English

What are the goals for this course? 

 

Is it important for your students to be able to use the handbook outside of class?

• The Blair Handbook gives help where you expect it and in a way that is easy to find.
• The four-color, strategic design helps students locate information quickly, as they can identify the parts of the book with their corresponding color bands and other navigation tools 
• The Preface includes an illustration of how to use the Blair Handbook.
• Comprehensive coverage of all handbook concerns, organized according to the logic of the writing process:
  •     The opening section focuses on planning and drafting.
  •     Later sections examine research, revising, and editing.
  •     Style, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics are presented as “editing” choices that writers make in the final stages of the writing process.

How important is it for students to understand and implement a process as they write?

• Teachable treatment of the process of writing
• The opening chapters examine the writing process, offering ideas and strategies to help writers shape, organize, and give voice to their work.
• Detailed chapters cover many common purposes for college writing — reflecting on experience, explaining things, arguing positions, and writing about literature, as well as composing creative nonfiction, keeping journals, and constructing essay examinations.

Is WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULIM an important component of your course?

• Takes great care to discuss rhetorical strategies and writing conventions of specific disciplinary areas to non-specialist audiences.
• New WAC Boxes offer suggestions for assigning and responding to writing in disciplines across the curriculum and the world of work. 
• The supplementary WAC PAC is available to support teaching and learning.
• Part Seven is dedicated to Writing in the Disciplines.

• Prepares students to write effectively in the various situations they are likely to encounter in college and beyond.

Do you have ESL or multilingual students in your course?

• Pays careful attention to the needs of second-language and multilingual students
• Graphically distinct boxes throughout the text provide information on topics from grammar, idioms, and usage, to the how and why of rhetorical conventions. All these boxes have been critically reexamined and revised for the fifth edition.
• NEW ESL Index makes it easy for ESL and multilingual students to find the content that will help them most. 

Do you want your students to understand how to effectively analyze visual and use visuals in their writing? 

• Emphasizes the importance of visual rhetoric and design
• New Chapter 3 introduces students to critical terminology for understanding and talking about visual images
• Includes visual images throughout to illustrate the effective use of visual design.

Is it important for your students to appreciate the purpose of revision and editing?

• Presents editing as a matter of conventions, not rules 
• The editing chapters focus on editing as a process focusing on effectiveness, usage, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
• Hand-edited examples illustrate how writers revise and edit, showing proven strategies for focusing loose paragraphs, strengthening weak sentences, and finding precise and suitable words.
• Emphasizes grammatical and mechanical processes in everyday language and helps readers identify, analyze, and resolve confusing language problems.

Do you feel plagiarism is an issue with today's students, particulary considering the growth of the Internet? Do you teach strategies for avoiding plagiarism?

• Special attention is given to understanding and avoiding plagiarism
• Because of the ever-increasing ease of copying material from electronic souces, we expanded the discussion of plagiarism in both intentional and unintentional forms.
• Clear explanations and illustrations of the do’s and don'ts of quoting and documenting will help students avoid breaches of academic ethics.

How do you encourage students to use writing as effective communication? 

• New Attention to Public Discourse - New chapters on “Reading Visual Texts” and “Writing for the World.” 

• Expanded coverage of document design, creating Web pages, and making oral presentations.

• Checklist boxes are provided throughout to call out key information in the preceeding section. These lists range from composing strategies, to figures of speech, to logical fallacies.

• Critical Coverage of Critical Thinking - Students are given tips and encouragement for thinking critically about their writing throughout the text. Critical Thinking boxes prompt students to reassess their writing for clear and logical interpretations and explanations.

• Explains features of standard, written English as conventions that facilitate effective communication, not as arbitrary rules. Spends less time instructing students in grammar jargon and more time showing students how to identify, analyze, and solve problems that cause reader confusion.

• Shows students that good writing must be clear, vital, and stimulating to read.

What do you find most helpful students are working on research?

