Little, Brown Handbook, The, Global Edition

H. Ramsey Fowler served from 1980-1999 as dean of University College at The University of Memphis and from 1968-1980 as a faculty member in the English Department. From 1970-1978 he directed the freshman and sophomore English program and from 1978-1980, The Greater Memphis Writing Project, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Currently, he directs the Master of Liberal Arts program and the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies at St. Edward’s University and teaches in both these programs. In addition, he is joint – and was the original – author of The Little, Brown Handbook. Jane E. Aaron has taught writing at New York University and several other schools. She is the author of eight successful and long-lived composition textbooks, including The Little, Brown Handbook and The Little, Brown Compact Handbook. Michael Greer teaches writing, editing, and publishing in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He also teaches courses in multimedia, online course design, and assessment for the Graduate Certificate in Online Writing Instruction at UA, Little Rock. Michael edits the journal Research in Online Literacy Education and is a founding member of the Global Society of Online Literacy Educators. He publishes and presents on topics including user-centered design, interactive media, and digital publishing. Michael serves as a faculty advisor and author for Gadget Software, where he is helping to design and develop a mobile learning platform. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

I. The Process of Writing

Assessing the Writing Situation

1.1 How Writing Happens
1.2 The Writing Situation
1.3 Audience
1.4 Purpose
1.5 Subject
1.6 Genre and Medium


Discovering and Shaping Ideas

2.1 Invention
2.2 Thesis
2.3 Organization
Sample Informative Essay


Drafting, Revising, and Editing

3.1 First Draft
Sample First Draft
3.2 Revising
3.3 Peer Review
3.4 Sample Revision
Sample Revised Draft
3.5 Editing
3.6 Final Draft
Sample Final Draft


Writing and Revising Paragraphs

4.1 Flow
4.2 Unity
4.3 Coherence
4.4 Development
4.5 Introductions, Conclusions, and Transitions


Presenting Writing

5.1 Academic Writing
5.2 Visuals and Media
5.3 Writing Online
Sample Literacy Narrative Blog Post
5.4 Oral Presentations
Sample Presentation Slides
5.5 Portfolios



II. Reading and Writing in and out of College

Writing in Academic Situations

6.1 Purpose and Audience
6.2 Genre
6.3 Writing with Sources
6.4 Academic Language
6.5 Communication in Academic Settings


Critical Reading and Writing

7.1 Critical Thinking
7.2 Techniques of Critical Reading
7.3 Summarizing
7.4 Critical Response
7.5 Visual Analysis
7.6 Writing a Critical Analysis
7.7 Sample Critical Responses
Sample Critical Analysis of a Text
Sample Critical Analysis of a Visual


Reading Arguments Critically

8.1 The Elements of Argument
8.2 Claims
8.3 Evidence
8.4 Reliability
8.5 Assumptions
8.6 Language and Tone
8.7 Fallacies
8.8 Visual Arguments


Writing an Argument

9.1 Subject
9.2 Thesis, Purpose, and Audience
9.3 Reasoning
9.4 Evidence
9.5 Engaging Readers
9.6 Organizing and Revising
9.7 Sample Argument
Sample Proposal Argument


Taking Essay Exams

10.1 Preparing
10.2 Planning
10.3 Writing
Sample Essay Exam Answer


Public Writing

11.1 Social Media
11.2 Letters and Memos
Sample Business Letter
Sample Memo
11.3 Job Applications
Sample Job Application Letter
Sample Résumés
11.4 Reports and Proposals
Sample Report and Proposal
11.5 Community Service
Sample Social-Media Post



III. Grammatical Sentences

Understanding Sentence Grammar

12.1 Sentence Basics
12.2 Sentence Patterns
12.3 Single-Word Modifiers
12.4 Word Groups
12.5 Compound Constructions
12.6 Inverted Order
12.7 Sentence Types


Case of Nouns and Pronouns

13.1 Subjective, Objective, and Possessive Cases
13.2 Compound Subjects and Objects
13.3 Common Questions about Case


Verbs

14.1 Verb Forms
14.2 Easily Confused Verb Forms
14.3 Verb Endings
14.4 Helping Verbs
14.5 Verbs with Gerunds and Infinitives
14.6 Verbs with Particles
14.7 Verb Tenses
14.8 Sequence of Tenses
14.9 Subjunctive Mood
14.10 Active and Passive Voice


Agreement

15.1 Subject-Verb Agreement
15.2 Unusual Word Order
15.3 Subjects Joined by Conjunctions
15.4 Indefinite and Relative Pronouns
15.5 Collective and Plural Nouns
15.6 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement


Adjectives and Adverbs

16.1 Functions of Adjectives and Adverbs
16.2 Comparative and Superlative Forms
16.3 Double Negatives
16.4 Nouns as Modifiers
16.5 Determiners



IV. Clear Sentences

Sentence Fragments

17.1 Identifying Fragments
17.2 Correcting Fragments
17.3 Common Types of Fragments
17.4 Acceptable Fragments


Comma Splices and Fused Sentences

18.1 Identifying Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
18.2 Correcting Comma Splices and Fused Sentences


Pronoun Reference

19.1 Clear Reference
19.2 Close Reference
19.3 Specific Reference
19.4 Appropriate You, Who, Which, and That


Shifts

20.1 Types of Shifts
20.2 Person and Number
20.3 Tense and Mood
20.4 Subject and Voice
20.5 Direct and Indirect Quotations and Questions


Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

21.1 Clear Placement
21.2 Limiting Modifiers
21.3 Squinting Modifiers
21.4 Separated Subjects, Verbs, and Objects
21.5 Separated Infinitives and Verb Phrases
21.6 Position of Adverbs
21.7 Order of Adjectives
21.8 Dangling Modifiers


