The Little Brown Handbook

Preface for Students: Using This Book
Preface for Instructors

PART 1: The Process of Writing

1 Assessing the Writing Situation
a. Understanding how writing happens
b. Analyzing the writing situation
c. Discovering and limiting a subject
d. Defining a purpose
e. Considering the audience
f. Understanding genres

2 Discovering and Shaping Ideas
a. Discovering ideas
b. Developing a thesis
c. Organizing ideas
SAMPLE INFORMATIVE ESSAY

3 Drafting, Revising, and Editing
a. Writing the first draft
b. Revising a draft
c. Giving and receiving comments
d. Examining a sample revision
e. Editing the revised draft
f. Preparing and proofreading the final draft
g. SAMPLE FINAL DRAFT (RESPONSE ESSAY)
h. Preparing a writing portfolio

4 Writing and Revising Paragraphs
a. Relating paragraphs in the essay
b. Maintaining paragraph unity
c. Achieving paragraph coherence
d. Developing the paragraph
e. Writing special kinds of paragraphs

5 Presenting Writing
a. Formatting academic writing
SAMPLE MARKETING REPORT
b. Using visuals and other media in multimodal writing
c. Presenting writing on the Web
SAMPLE WEB SITE
SAMPLE LITERACY NARRATIVE POSTED TO A BLOG
d. Making oral presentations
SAMPLE POWERPOINT SLIDES

PART 2: Reading and Writing in and out of College

6 Writing in Academic Situations
a. Determining purpose and audience
b. Using an academic genre
c. Choosing structure and content
d. Using sources with integrity
e. Using academic language
f. Communicating with instructors and classmates

7 Critical Reading and Writing
a. Using techniques of critical reading
b. Summarizing
c. Developing a critical response
d. Viewing visuals critically
e. Writing critically
f. Examining sample critical analyses
SAMPLE CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF A TEXT
SAMPLE CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF AN IMAGE

8 Reading Arguments Critically
a. Recognizing the elements of argument
b. Testing claims
c. Weighing evidence
d. Discovering assumptions
e. Watching language, hearing tone
f. Judging reasonableness
g. Recognizing fallacies
h. Reading visual arguments

9 Writing an Argument
a. Finding a subject
b. Conceiving a thesis statement
c. Analyzing your purpose and your audience
d. Using reason
e. Using evidence
f. Reaching your readers
g. Organizing your argument
h. Revising your argument
i. SAMPLE PROPOSAL ARGUMENT

10 Taking Essay Exams
a. Preparing for an essay examination
b. Planning your time and your answer
c. Starting the essay
d. Developing the essay
e. Rereading the essay

11 Public Writing
a. Writing on social media
b. Writing business letters and memos
SAMPLE LETTER AND MEMO
c. Writing a job application
SAMPLE LETTER AND RESUMES
d. Writing business reports and proposals
SAMPLE REPORT AND PROPOSAL
e. Writing for community work
SAMPLE NEWSLETTER, ONLINE POST

PART 3: Grammatical Sentences

12 Understanding Sentence Grammar
a. Understanding the basic sentence
b. Expanding the basic sentence with single words
c. Expanding the basic sentence with word groups
d. Compounding words, phrases, and clauses
e. Changing the usual word order
f. Classifying sentences

13 Case of Nouns and Pronouns
a. Compound subjects and complements
b. Compound objects
c. We or us with a noun
d. Appositives
e. Pronoun after than or as in a comparison
f. Subjects and objects of infinitives
g. Who vs. whom
h. Case before a gerund

14 Verbs
Verb Forms
a. Regular and irregular verbs
b. Sit and set; lie and lay; rise and raise
c. Omitted -s and -ed endings
d. Helping verbs
e. Verb plus gerund or infinitive
f. Verb plus participle
Tense
g. Appropriate tense for meaning
h. Sequence of tenses
Mood
i. Subjunctive verb forms
Voice
j. Active vs. passive voice