• Source maps make it easy for students to locate and use information from various sources.
• Full coverage of electronic research methods. This latest edition of The Blair Handbook  includes up-to-date strategies for planning, organizing, and writing research papers from sources found in the library, in the field, and on the Internet. Particular attention is paid to evaluating, using, and documenting the ever more complicated strands of electronic sources. 
• A new research sampler provides samples of creative nonfiction and collaborative writing, with different essays emphasizing field, Internet, and library research.

• Gives students ample examples of different types of research papers.  

• It includes updated formats of both MLA and APA documentation

• Includes the latest (and most extensive) guidelines for documenting sources. Also provides a separate chapter on Columbia Online Style. Includes a sample MLA paper and a sample APA paper.

• Provides students with a convenient reference for documenting their work in whatever system is required for their class.

How do you get your students to produce higher-quality documents?

• Includes an abundance of authentic student writing samples ranging from journal entries and rough drafts to nine finished essays presented in class books and writing portfolios.

• Provides students with examples.

• It has an expanded section on document design.

• Covers objectives of design, tools for designing, proofreading, and choosing a printing method.

• Provides students with technical and creative options.

• Includes a chapter on Writing for the World Wide Web.

• Covers organizing for the Web and HTML basics.

• Gives students solid ideas for improving document design, transmitting papers by e-mail, publishing on the World Wide Web, and establishing personal Web pages.  

How does technology support what you and your students are doing in the class?

(Are you interested in using technology to engage students and improve writing?)

 

The Blair Handbook  website includes: 

• My Writing Plan — Based on a diagnostic test, each student is provided with sets of exercises, a customized eBook, and tutorials to help improve the topical areas where they need to master skills.
• Tutor Center — College instructors are available at the Prentice Hall English Tutor Center to tutor students by phone, fax, or email in the evenings and on weekends, when schools writing centers may not be available to students.
• Writing Matters Videos — Prentice Hall offers students and instructors a series of brief videos that show people in a variety of careers and jobs talking about how they write at work, and the importance of writing.
• Practice — More practice for students including self-grading chapter exercises, ESL exercises, visual rhetoric exercises, and more.
• Research — Research tools such as Research Navigator and Understanding Plagiarism Tutorial.
• Exchange — Exciting software that allows instructors to set up courses on the Web to do on-line peer review, paper commenting, and grading.
• Instructor’s Area — Instructors Manual on the Web, additional Resources for Writing, PowerPoint slides, plagiarism-detection Web site, and more.]
• And more... 

What types of training and support would you find most helpful as you incorporate new technology?

(Would you like to be involved in a peer-to-peer faculty network for instructors who want to use technology as they teach writing?)

 

 

The PH Faculty Advocate program offered with The Blair Handbook is our new program designed to provide the training and support you need.

 

 PH Faculty Advocates are instructors who:

• Model how PH online resources reinforce objectives
• Provide training for professors
• Offer ongoing faculty support
• Share best practices
• Identify teaching strategies

PH Faculty Advocate activities include:

• Campus Workshops
• Conferences and academic events
• Online Seminars
• Phone Coaching

Design/Accessibility

• New, more accessible design
• Smaller trim size
• New ESL index
• Better use of color and navigation tools

Writing Process

• Detailed chapters cover many common purposes for college writing–reflecting on experience, explaining things, arguing positions, and writing about literature, as well as composing creative nonfiction, keeping journals, and constructing essay examinations.

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

• New WAC Boxes offer suggestions for assigning and responding to writing in disciplines across the curriculum and the world of work. 
• The supplementary WAC PAC is available to support teaching and learning.
• Part Seven, Writing in the Disciplines, has been expanded.

ESL and Multilingual

• Pays careful attention to the needs of second-language and multilingual students
• Graphically distinct boxes throughout the text provide information on topics from grammar, idioms, and usage, to the how and why of rhetorical conventions. All these boxes have been critically reexamined and revised for the fifth edition.
• NEW ESL Index makes it easy for ESL and multilingual students to find the content that will help them most. 

