The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises packages the authority and currency of its best-selling parent, The Little, Brown Handbook, in a briefer book with a spiral binding, tabbed dividers, and more than 150 exercises.
A bestseller since publication, The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises provides reliable and thorough coverage of handbook basics--the writing process, grammar and usage, research and documentation--while also giving detailed discussions of critical reading, academic writing, argument, writing in the disciplines, and public writing. Widely used by both experienced and inexperienced writers, The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises works as both a comprehensive classroom text and an accessible reference guide.
The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises has a sibling without exercises. Otherwise identical, both books build on their best-selling features with five emphases: (1) media-rich eText and iPad versions, including video tutorials, podcasts, sample documents, exercise, and checklists;(2)academic writing, including a new chapter on joining the academic community, new coverage of genre, more on summary and academic integrity, and four new sample academic papers; (3) research writing, including new material on finding and evaluating Web sites, social-networking sites, blogs, wikis, and multimedia; (4) thorough and up-to-date documentation guidelines, including the most recent versions of MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles with models of new media in each style and new annotated sample sources; (5) thewriting process, including new material on genre and strengthened discussions of the thesis and paragraphs.
Features + Benefits
A concise and authoritative reference, the handbook provides the help students need on the writing process, grammar, usage, research writing, and more.
An accessible reference, the handbook features helpful endpapers, convenient tabbed dividers, helpful summary and checklist boxes, and a clean, attractive page design.
Meticulous attention to research writing across the disciplines emphasizes managing information, using the library as Web gateway, evaluating and synthesizing sources, avoiding plagiarism, and documenting sources.
A broad range of student academic writing includes an annotated MLA research paper and sample essays illustrating the writing process, academic writing, argument, writing about literature, and APA style.
Extensive presentation of critical thinking and argument includes techniques of critically reading texts and images, specific suggestions for writing arguments, and two sample student papers.
Detailed help for students whose first language or dialect is not standard American English emphasizes both rhetorical and grammatical issues. It is thoroughly integrated into the text so that students can find what they need without knowing which problems they do and don’t share with native speakers. A convenient guide to the material provides advice for mastering SAE and pulls together all the integrated coverage in one place.
Clear, cross-disciplinary examples and over 150 sets of exercises in connected discourse illustrate rhetorical and grammatical concepts with realistic college writing.
A unique approach to terminology includes transparent headings in the text and menus that avoid or explain terms and “Key terms” boxes in the text that provide essential definitions and thus minimize cross-references and page flipping.
Preface for Students
Preface for Instructors
PART 1 THE WRITING PROCESS
1 The Writing Situation
a Assessment
b Subject
c Purpose
d Audience
e Genre
2 Invention
a Journal keeping
b Observing
c Freewriting
d Brainstorming
e Drawing
f Asking questions
3 Thesis and Organization
a Thesis statement
b Organization
4 Drafting
a Starting to draft
b Maintaining momentum
c Sample first draft
5 Revising and Editing
a Revising the whole essay
b Sample revision
c Editing the revised draft
d Formatting and proofreading
e SAMPLE FINAL DRAFT (RESPONSE ESSAY)
f Collaborating
g Preparing a writing portfolio
6 Paragraphs
a Relating paragraphs in the essay
b Unity
c Coherence
d Development
e Introductions and conclusions
7 Presenting Writing
a Academic writing
SAMPLE MARKETING REPORT
b Visuals and other media
c Web writing
SAMPLE WEB SITE
SAMPLE PAPER ON A BLOG
PART 2 WRITING IN AND OUT OF COLLEGE
8 Joining the Academic Community
a Getting the most from college courses
b Becoming an academic writer
c Developing academic integrity
d Communicating in an academic setting
9 Critical Thinking and Reading
a Techniques of critical reading
b Summarizing
c Developing a critical response
d Viewing visuals critically
10 Academic Writing
a Purpose, audience, and genre
b Writing in response to texts
c Structure and content
d Language
e SAMPLE CRITICAL RESPONSE
11 Argument
a Elements of argument
b Reasonableness
c Organization
d Visual arguments
e SAMPLE ARGUMENT
12 Essay Exams
a Preparing
b Planning
c Starting
d Developing
SAMPLE ESSAY EXAM
e Rereading
13 Oral Presentations
a Organization
b Delivery
SAMPLE POWERPOINT SLIDES
14 Public Writing
a Business letters and résumés
SAMPLE LETTER AND RÉSUMÉS
b Memos, reports, and proposals
SAMPLE MEMO AND REPORT
c Community work
SAMPLE FLYER AND NEWSLETTER
PART 3 CLARITY AND STYLE
15 Emphasis
a Effective subjects and verbs
b Sentence beginnings and endings
c Coordination
d Subordination
16 Parallelism
a With and, but, or, nor, yet
b With both . . . and, not . . . but, etc.
