns and pronouns. Combining phrases and clauses with connecting words. Arranging cumulative modifiers. Appendix A. Manuscript Form and Preparation. Paper and binding. Page layout. Text preparation. Alterations. Punctuation and spacing. Appendix B. Glossary of Usage. Appendix C. Glossary of Terms: Grammar and Composition.