Visual Rhetoric

• New Chapter 3 introduces students to critical terminology for understanding and talking about visual images
• Includes visual images througout, including every Part and Chapter Opener, to illustrate the effective use of visual design.

Plagiarism

• Because of the ever-increasing ease of copying material from electronic souces, we expanded the discussion of plagiarism in both intentional and unintentional forms.

New Attention to public discourse and communication

• New chapters on “Reading Visual Texts” and “Writing for the World.” 

• Expanded coverage of document design, creating Web pages, and making oral presentations.

• Critical Coverage of Critical Thinking - Throughout the text, students are given tips and encouragement for thinking critically about their writing. Critical Thinking boxes prompt students to reasses their writing for clear and logical interpretations and explanations.

• Explains features of standard, written English as conventions that facilitate effective communication, not as arbitrary rules. Spends less time instructing students in grammar jargon and more time showing students how to identify, analyze, and solve problems that cause reader confusion.

Research and Documentation

• New Source maps make it easy for students to locate and use information from various sources.
• This latest edition of The Blair Handbook includes up-to-date strategies for planning, organizing, and writing research papers from sources found in the library, in the field, and on the Internet. Particular attention is paid to evaluating, using, and documenting the ever more complicated strands of electronic sources. 
• A new research sampler provides samples of creative nonfiction and collaborative writing, with different essays emphasizing field, Internet, and library research.

• New student sample research papers.  

• Updated MLA and APA documentation coverage.

• New examples of citing on-line sources.

How do you get your students to produce higher-quality documents?

• Expanded section on document design.

• New chapter on Writing for the World Wide Web.

Media

• My Writing Plan – Based on a diagnostic test, each student is provided with sets of exercises, a customized eBook, and tutorials to help improve the topical areas where they need to master skills.
• Tutor Center – College instructors are available at the Prentice Hall English Tutor Center to tutor students by phone, fax, or email in the evenings and on weekends, when schools writing centers may not be available to students.
• Writing Matters Videos – Prentice Hall offers students and instructors a series of brief videos that show people in a variety of careers and jobs talking about how they write at work, and the importance of writing.
• Practice – More practice for students including self-grading chapter exercises, ESL exercises, visual rhetoric exercises, and more.
• Research – Research tools such as Research Navigator and Understanding Plagiarism Tutorial.
• Exchange – Exciting software that allows instructors to set up courses on the Web to do on-line peer review, paper commenting, and grading.
• Instructor’s Area – Instructors Manual on the Web, additional Resources for Writing, PowerPoint slides, plagiarism-detection Web site, and more.
• And more... 

Faculty Advocates - The PH Faculty Advocate program offered with The Blair Handbook is our new program designed to provide the training and support you need. PH Faculty Advocates are instructors who:

• Model how PH online resources reinforce objectives
• Provide training for professors
• Offer ongoing faculty support
• Share best practices
• Identify teaching strategies

PH Faculty Advocate activities include:

• Campus Workshops
• Conferences and academic events
• Online Seminars
• Phone Coaching

PART  1

Reading and Writing in College   

  

1 Why Writing Matters  

a    What is difficult about writing? 

b    What do you enjoy about writing?  

c    What surprises are in store?  

d    Why is writing important?  

e    What can you learn from the experience of others?  

f     What else do you want to know about writing?  

 

2  Reading Texts Critically  

a    Reading to understand   

b    Reading critically  

 

3  Reading Images Critically  

a    The elements of composition  

b    Words  

c    Color  

d    Images of persuasion

 

4  The Writing Process  

a   Describing writing as a process  

b   Planning   

c   Composing

d   Revising  

e   Researching  

f    Editing  

g   English as a second language  

 

 

PART 2

Planning a Writing Project   

 

5  Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation  

a   Knowing the purpose  

b   Addressing audiences  

c   Understanding the situation  

d   Adopting a voice  

 

6  Keeping Journals  

a   Understanding journals  

b   Keeping journals in college  

c   Suggestions for using journals  

 

