A Writer's Resource, Fourth Edition*Indicates new content or a chapter/section with major revisions. In addition, content is being updated and revised throughout. Tab 1. Writing Today
*RESOURCES FOR WRITERS (Foldout): Start Smart: Addressing the Writing Situation
1. Writing across the Curriculum and beyond College a. Studying the world through a range of disciplines b. Using writing as a tool for learning c. Taking responsibility for reading, writing, and research d. Recognizing that writing improves with practice *e. Achieving the core outcomes of successful writing
*2. Writing Situations *a. Viewing the situation as the framework for approaching any writing task*b. Using multimedia elements and genre effectively*c. Choosing the best mediumd. Becoming aware of the persuasive power of imagese. Takng advantage of online and other electronic tools for learning
*3. Audience and Academic English*a. Becoming aware of your audience*b. Using reading, writing, and speaking to learn more about Academic English c. Using learning tools that are available for multilingual students
Tab 2. Writing and Designing Texts
4. Reading and Writing: The Critical Connection a. Reading critically b. Writing critically
5. Planning and Shaping a. Learning how to approach assignmentsb. Exploring your ideas c. Developing a working thesis d. Planning a structure that suits your assignment *e. Considering visuals and multimedia, depending on your purpose and audience
6. Drafting a. Developing ideas using patterns of organization and visuals b. Writing focused, clearly organized paragraphs *c. Integrating visuals and multimedia elements effectively
7. Revising and Editing a. Getting comments from readersb. Using electronic tools for revising [drop this section?] c. Focusing on the writing situation (topic, purpose, audience, medium, genre)d. Making sure your thesis is stronge. Reviewing the structure of your draft f. Revising for paragraph development, paragraph unity, and coherence *f. Revising visuals and multimediag. Editing sentences h. Proofreading carefully i. Using campus, Internet, and community resources j. Learning from one student's revisions
8. Designing Academic Papers and Portfolios a. Thinking intentionally about design b. Compiling a portfolio
Tab 3. Common Assignments across the Curriculum 9. Informative Reports a. Understanding the assignment b. Approaching writing an informative report as a process c. Student paper: Informative report d. Writing reviews of the literature
10. Interpretive Analyses and Writing about Literature a. Understanding the assignment b. Approaching writing an interpretive analysis as a process c. Student paper: Interpretive analysis
11. Arguments a. Understanding the assignment b. Thinking critically c. Approaching writing an argument as a process *d. Student paper: Argument
12. Other Kinds of Writing: Personal a. Personal essays b. Lab reports in the experimental sciences c. Case studies in the social sciences d. Essay exams e. Coauthored projects
13. Oral Presentations a. Planning and shaping your presentation b. Drafting your presentation c. Creating multimedia presentations d. Preparing for your presentation
14. Multimedia Writing a. Learning about tools for creating multimedia texts b. Analyzing images c. Creating a Web site *d. Creating and interacting with weblogs and wikis
Tab 4. Writing beyond College
15. Service Learning and Community-Service Writing a. Addressing the community on behalf of your organization or yourself *b. Designing brochures, posters, and newsletters
16. Letters to Raise Awareness and Share Concern
17. Writing to Get and Keep a Job a. Exploring internship possibilities b. Keeping an up-to-date resume c. Writing an application letter d. Preparing for a job interview e. Applying college writing to writing on the job f. Writing as a consumer
Tab 5. Researching
18. Understanding Research a. Understanding primary and secondary research b. Recognizing the connection between research and college writing c. Understanding the research assignmentd. Choosing an interesting research question e. Creating a research plan
19. Finding and Managing Print and Online Sources a. Using the library in person and online b. Consulting various kinds of sources c. Understanding keywords and keyword searches d. Using printed and online reference works e. Using print indexes and online databases f. Using search engines and subject directories to find Internet sources g. Using your library's online catalog or card catalog to find books h. Taking advantage of printed and online government documents i. Exploring online communication
*20. Finding and Creating Effective Visuals, Audio, and Video a. Finding quantitative data and displaying it visually b. Searching for appropriate images in online and print sources *c. Finding audio and video files
21. Evaluating Sources a. Questioning print sources b. Questioning Internet sources c. Evaluating a source's arguments
22. Doing Research in the Archive, Field, and Lab a. Adhering to ethical principles b. Preparing yourself for archival research c. Planning your field research carefully d. Keeping a notebook when doing lab research