15 Agreement
a. Agreement between subject and verb
b. Agreement between pronoun and antecedent

16 Adjectives and Adverbs
a. Adjectives only with nouns and pronouns
b. Adjectives after linking verbs
c. Adjectives with objects; adverbs with verbs
d. Comparative and superlative forms
e. Double negatives
f. Overuse of nouns as modifiers
g. Present and past participles as adjectives
h. A, an, the, and other determiners

PART 4: Clear Sentences

17 Sentence Fragments
a. Tests for sentence completeness, revision of fragments
b. Subordinate clause
c. Verbal or prepositional phrase
d. Other fragments
e. Acceptable uses of incomplete sentences

18 Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
a. Main clauses not joined by coordinating conjunction
b. Main clauses related by a conjunctive adverb or transitional expression
c. Main clauses with no conjunction or punctuation

19 Pronoun Reference
a. Clear reference to one antecedent
b. Clear placement of pronoun and antecedent
c. Reference to specific antecedent
d. Indefinite use of you
e. Clear use of it
f. Appropriate who, which, that

20 Shifts
a. Person and number
b. Tense and mood
c. Subject and voice
d. Indirect and direct quotations and questions

21 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
a. Clear placement of modifiers
b. Limiting modifiers
c. Squinting modifiers
d. Separation of subjects, verbs, and objects
e. Separation of parts of infinitives or verb phrases
f. Position of adverbs
g. Order of adjectives
h. Dangling modifiers

22 Mixed and Incomplete Sentences
Mixed Sentences
a. Mixed grammar
b. Mixed meaning (faulty predication)
c. Compound constructions
d. Comparisons
e. Careless omissions

PART 5: Effective Sentences

23 Emphasizing Ideas
a. Using subjects and verbs effectively
b. Using sentence beginnings and endings
c. Arranging parallel elements effectively
d. Repeating ideas
e. Separating ideas
f. Being concise

24 Using Coordination and Subordination
a. Coordinating to relate equal ideas
b. Subordinating to distinguish main ideas
c. Choosing clear connectors

25 Using Parallelism
a. Using parallelism for coordinate elements
b. Using parallelism to increase coherence

26 Achieving Variety
a. Varying sentence length and structure
b. Varying sentence beginnings
c. Inverting the normal word order
d. Mixing types of sentences

PART 6: Punctuation Chart

27 End Punctuation
a. The period
b. The question mark
c. The exclamation point

28 The Comma
a. Main clauses linked by coordinating conjunctions
b. Introductory elements
c. Nonessential elements
d. Absolute phrases
e. Phrases expressing contrast
f. Series and coordinate adjectives
g. Dates, addresses, place names, long numbers
h. With quotations
i. To prevent misreading
j. Misuse and overuse

29 The Semicolon
a. Main clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction
b. Main clauses related by a conjunctive adverb or transitional expression
c. Main clauses that are too long or contain commas
d. Series items that are long or contain commas
e. Misuse and overuse

30 The Apostrophe
a. Possession
b. Misuses with noun plurals, verbs, and personal pronouns
c. Contractions
d. Plurals of abbreviations, dates, and words or characters named as words

31 Quotation Marks Chart
a. Direct quotations
b. Quotation within a quotation
c. Dialog
d. Titles of songs, short stories, etc.
e. Words used in a special sense
f. Overuse
g. Placement with other punctuation marks

32 Other Punctuation Marks
a. The colon
b. The dash
c. Parentheses
d. Brackets
e. The ellipsis mark
f. The slash

PART 7: Mechanics

33 Capitals
a. First word of a sentence
b. Titles of works
c. Pronoun I and interjection O
d. Proper nouns and adjectives
e. Titles before proper names
f. Misuses of capitals

34 Italics or Underlining
a. Titles of books and periodicals
b. Names of ships, aircraft, spacecraft, trains
c. Foreign words and phrases
d. Words, letters, and numbers named as words
e. For emphasis
f. In online communication

35 Abbreviations
a. Titles before and after proper names
b. Familiar abbreviations and acronyms
c. BC, BCE, AD, CE, AM, PM, no., and $
d. Latin abbreviations
e. Inc., Bros., Co., and &
f. Misuse with units of measurement, geographical names, and so on