7  Strategies for Invention and Discovery  

a   Brainstorming  

b   Freewriting  

c   Looping  

d   Asking reporters’ questions  

e   Outlining  

f    Clustering  

g   Talking  

  

 

PART  3

Composing   

 

8 Writing from Experience  

a   Character  

b   Subject  

c   Perspective  

d   Setting  

e   Sequence of events  

f    Theme  

g   Sample student essay  

 

9 Writing to Explain  

a   Topic  

b   Thesis  

c   Strategies  

d   Organization  

e   Neutral perspective  

f    Sample student essay  

 

10 Arguing and Persuading  

a   Elements of argument  

b   Issue  

c   Analysis  

d   Position  

e   Argument  

f    Organization  

g   Sample student essay  

 

11 Writing About Literature  

a   Interpretive essays  

b   Exploring texts  

c   Interpretive communities  

d   Interpretations  

e   Different literary genres  

f    Sample student essay  

 

12 Writing Creative Nonfiction 

a   Lists  

b   Snapshots  

c   Playful sentences  

d   Repetition/refrain  

e   Double voice  

 

13 Writing Essay Examinations  

a   Understanding questions  

b   Writing good answers  

  

 

PART  4

Revising   

 

14 The Revising Process  

a    Understanding revising  

b    Planning  

c    Revising strategies  

 

15 Focused Revising  

a    Limiting  

b    Adding  

c    Switching  

d    Transforming  

e    Experimenting  

 

16  Responding to Writing and Peer Review  

a    Asking for help  

b   Giving responses  

c    Writing responses  

d    Responding through conferences  

e    Responding in writing groups  

 

 

PART  5

Presenting and Publishing  

 

17 Designing Documents  

a   Objectives of design  

b   Layout  

c   Typography  

d   Graphics  

e   Illustrations  

 

18 Writing for the Internet 

a   Writing for the Web  

b   E-mail, newsgroups, and instant messages  

c   Weblogs  

 

19 Writing for the World  

a    Reports

b    Pamphlets and brochures

c    Newsletters  

d    Press releases  

e    Advocacy   

 

20 Portfolios and Publishing Class Books 

a   Writing portfolios  

b   Course portfolios  

c   Story portfolios  

d   Publishing class books  

 

21 Making Oral Presentations 

a   The assignment  

b   Speaking texts  

c   Speaking in public  

d   Creative options  

 

 

PART 6 

Writing with Research  

  

22 Writing Research Papers  

a    Understanding research  

b    Working with a thesis  

c    Keeping a research log  

d    Finding your way  

 

23 Conducting Library Research  

a    Planning library research  

b    Finding sources of information  

c    Taking notes  

 

24 Conducting Internet Research 

a    Search engines  

b    Limiting your search  

c    Search strategies  

d    E-mail, lists, and newsgroups  

 

25 Conducting Field Research 

a   Planning  

b   Interviewing  

c   Surveying  

d   Observing  

 

26 Evaluating Research Sources  

a    Evaluating library sources  

b    Evaluating Internet sources  

c    Evaluating field sources  

 

27 Using Research Sources  

a    Controlling sources   

b    Organizing sources  

c    Integrating information  

d    Paraphrasing and summarizing  

e    Incorporating visual images  

 

28 Avoiding Plagiarism  

a    What plagiarism is 

b    What plagiarism is not

c    Recognizing and avoiding plagiarism  

 

 

PART  7

Writing in the Disciplines  

  

29 Understanding the College Curriculum  

a   Differences among disciplines  

b   Similarities among disciplines  

 

30 MLA: Writing in Languages and Literature  

a   Aims  

b   Style  

c   Writing about texts  

d   MLA style: Documenting sources  

e   Conventions for list of Works Cited  

f   Sample MLA research paper  

 

31 APA: Writing in the Social Sciences  

a   Aims  

b   Style  

c   Writing about texts  

d   APA style: Documenting sources  

e   Sample APA research paper  

 

