How to use this book and its companion Web site

How to use this book and its companion Web site Though it is small enough to hold in your hand, Rules for Writers will answer most of the questions you are likely to ask as you plan, draft, and revise a piece of writing: How do I choose and narrow a topic? How do I know when to begin a new paragraph? Should I write each was or each were? When should I place a comma before and? What is counterargument? What is the difference between accept and except? How do I cite a source from the Web? The book s companion Web site extends the book beyond its covers. See page xviii for details. How to find information with an instructor s help When you are revising an essay that your instructor has marked, tracking down information is simple. If your instructor indicates problems with a number such as 16 or a number and letter such as 12e, you can turn directly to the appropriate section of the handbook. Just flip through the tabs at the top of the pages until you find the number in question. If your instructor uses an abbreviation such as w or dm instead of a number, consult the list of abbreviations and revision symbols on the next-to-last page of the book. There you will find the name of the problem (wordy; dangling modifier) and the number of the section to consult. xiv

Lund 3 Revision Symbols Boldface numbers refer to sections of the handbook. the other snowmobiles (Johnson 7). Whether such noise adversely abbr faulty abbreviation 40 affects the park s wildlife remains a debated question, but the possibility exists. adj/adv misuse of adjective or adverb 26 add add needed word 10 Some who favor keeping the park open to snowmobiles agr faulty agreement 21, 22 argue that newer, four-stroke machines cause less air and noise appr inappropriate language 17 pollution than older models. While this is true, the new machines art article (a, an, the ) 29 still pollute more than cars, and their decibel level is awk awkward reduced only slightly ( Snowmobile B25). Also, because the cap capital letter 45 newer snowmobiles cost at least $3,000 more than the older case error in case 24, 25 ones, it is unlikely that individuals would choose to buy them cliché cliché 18e coh coherence 4d or that rental companies could afford to upgrade. At present coord faulty coordination 14a there are no strict guarantees that only the newer models cs comma splice 20 would be allowed into the park. dm dev inadequate Like most federal agencies, budget constraints face the development 4b, 6e National Park Service. Funds that should be used to preserve dm dangling modifier 12e Yellowstone National Park and its wildlife have been -ed error in -ed ending 27d diverted to deal with the snowmobile issue. A single environmental impact study of the problem cost taxpayers nearly emph emphasis 14 ESL English as a second cigarette. language 28 31 $250,000 0 in early 2002 (Greater Yellowstone Coalition), and exact inexact language 18 the park service estimates that implementing the new plan frag sentence fragment 19 12e Repair dangling modifiers. fs fused sentence 20 gl/us see Glossary of Usage A dangling modifier fails to refer logically to any word in the sentence. Dangling modifiers are easy to repair, but they can be hard to recognize, especially in your own writing. Smart use of counterargument p error in punctuation ^, comma 32 no, no comma 33 ; semicolon 34 : colon 35 v apostrophe 36 quotation marks 37.? period, question mark,! exclamation point 38 ( ) dash, parentheses, [ ]... brackets, ellipsis mark, / slash 39 new paragraph 4e pass ineffective passive 8 pn agr pronoun agreement 22 proof proofreading problem 3c ref error in pronoun reference 23 run-on run-on sentence 20 -s error in -s ending 27c, 21 sexist sexist language 17e, 22a shift distracting shift 13 sl slang 17c sp misspelled word 43 sub faulty subordination 14a sv agr subject-verb agreement How to find information on your own This handbook is designed to allow you to find information without an instructor s help usually by consulting the brief menu inside the front cover. At times, you may consult the detailed menu inside the back cover, the index, the glossary of usage, the list of revision symbols, or one of the directories to documentation models. The brief menu. The brief menu inside the front cover displays the book s contents. Let s say that you want to find out how you can write with more active verbs. Your first step is to scan the menu for the appropriate numbered topic in this case 8 Active Verbs. Then you can use the blue tabs at the top of the pages to find section 8.