36 Numbers
a. Numerals vs. words
b. For dates, addresses, etc.
c. Beginning sentences


PART 8: Effective Words

37 Using Appropriate Language
a. Revising nonstandard dialect
b. Revising shortcuts of online communication
c. Using slang only when appropriate
d. Using colloquial language only when appropriate
e. Using regionalisms only when appropriate
f. Revising neologisms
g. Using technical words with care
h. Revising indirect or pretentious writing
i. Revising sexist and other biased language

38 Using Exact Language
a. Using a dictionary and a thesaurus
b. Using the right word for your meaning
c. Balancing the abstract and concrete, the general and specific
d. Using idioms
e. Using figurative language
f. Using fresh expressions

39 Writing Concisely
a. Focusing on subject and verb
b. Cutting or shortening empty words and phrases
c. Cutting unnecessary repetition
d. Reducing clauses to phrases, phrases to single words
e. Revising there is, here is, and it is constructions
f. Combining sentences
g. Rewriting jargon

40 Spelling and the Hyphen
a. Recognizing typical spelling problems
b. Following spelling rules
c. Developing spelling skills
d. Using the hyphen to form or divide words

PART 9: Research Writing

41 Planning a Research Project
a. Starting out
b. Finding a researchable subject and question
c. Developing a research strategy
d. Making a working, annotated bibliography

42 Finding Sources
a. Starting with your library's Web site
b. Searching electronically
c. Finding reference works
d. Finding books
e. Finding periodicals
f. Finding sources on the Web
g. Finding sources using social media
h. Finding government publications
i. Finding visuals, audio, and video
j. Generating your own sources

43 Working with Sources
a. Evaluating sources
b. Synthesizing sources
c. Interacting with sources
d. Using summary, paraphrase, and quotation
e. Integrating sources into your text

44 Avoiding Plagiarism
a. Avoiding both deliberate and careless plagiarism
b. Knowing what you need not acknowledge
c. Knowing what you must acknowledge
d. Obtaining permission when publishing your work

45 Documenting Sources
a. Using discipline styles for documentation
b. Using bibliography software

46 Writing the Paper
a. Developing a thesis statement
b. Creating a structure
c. Drafting the paper
d. Revising and editing the paper
e. Preparing and proofreading the final draft

47 Using MLA Documentation and Format
a. Using MLA in-text citations
b. Preparing the MLA list of works cited
c. Using MLA document format

48 Two Research Papers in MLA Style
"THE FALSE PROMISE OF GREEN CONSUMERISM"
"ANNIE DILLARD'S HEALING VISION"

PART 10: Writing in the Academic Disciplines

49 Reading and Writing About Literature
a. Using the methods and evidence of literary analysis
b. Understanding writing assignments in literature
c. Using the tools and language of literary analysis
d. Citing sources and formatting documents in writing about literature
e. Drafting and revising a literary analysis
SAMPLE LITERARY ANALYSIS OF A SHORT STORY
f. Writing about fiction, poetry, and drama
SAMPLE LITERARY ANALYSIS OF A POEM
SAMPLE LITERARY ANALYSIS OF A PLAY

50 Writing in Other Humanities
a. Using the methods and evidence of the humanities
b. Understanding writing assignments in the humanities
c. Using the tools and language of the humanities
d. Citing sources in Chicago style
e. Formatting documents in Chicago style

51 Writing in the Social Sciences
a. Using the methods and evidence of the social sciences
b. Understanding writing assignments in the social sciences
c. Using the tools and language of the social sciences
d. Citing sources in APA style
e. Formatting documents in APA style
f. SAMPLE RESEARCH REPORT

52 Writing in the Natural and Applied Sciences
a. Using the methods and evidence of the sciences
b. Understanding writing assignments in the sciences
c. Using the tools and language of the sciences
d. Citing sources in CSE style
e. Formatting documents in CSE style
f. SAMPLE SCIENCE PAPER

Glossary of Usage
Glossary of Terms
Index