c In comparisons
d With lists, headings, and outlines
17 Variety and Details
a Sentence length
b Sentence structure
c Details
18 Appropriate and Exact Language
a Appropriate language
b Exact language
19 Completeness
a Compounds
b Needed words
20 Conciseness
a Focusing on subject and verb
b Cutting empty words
c Cutting repetition
d Reducing modifiers
e Revising there is or it is
f Combining sentences
g Rewriting jargon
PART 4 SENTENCE PARTS AND PATTERNS
______________________________________
BASIC GRAMMAR
21 Parts of Speech
a Nouns
b Pronouns
c Verbs
d Adjectives and adverbs
e Prepositions and conjunctions
f Interjections
22 The Sentence
a Subjects and predicates
b Predicate patterns
23 Phrases and Subordinate Clauses
a Phrases
b Subordinate clauses
24 Sentence Types
a Simple sentences
b Compound sentences
c Complex sentences
d Compound-complex sentences
_______________________________________________
VERBS
25 Forms
a Sing/sang/sung and other irregular verbs
b Sit/set, lie/lay, rise/raise
c -s and -ed forms
d Be, have, and other helping verbs
e Verb + gerund or infinitive: stop eating vs. stop to eat
f Verb + particle: look up, look over, etc.
26 Tenses
a Present tense: sing
b Perfect tenses: have/had/will have sung
c Progressive tenses: is/was/will be singing
d Consistency
e Sequence
27 Mood
a Subjunctive: I wish I were
b Consistency
28 Voice
a She wrote it (active) vs.It was written (passive)
b Consistency
29 Subject-Verb Agreement
a -s and -es endings
b Intervening words
c Subjects with and
d Subjects with or or nor
e Everyone and other indefinite pronouns
f Team and other collective nouns
g Who, which, that
h News and other singular nouns ending in -s
i Verb preceding subject
j Is, are, and other linking verbs
k Titles and words being defined
___________________________
A bestseller since publication, The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises provides reliable and thorough coverage of handbook basics--the writing process, grammar and usage, research and documentation--while also giving detailed discussions of critical reading, academic writing, argument, writing in the disciplines, and public writing. Widely used by both experienced and inexperienced writers, The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises works as both a comprehensive classroom text and an accessible reference guide.
The Little, Brown Compact Handbook with Exercises has a sibling without exercises. Otherwise identical, both books build on their best-selling features with five emphases: (1) media-rich eText and iPad versions, including video tutorials, podcasts, sample documents, exercise, and checklists;(2)academic writing, including a new chapter on joining the academic community, new coverage of genre, more on summary and academic integrity, and four new sample academic papers; (3) research writing, including new material on finding and evaluating Web sites, social-networking sites, blogs, wikis, and multimedia; (4) thorough and up-to-date documentation guidelines, including the most recent versions of MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles with models of new media in each style and new annotated sample sources; (5) thewriting process, including new material on genre and strengthened discussions of the thesis and paragraphs.
Features + Benefits
A concise and authoritative reference, the handbook provides the help students need on the writing process, grammar, usage, research writing, and more.
An accessible reference, the handbook features helpful endpapers, convenient tabbed dividers, helpful summary and checklist boxes, and a clean, attractive page design.
Meticulous attention to research writing across the disciplines emphasizes managing information, using the library as Web gateway, evaluating and synthesizing sources, avoiding plagiarism, and documenting sources.
A broad range of student academic writing includes an annotated MLA research paper and sample essays illustrating the writing process, academic writing, argument, writing about literature, and APA style.
Extensive presentation of critical thinking and argument includes techniques of critically reading texts and images, specific suggestions for writing arguments, and two sample student papers.
Detailed help for students whose first language or dialect is not standard American English emphasizes both rhetorical and grammatical issues. It is thoroughly integrated into the text so that students can find what they need without knowing which problems they do and don’t share with native speakers. A convenient guide to the material provides advice for mastering SAE and pulls together all the integrated coverage in one place.
Clear, cross-disciplinary examples and over 150 sets of exercises in connected discourse illustrate rhetorical and grammatical concepts with realistic college writing.