Brief Menu How to use this book and its companion Web site active The Writing Process 1 112 8 Active verbs 1 Exploring and planning ning 2 2 Drafting the paper 23 3 Making global revisions; then revising sentenn 4 Building effective paragraphs 50 8 Prefer active verbs. Academic Writing 69 5 Writing about texts 70 6 Constructing reasonable As arguments a rule, choose 84 an active verb and pair it wit 7 Evaluating arguments 102 names the person or thing doing the action. Activ meaning more emphatically and vigorously tha counterparts forms of the verb be or verbs in th Clarity 111 8 Active verbs 112 9 Parallel ideas 116 10 Needed words 119 PASSIVE The pumps were destroyed by a surge o 11 Mixed constructions 123 BE VERB A surge of power was responsible for t 12 Misplaced and dangling modifiers 127 the pumps. 13 Shifts 135 ACTIVE A surge of power destroyed the pumps The detailed menu. The detailed menu appears inside the back cover. When the numbered section you re looking for is broken up into quite a few lettered subsections, try consulting this menu. For instance, if you have a question about the proper use of commas after introductory elements, this menu will quickly lead you to section 32b. Rule Explanation Examples Verbs in the passive voice lack strength becaus Punctuation 291 32 The comma ^, 292 a with and, but, etc. b introductory elements c series d coordinate 32b Use a comma after an introductory clause adjectives e nonrestrictive or phrase. elements The most common introductory word groups are f clauses transitions, and etc. phrases functioning as adverbs. Such word groups g direct usually address, tell when, where, how, why, or under what conditions the main yes and action no, etc. of the sentence occurred. (See 48a, 48b, and 48e.) h he said, etc. A comma tells readers that the introductory clause i dates, or phrase addresses, has come to a close and that the main part of the titles, sentence numbers is about to begin. j to prevent confusion When Irwin was ready to iron, his cat tripped 33 on the Unnecessary cord. ^ commas no, 308 Without the comma, readers may have Irwin ironing his cat. The 34 The semicolon ; 314 comma signals that his cat is the subject of a new clause, not part of the introductory one. Near a small stream at the bottom of the canyon, the park ^ rangers discovered an abandoned mine. The comma tells readers that the introductory prepositional phrase has come to a close. The comma may be omitted after a short adverb

Once you find the right lettered subsection, you will see three kinds of advice to help you edit your writing a rule, an explanation, and one or more hand-edited examples. The index. If you aren t sure which topic to choose from one of the menus, consult the index at the back of the book. For example, you may not realize that the issue of whether to use have or has is a matter of subject-verb agreement (section 21). In that case, simply look up has vs. have in the index. You will be directed to specific pages in two sections covering subject- verb agreement. Making the most of your handbook. You Making the most of will find your way to helpful advice by your handbook Integrating visuals can using the index, the menus, or the contents. Once you get to where you need Choosing appropriate strengthen your writing. to be, you may also find references to visuals: page 407 Placing and labeling additional related advice and models. visuals: page 407 These boxes help you pull together what Using visuals responsibly: page 408 you need from the handbook for each assignment. The glossary of usage. When in doubt about the correct use of a particular word (such as affect and effect), consult the glossary of usage at the back of the book. This glossary explains the difference between commonly confused words; it also includes words that are inappropriate in formal written English. Directories to documentation models. When you are documenting a research paper with MLA or APA style, you can find documentation models by consulting the appropriate colorcoded directories. Directory to MLA works cited models Listing authors (print and online) 496 1. Single author, 491 2. Two or three authors, 491 496 3. Four or more authors, 492 4. Organization at as author, 492 article, 496 5. Unknown author, General 492 guidelines for listing 6. Two or more works authors by the (print and 15. online) Review, 496 same author, 4931. Single author, 557 2. Multiple authors, Books 557(print) MLA, page 458 3. Organization as author, 558 4. Unknown author, 558 5. Two or more works by the same author, 558 6. Two or more works by the same author in the same year, APA, page 534 11. Abstract of a journal article, 12. Article with a title in its title, Directory to APA 13. reference Editorial or other list models unsigned 14. Letter to the editor, 496 19. Book with an author and an editor, 562 20. Book with an author and a translator, 563 21. Edition other than the first, 563 22. Article or chapter in an edited book or an anthology, 563 23. Multivolume work, 563 24. Introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword, 563

Answers to exercises. Rules for Writers is designed to help you learn from it on your own. By providing answers to some exercise sentences, it allows you to test your understanding of the material. Most exercise sets begin with five sentences lettered a through e and conclude with five or ten numbered sentences. Answers to lettered sentences appear at the back of the book. Using the book s companion Web site: hackerhandbooks.com/rules Throughout Rules for Writers, Seventh Edition, you will see references to exercises and model papers on the book s companion Web site. Here is a complete list of resources on the site. Your instructor may use some of this material in class; each area of the site, however, has been developed for you to use on your own whenever you need it. Writing exercises Interactive exercises, including feedback for every answer, on topics such as choosing a thesis statement and conducting peer review Grammar exercises Interactive exercises on grammar, style, and punctuation, including feedback for every answer Research exercises Interactive exercises, including feedback for every answer, on topics such as integrating quotations and documenting sources in MLA and APA styles Model papers Annotated sample papers in MLA, APA, Chicago, CSE, and USGS styles Multilingual/ESL help Resources, strategies, model papers, and exercises to help multilingual speakers improve their college writing skills Research and Documentation Online Advice on finding sources in a variety of academic disciplines and up-to-date guidelines for documenting print and online sources in MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles Resources for writers and tutors Revision checklists and helpsheets for common writing problems Language Debates Mini-essays exploring controversial issues of grammar and usage, such as split infinitives

Additional resources Print-format versions of the book s exercises and links to additional online resources for every part of the book Re:Writing A free collection of resources for composition and other college classes: help with preparing presentation slides, avoiding plagiarism, evaluating online sources, and more Tutorials Interactive resources that teach essential college skills such as integrating sources in a research paper and revising with peer comments (This area of the Web site requires an activation code.)