Longman / Prentice Hall

English

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Easy Guide to Writing, An
Pamela Dykstra

ISBN-10: 0131849549
ISBN-13: 9780131849549

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Copyright: 2006
Format: Paper; 320 pp
Published: 05/10/2005

Suggested retail price: $53.60
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For courses in Developmental Writing and Essentials of Writing in English departments.

Finally, there is An Easy Guide to Writing to help students master grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure!

Geared to basic writers, Easy Guide to Writing offers students a fresh approach to learning sentences. It explains grammar in an easy-to-understand instruction (represented by the bike analogy) and transitions students to future English classes (represented by the glossary) — it bridges both worlds making the abstract concrete. This book gives students instruction on how to write effective sentences and offers guided practice in writing complex sentences (such as sentence combining exercises). Easy Guide to Writing gives students a sense of how sentences work, presenting punctuation as an integral part of creating meaning. This book also includes instruction on whole discourse so that students can incorporate grammar, punctuation, and usage in the context of their papers.

Are you searching for an interesting approach to teaching the basics of writing?

The Bike analogy— Throughout this book the image of a bike is featured to explain how sentences work. The subject is one wheel, telling us who or what. The predicate is the other wheel, telling us what about it. Through this analogy, students can see how the whole communicates meaning, how the parts relate to the whole, and how punctuation signals these connections.

Would you like your students to have a better understanding of the rules of writing?

Abstract terms made concrete — Explaining the subject as the who or what and the predicate as the what about it helps students see the sentence as a carrier of meaning. Students will be able to analyze their own sentences and more readily identify sentence fragments.

Abundant examples — Support the instruction throughout the book. These examples are bolded in blue throughout the text and reinforce difficult concepts.

Would you like a textbook to have ample practice exercises and writing prompts?

Self tests -- The first exercise in each section is a Self Test, allowing students to check their comprehension, catch their errors, and correct any misunderstandings before moving on to subsequent exercises.

Variety of exercises — Exercises include: sentence combining, sentence completion, original sentence generation, and paragraphs for editing to reinforce instruction.

Numerous writing prompts – Over 100 thought-provoking topics help students develop interesting writing samples.

INTRODUCTION.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WRITING AND TALKING.

WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING.

Read.

Write.

Increase Your Vocabulary.

WELCOME TO THIS BOOK.

PART 1. SENTENCE ESSENTIALS.

1. THE BASIC SENTENCE.

SECTION A: SUBJECTS AND PREDICATES.

Sentences and Bicycles.

Identifying Subjects and Predicates.

SECTION B: EXPANDING THE PARTS.

Adjectives.

Adjectives Ending in —ed.

Adjectives in Comparison.

Longer Adjectives.

Double Comparisons.

Adverbs.

Prepositional Phrases.

2. DEPENDENT CLAUSES.

SECTION A: SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS.

CHART: Common Subordinating Conjunctions.

Using Subordinating Conjunctions.

Using Commas.

SECTION B: SENTENCE COMBINING.

3. MORE DEPENDENT CLAUSES.

SECTION A: RELATIVE PRONOUNS WHO, WHICH, AND THAT.

Using who, which, and that.

SECTION B: SENTENCE COMBINING.

Combining Sentences With That.

Combining Sentences With Which.

Combining Sentences With Who.

Commas When Using Who.

HOW TO Decide: Comma or no Comma.

4. SENTENCE FRAGMENTS.

MISSING-SUBJECT FRAGMENTS.

MISSING-VERB FRAGMENTS.

DEPENDENT CLAUSE FRAGMENTS.

CHART: Subordinating Conjunctions.

CHART: Relative Pronouns.

ADDED-DESCRIPTION FRAGMENTS.

ADDED-DETAIL FRAGMENTS.

-ING FRAGMENTS.

-TO FRAGMENTS.

FINDING FRAGMENTS.

HOW TO Find Fragments.

5. PUNCTUATING SENTENCES.

PERIODS AND SEMICOLONS.

Periods.

Semicolons.

RUN-ON SENTENCES.

Correcting Run-on Sentences.

Finding Run-on Sentences.

HOW TO Find Run-ons.

Checking Pronouns.

Looking for and’s and so’s.

6. USING COMMAS.

CHART: Summary of Commas.

SECTION A: RULES 1 AND 2.

Commas with Items in a Series.

Single Words.

Groups of Words.

Commas with Coordinating Conjunctions

CHART: Coordinating Conjunctions

HOW TO Decide: Comma or no Comma

Use a Comma

Do Not Use a Comma

SECTION B: RULES 3, 4, AND 5.

Commas with Additions on the Front

Commas with Additions in the Middle

Commas with Additions on the Back

Helpful Hint

PART 2. WORD CHOICE.