23. Plagiarism, Copyright, and Intellectual Propertya. Understanding how plagiarism relates to copyright and intellectual propertyb. Avoiding inadvertent and deliberate plagiarismc. Using copyrighted materials fairly
24. Working with Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism a. Maintaining a working bibliography b. Creating an annotated bibliographyc. Taking notes on your sources d. Taking stock of what you have learned as you paraphrase, summarize, quote, and synthesize your sources e. Integrating quotations, paraphrases, and summaries f. Avoiding plagiarism and copyright infringement
25. Writing the Paper a. Planning and drafting your paper b. Revising your draft c. Documenting your sources
Tab 6. MLA Documentation Style
RESOURCES FOR WRITERS (Foldout): Identifying and Documenting Sources: MLA Style
26. MLA Style: In-Text Citations MLA In-Text Citations: Directory to Sample Types
27. MLA Style: List of Works Cited MLA Works-Cited Entries: Directory to Sample Types
28. MLA Style: Explanatory Notes
29. MLA Style: Paper Format
*30. Student Paper in MLA Style
Tab 7. APA Documentation Style
RESOURCES FOR WRITERS (Foldout): Identifying and Documenting Sources: APA Style
31. APA Style: In-Text Citations APA In-Text Citations: Directory to Sample Types
32. APA Style: References APA Reference Entries: Directory to Sample Types
33. APA Style: Paper Format
*34. Student Paper in APA Style
Tab 8. Chicago and CSE Documentation Styles
35. Chicago Documentation Style a. Chicago style: In-text citations and notes b. Chicago style: Bibliography c. Sample Chicago-style notes and bibliography entries d. Sample from a student paper in Chicago style
36. CSE Documentation: Name-Year Style CSE Name-Year Style: Directory to Sample Types a. CSE name-year style: In-text citations b. CSE name-year style: List of references c. CSE name-year style: Sample references list
Tab 9. Editing for Clarity RESOURCES FOR WRITERS (Foldout): Identifying and Editing Common Problems/Quick Reference for Multilingual Writers
38. Wordy Sentences a. Eliminating redundancies b. Avoiding unnecessary repetition c. Replacing wordy phrases d. Reducing clauses and phrases e. Combining sentences f. Making sentences straightforward
39. Missing Words a. Adding words needed in compound structures b. Including that when it is needed for clarity c. Making comparisons clear d. Adding articles (a, an, the) where necessary
40. Mixed Constructions a. Untangling mixed-up sentence structures b. Making sure predicates fit subjects c. Editing sentences with is when, is where, the reason . . . is because
41. Confusing Shifts a. Making your point of view consistent in person and number b. Keeping verb tenses consistent c. Avoiding unnecessary shifts in mood and voice d. Avoiding shifts between direct and indirect quotations and questions
42. Faulty Parallelism a. Making items in a series parallel b. Making paired ideas parallel c. Repeating function words as needed
43. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers a. Putting modifiers close to the words they modify b. Clarifying ambiguous modifiers c. Moving disruptive modifiers d. Checking split infinitives for ambiguity e. Fixing dangling modifiers
44. Coordination and Subordination a. Using coordination to express equal ideas b. Using subordination to express unequal ideas c. Avoiding subordination of major ideas d. Combining short, choppy sentences e. Avoiding excessive subordination
45. Sentence Variety a. Varying sentence openings b. Varying sentence length and structure c. Including cumulative and periodic sentences and rhetorical questions d. Trying inversions
46. Active Verbs a. Considering alternatives to be verbs b. Preferring the active voice
47. Appropriate Language a. Avoiding slang, regionalisms, and nonstandard English b. Using an appropriate level of formality c. Avoiding jargon d. Avoiding euphemisms and doublespeak e. Removing biased or sexist language
48. Exact Language a. Choosing words with suitable connotations b. Including specific, concrete words c. Using standard idioms d. Avoiding cliches e. Creating suitable figures of speech f. Avoiding misuse of words
49. The Dictionary and the Thesaurus a. Using the dictionary as a habit b. Consulting a thesaurus
50. Glossary of Usage
Tab 10. Editing for Grammar Conventions
51. Sentence Fragments a. Identifying sentence fragments b. Editing sentence fragments c. Phrases as fragments d. Dependent clauses as fragments
52. Comma Splices and Run-on Sentences a. Identifying commas splices and run-on sentences b. Learning five ways to edit commas splices and run-on sentences c. Joining two clauses with a comma and a coordinating conjunction d. Joining two clauses with a semicolon e. Separating the clauses into two sentences f. Making one clause dependent g. Transforming two clauses into one clause
53. Subject-Verb Agreement a. Standard subject-verb combinations b. A word group between subject and verb c. Compound subjects connected by conjunctions (and, but, either . . .or) d. Collective subjects (committee, jury) e. Indefinite subjects (everybody, no one) f. Subject following verb g. Subject complements h. Relative pronouns (who, which, that) i. -ing phrases (gerund phrases) as subjects j. Titles, company names, words considered as words