Mixed and Incomplete Sentences

22.1 Mixed Grammar
22.2 Mixed Meaning
22.3 Incomplete Compounds
22.4 Incomplete Comparisons
22.5 Careless Omissions



V. Effective Sentences

Emphasizing Ideas

23.1 Subjects and Verbs
23.2 Subject Beginnings and Endings
23.3 Parallel Elements
23.4 Repetition and Separation
23.5 Conciseness


Using Coordination and Subordination

24.1 Coordination
24.2 Subordination
24.3 Connecting Words


Using Parallelism

25.1 Understanding Parallelism
25.2 Equal Elements
25.3 Coherence


Achieving Variety

26.1 Sentence Length and Structure
26.2 Sentence Beginnings
26.3 Word Order



VI. Punctuation

Chart: Commas, Semicolons, Colons, Dashes, and Parentheses



End Punctuation

27.1 Period
27.2 Question Mark
27.3 Exclamation Point


The Comma

28.1 Uses of the Comma
28.2 Main Clauses Linked by Conjunctions
28.3 Introductory Elements
28.4 Nonessential Elements
28.5 Series and Coordinate Adjectives
28.6 Quotations and Other Conventional Uses
28.7 Unnecessary Commas


The Semicolon

29.1 Main Clauses without Coordinating Conjunctions
29.2 Main Clauses with Transitional Words
29.3 Main Clauses That Are Long or Contain Commas
29.4 Items in a Series
29.5 Unnecessary Semicolons


The Apostrophe

30.1 Possession
30.2 Contractions and Abbreviations


Quotation Marks

31.1 Direct Quotations
31.2 Titles of Works
31.3 Words Used in a Special Sense
31.4 With Other Punctuation


Other Punctuation Marks

32.1 Colon
32.2 Dash
32.3 Parentheses
32.4 Brackets
32.5 Ellipsis Mark
32.6 Slash



VII. Mechanics

Capitals

33.1 Conventions
33.2 First Word of Sentence
33.3 Titles and Subtitles
33.4 Proper Nouns and Proper Adjectives


Italics or Underlining

34.1 Titles of Works
34.2 Foreign Words and for Emphasis


Abbreviations

35.1 Abbreviations in Nontechnical Writing
35.2 Misuses of Abbreviations


Numbers

36.1 Numerals and Words
36.2 Dates and Addresses



VIII. Effective Words

Using Appropriate Language

37.1 Standard English
37.2 Texting and Electronic Shortcuts
37.3 Slang, Colloquialisms, Regionalisms, and Jargon
37.4 Indirect or Pretentious Writing
37.5 Sexist and Biased Language


Using Exact Language

38.1 Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Spelling Checker
38.2 Denotation and Connotation
38.3 Abstract and Concrete Words
38.4 Idioms
38.5 Figurative Language
38.6 Trite Expressions


Writing Concisely

39.1 Achieving Conciseness
39.2 Subjects and Verbs
39.3 Empty Words and Phrases
39.4 Unnecessary Repetition
39.5 Other Strategies


Spelling and the Hyphen

40.1 Common Spelling Problems
40.2 Spelling Rules
40.3 Spelling Skills
40.4 Hyphenating Words



IX. Research Writing

Planning a Research Project

41.1 The Process of Research Writing
41.2 Research Questions
41.3 Research Strategies
41.4 Working Bibliographies
Sample Annotated Bibliography Entry


Finding Sources

42.1 Search Strategies
42.2 Reference Works
42.3 Books and Periodicals
42.4 Web Search Strategies
42.5 Social Media
42.6 Government Publications
42.7 Visuals and Media
42.8 Primary Research


Working with Sources

43.1 Interacting with Sources
Sample Annotated Source
43.2 Evaluating Sources
43.3 Synthesizing Sources
43.4 Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation
43.5 Integrating Sources


Avoiding Plagiarism

44.1 Defining Plagiarism
44.2 Information You Do Not Need to Cite
44.3 Information You Must Cite
44.4 Documenting Sources
44.5 Copyright and Permissions


Writing the Paper

45.1 Developing a Thesis
45.2 Organizing Your Ideas
45.3 Drafting a Research Paper
45.4 Revising and Editing
45.5 Preparing a Final Draft


Using MLA Documentation and Format

46.1 In-text Citations
46.2 List of Works Cited
46.3 MLA Paper Format


Two Research Papers in MLA Style

47.1 Sample Research Paper in MLA Style
“The Dream of Sustainable Agriculture”
47.2 Sample Literary Research Paper in MLA Style
“Intersecting Race and Gender in Angelia Weld Grimké's Rachel”



X. Writing in the Academic Disciplines

Reading and Writing about Literature

48.1 The Methods of Literary Analysis
48.2 Writing Assignments in Literature
48.3 The Tools and Language of Literary Analysis
48.4 Citing Sources When Writing about Literature
48.5 Writing a Literary Analysis
Sample Literary Analysis


Writing in Other Humanities

49.1 Methods and Evidence
49.2 Common Writing Assignments
49.3 Tools and Language
49.4 Documenting Sources
49.5 Paper Format


Writing in the Social Sciences

50.1 Common Genres in the Social Sciences
50.2 Research Conventions in the Social Sciences
50.3 In-text Citations in APA Style
50.4 References in APA Style
50.5 Research Paper Format in APA Style
50.6 Sample Research Paper in APA Style
“Perceptions of Mental Illness on College Campuses”


Writing in the Natural and Applied Sciences

51.1 Methods and Evidence
51.2 Common Writing Assignments
51.3 Tools and Language
51.4 CSE Style
51.5 Paper Format
51.6 Sample Paper
“Caterpillar Defense Mechanisms”