7. VERBS.

CHART: Regular Verb Forms.

PRESENT TENSE.

FUTURE TENSE.

PAST TENSE.

THE INFINITIVE.

HELPING VERBS.

Active Voice

Passive Voice

Fixed-form Helping Verbs

CHART: Fixed-form Helping Verbs

Can and Could

Will and Would

8. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT.

SUBJECTS AND VERBS.

THE VERBS BE, DO, AND HAVE.

The Verb Be

Present Tense

Past Tense

Using Contraction

The Verb Do

Present Tense

Using Contraction

Past Tense

The Verb Have

Present Tense

Using Contraction

Helpful Hint

SINGULAR SUBJECTS.

Gerunds

Collective Nouns

CHART: Groups Often Treated as Singular

Amounts

PLURAL SUBJECTS.

TRICKY AGREEMENT SITUATIONS.

Prepositional Phrases

There is / There are and Here is / Here are

Questions

9. IRREGULAR VERBS.

CHART: Verb Forms.

A List of Irregular Verbs.

10. EASILY CONFUSED WORDS.

11. PRONOUNS.

SECTION A: PRONOUN TYPES AND REFERENCE.

Personal Pronouns

CHART: Personal Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

CHART: Indefinite Pronouns

Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

CHART: Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Pronoun Reference

Avoiding Vague Reference

Avoiding a Shift

SECTION B: PRONOUN AGREEMENT AND PLACEMENT.

Agreement with Singular and Plural

A Common Problem

Solution 1

Solution 2

Recognizing Subject and Object

A Common Problem

Solution

Pronoun Placement

PART 3. FINE-TUNING SENTENCES.

12. CLARITY.

SECTION A: CHOOSING WORDS CAREFULLY.

Avoiding a Shift in Tense

Omitting Double Negatives

Omitting Unnecessary Words

Delete Subject Repeats

Delete Empty Words

Get Straight to the Point

Replace Wordy Phrases

Combine and Condense Sentences

SECTION B: USING SPECIFIC WORDS.

13. PARALLEL STRUCTURES.

SIMILAR FORMS.

BASIC SETUP.

PAIRED WORDS.

Either ... or

Neither ... nor

Not only ... but also

14. SENTENCE VARIETY.

SECTION A: ADDITIONS ON THE FRONT.

Prepositional Phrases

Infinitive Phrases

-Ing Additions

Helpful Hint

SECTION B: ADDITIONS IN THE MIDDLE.

Appositives

-Ing Additions

SECTION C: ADDITIONS ON THE BACK.

Summary

PART 4. PUNCTUATION AND MECHANICS.

15. APOSTROPHES AND QUOTATION MARKS.

SECTION A: APOSTROPHES.

Contraction

Helpful Hint

Possession

HOW TO Use -s and an Apostrophe Correctly

Helpful Hint

SECTION B: QUOTATION MARKS.

Short Works of Art

Direct Quotations

16. CAPITALIZATION AND MORE PUNCTUATION.

CAPITAL LETTERS.

Proper and Common Nouns

CHART: Proper Nouns and Common Nouns

Compass Directions

Buildings

Titles

Family Relationships

Capitalizing Additional Nouns

Abbreviations for People and Organizations

Abbreviations for Time

Words in Titles

MORE PUNCTUATION MARKS.

Commas — Additional Uses

Separating Two Adjectives

Opening and Closing a Letter

Setting off Parts of a Date

Setting off Parts of an Address

Setting off Numbers

Colons

Lists

Explanations

Dashes

Exclamation Points

Parentheses

Question Marks

PART 5. WRITING PARAGRAPHS AND ESSAYS.

17. THE WRITING PROCESS.

DISCOVERING IDEAS.

ORGANIZING IDEAS.

Finding a Main Idea and Support

Sketching an Outline

HOW TO Outline a Paragraph

DRAFTING.

HOW TO ByPass Roadblocks

REVISING.

HOW TO Revise

EDITING.

HOW TO Edit

Using Standard Format

18. CHECKPOINTS FOR PAPERS.

A MAIN IDEA.

CONVINCING SUPPORT.

ORGANIZED SUPPORT.

Using Time Order

Using Order of Importance

Sticking to the Point

CONNECTED SUPPORT.

Transition Words

Key Words or Ideas

Transition Sentences

THE CONCLUSION.

HOW TO Write a Conclusion

WRITING PROMPTS FOR ONE-TWO PARAGRAPH PAPERS.

19. ESSAYS.

ESSAY DIAGRAM.

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH.

Helpful Hint

SUPPORTING PARAGRAPHS.

Ordering Ideas

Time Order

Order of Importance