A unique approach to terminology includes transparent headings in the text and menus that avoid or explain terms and “Key terms” boxes in the text that provide essential definitions and thus minimize cross-references and page flipping.
Preface for Students
Preface for Instructors
PART 1 THE WRITING PROCESS
1 The Writing Situation
a Assessment
b Subject
c Purpose
d Audience
e Genre
2 Invention
a Journal keeping
b Observing
c Freewriting
d Brainstorming
e Drawing
f Asking questions
3 Thesis and Organization
a Thesis statement
b Organization
4 Drafting
a Starting to draft
b Maintaining momentum
c Sample first draft
5 Revising and Editing
a Revising the whole essay
b Sample revision
c Editing the revised draft
d Formatting and proofreading
e SAMPLE FINAL DRAFT (RESPONSE ESSAY)
f Collaborating
g Preparing a writing portfolio
6 Paragraphs
a Relating paragraphs in the essay
b Unity
c Coherence
d Development
e Introductions and conclusions
7 Presenting Writing
a Academic writing
SAMPLE MARKETING REPORT
b Visuals and other media
c Web writing
SAMPLE WEB SITE
SAMPLE PAPER ON A BLOG
PART 2 WRITING IN AND OUT OF COLLEGE
8 Joining the Academic Community
a Getting the most from college courses
b Becoming an academic writer
c Developing academic integrity
d Communicating in an academic setting
9 Critical Thinking and Reading
a Techniques of critical reading
b Summarizing
c Developing a critical response
d Viewing visuals critically
10 Academic Writing
a Purpose, audience, and genre
b Writing in response to texts
c Structure and content
d Language
e SAMPLE CRITICAL RESPONSE
11 Argument
a Elements of argument
b Reasonableness
c Organization
d Visual arguments
e SAMPLE ARGUMENT
12 Essay Exams
a Preparing
b Planning
c Starting
d Developing
SAMPLE ESSAY EXAM
e Rereading
13 Oral Presentations
a Organization
b Delivery
SAMPLE POWERPOINT SLIDES
14 Public Writing
a Business letters and résumés
SAMPLE LETTER AND RÉSUMÉS
b Memos, reports, and proposals
SAMPLE MEMO AND REPORT
c Community work
SAMPLE FLYER AND NEWSLETTER
PART 3 CLARITY AND STYLE
15 Emphasis
a Effective subjects and verbs
b Sentence beginnings and endings
c Coordination
d Subordination
16 Parallelism
a With and, but, or, nor, yet
b With both . . . and, not . . . but, etc.
c In comparisons
d With lists, headings, and outlines
17 Variety and Details
a Sentence length
b Sentence structure
c Details
18 Appropriate and Exact Language
a Appropriate language
b Exact language
19 Completeness
a Compounds
b Needed words
20 Conciseness
a Focusing on subject and verb
b Cutting empty words
c Cutting repetition
d Reducing modifiers
e Revising there is or it is
f Combining sentences
g Rewriting jargon
PART 4 SENTENCE PARTS AND PATTERNS
______________________________________
BASIC GRAMMAR
21 Parts of Speech
a Nouns
b Pronouns
c Verbs
d Adjectives and adverbs
e Prepositions and conjunctions
f Interjections
22 The Sentence
a Subjects and predicates
b Predicate patterns
23 Phrases and Subordinate Clauses
a Phrases
b Subordinate clauses
24 Sentence Types
a Simple sentences
b Compound sentences
c Complex sentences
d Compound-complex sentences
_______________________________________________
VERBS
25 Forms
a Sing/sang/sung and other irregular verbs
b Sit/set, lie/lay, rise/raise
c -s and -ed forms
d Be, have, and other helping verbs
e Verb + gerund or infinitive: stop eating vs. stop to eat
f Verb + particle: look up, look over, etc.
26 Tenses
a Present tense: sing
b Perfect tenses: have/had/will have sung
c Progressive tenses: is/was/will be singing
d Consistency
e Sequence
27 Mood
a Subjunctive: I wish I were
b Consistency
28 Voice
a She wrote it (active) vs.It was written (passive)
b Consistency
29 Subject-Verb Agreement
a -s and -es endings
b Intervening words
c Subjects with and
d Subjects with or or nor
e Everyone and other indefinite pronouns
f Team and other collective nouns
g Who, which, that
h News and other singular nouns ending in -s
i Verb preceding subject
j Is, are, and other linking verbs
k Titles and words being defined
___________________________