54. Problems with Verbs a. Principal forms of regular and irregular verbs b. Lay and lie, sit and set, rise and raise c. -s or -es endings d. -d or -ed endings e. Complete verbs f. Verb tenses g. Past perfect tense h. Special uses of the present tense i. Tense with infinitives and participles j. Mood
55. Problems with Pronouns a. Pronoun-antecedent agreement b. Pronoun reference c. Making pronouns consistent d. Pronoun case (for example, I vs. me) e. Who vs. whom
56. Problems with Adjectives and Adverbs a. Adverbs b. Adjectives c. Positive, comparative, and superlative adjectives and adverbs d. Double negatives
Tab 11. Editing for Correctness: Punctuation, Mechanics, and Spelling
57. Commas Common Uses of the Comma a. Introductory word groups b. Items in a series c. Independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction d. Series of adjectives e. Nonessential additions to a sentence f. Transitional and parenthetical expressions, contrasting comments, absolute phrases g. Words of direct address, yes and no, mild interjections, tag questions h. Direct quotations i. Parts of dates, letters, addresses, people's titles, and numbers j. Omitted words or phrases, confusing combinations Common Misuses of the Comma k. To separate major elements in an independent clause l. In front of the first or following the final item in a series m. To separate compound word groups that are not independent clauses n. To set off restrictive modifiers, appositives, or slightly parenthetical elements o. Other common errors
58. Semicolons a. Independent clauses b. Independent clauses with transitional expressions c. Items in a series that contain commas d. Common errors
59. Colons a. With lists, appositives, or quotations b. With a second independent clause that elaborates on the first one c. Other conventional uses d. Common errors
60. Apostrophes a. To indicate possession b. For missing letters in contractions and for missing numbers c. Distinguishing between possessive pronouns and contractions d. To form plural numbers, letters, abbreviations, words used as words e. Common errors
61. Quotation Marks a. Exact words of a speaker or writer b. Long quotations in indented blocks c. A quotation within a quotation d. Titles of short works e. A word or phrase used in a special way f. Other punctuation marks with quotation marks g. Common errors
62. Other Punctuation Marks a. Periods b. Question marks c. Exclamation points d. A dash or dashes e. Parentheses f. Brackets g. Ellipses h. Slashes
63. Capitalization a. Names of people and derived names, including brand names, certain abbreviations b. Titles of persons c. Titles of creative works d. Names of areas and regions e. Names of races, ethnic groups, and sacred things f. First word of a quoted sentence g. First word of a sentence h. First word of an independent clause after a colon
64. Abbreviations and Symbols a. Titles that precede or follow a person's name b. Familiar vs. unfamiliar abbreviations c. Words typically used with times, dates, and numerals; units of measurement in charts and graphs d. Latin abbreviations e. Inappropriate abbreviations and symbols
65. Numbers a. Numbers up to one hundred and round numbers over one hundred b. Numbers that begin a sentence c. Numbers in technical and business writing d. Dates, times of day, addresses
66. Italics a. Titles of lengthy works or separate publications b. Names of ships, trains, aircraft, and spaceships c. Foreign terms d. Scientific names e. Words, letters, and numbers referred to as themselves f. Overuse
67. Hyphens a. Compound words b. Compound adjective or noun forms c. Fractions and compound numbers d. With some prefixes and suffixes e. To divide words at the ends of lines
68. Spelling a. Spelling rules and exceptions b. Words pronounced alike but spelled differently
Tab 12. Basic Grammar Review with Tips for Multilingual Writers
69. Parts of Speech Tip: Recognizing language differences a. Verbs Tip: Using verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives Tip: Matching helping verbs (do, have, be) with the appropriate form of the main verb Tip: Understanding the form and meaning of modal verbs b. Nouns Tip: Using quantifiers with count and noncount nouns Tip: Using articles (a, an, the) appropriately c. Pronouns d. Adjectives Tip: Using adjectives correctly e. Adverbs f. Prepositions Tip: Using prepositions g. Conjunctions Tip: Using coordination and subordination appropriately h. Interjections
70. Parts of Sentences Tip: Putting sentence parts in the correct order for English a. Subjects Tip: Including a subject (but not two) b. Verbs and their objects or complements Tip: Including a complete verb Tip: Including only one direct object
71. Phrases and Dependent Clauses a. Noun phrases b. Verb phrases and verbals c. Appositive phrases d. Absolute phrases e. Dependent clauses Tip: Understanding the purposes and constructions of if clauses
72. Types of Sentences a. Sentence structures b. Sentence purposes
Tab 13. Further Resources for Learning Selected Terms from across the Curriculum RESOURCES FOR WRITERS (Foldout): Timeline of World History/World Map Index Index for Multilingual WriterQuick Guide to Key Resources Abbreviations and Symbols for Editing and Proofreading