32 CMS: Writing in the Humanities 

a   Aims  

b   Style  

c   Writing about texts  

d   CMS style: Documenting sources  

e   Sample page with endnotes   

f    Sample page with footnotes  

 

33 Writing in the Physical Sciences  

a   Aims  

b   Style  

c   Writing about texts  

d   Number systems: Documenting sources  

 

34 Writing in Business  

a   Aims  

b   Style  

c   Common forms of writing in business  

d   Documentation and format conventions  

 

 

PART  8

Editing    

 

EDITING FOR EFFECTIVENESS  

 

35 The Editing Process  

a   Editing techniques  

b   The meaning of “error”  

c   Working with others  

d   Editing on a computer   

e   Proofreading  

f    Editing when English is your second language 

g   Using Part Eight  

 

36 Shaping Paragraphs 

a   Unity  

b   Organization  

c   Coherence  

 

37 Improving Openings and Conclusions  

a   Engaging openings  

b   Strong openings  

c   Satisfying conclusions  

d   Strong conclusions  

 

38 Strengthening Sentences  

a   Coordinating ideas  

b   Using subordination  

c   Using parallelism  

 

39 Creating Emphasis and Variety  

a   First and final positions  

b   Sentence length  

c   Sentence types  

d   Sentence openings  

e   Deliberate repetition  

f    Elliptical constructions  

 

40 Building Vital Sentences  

a   Concrete, specific nouns  

b   Strong verbs  

c   Active or passive voice  

d   Vital modifiers  

 

41 Being Concise 

a   Vague generalities  

b   Idle words  

c   Simplifying grammatical constructions  

d   Redundancy  

e   Pretentious language  

f    Euphemism  

 

42 Adjusting tone  

a   Appropriate tone  

b   Point of view  

c   Level of formality  

d   Consistent tone  

 

43 Choosing the Right Word  

a   The history of English 

b   Using the dictionary and thesaurus  

c   Expanding your vocabulary  

d   Connotations  

e   Confusing words  

f   Prepositions and particles  

g   Slang, regionalisms, and jargon  

h   Figurative language  

i    Cliches  

     

44 Eliminating Biased Language  

a   Stereotypes  

b   Labels  

c   Nonsexist language  

 

GRAMMAR 

 

45  Eliminating Sentence Fragments  

a  Fragments lacking subjects or verbs  

b  Dependent clause fragments  

c  Fragments for special effects  

 

46  Fixing Fused Sentences and Comma Splices  

a  Comma and a coordinating conjunction  

b  Adding a semicolon  

c  Colon  

d  Separate sentences  

e  Subordinating one clause  

f   Creating independent clauses  

       

47  Using Verbs Correctly  

a  Understanding forms  

b  Standard verb forms  

c  Auxiliary verbs  

d  Understanding tense  

e  Appropriate sequence  

f   Understanding mood  

g  Subjunctive mood  

h  Agreement  

i   Intervening words  

j   Subject following verb  

k  Linking verbs  

l   Making verbs agree with subjects joined by and  

m  Or, nor   

n  Collective nouns  

o  Indefinite pronouns  

p Who, which, that  

q  Amounts  

r   Noun phrases and clauses

s  Titles, words used as words  

t   Subjects ending in -s  

u  Troublesome plurals  

 

48 Using Modifiers Correctly 

a   Adjectives or adverbs  

b   After linking verbs  

c   Confusing modifiers  

d   Double negatives  

e   Comparatives and superlatives  

f    Placing modifiers  

g   Dangling modifiers  

h   Disruptive modifiers  

 

49 Using Pronouns Correctly  

a   Clear antecedents  

b   Explicit antecedents  

c    It, they, you  

d   Who, which, that  

e   Unneeded pronouns  

f    Agreement  

g   Joined by and   

h   Joined by or, nor  

i    Collective nouns  

j    Indefinite antecedents  

k   Choosing case  

l    And, or, nor  

m  Appositive pronouns  

n   Us, we   

o  Verbals  

p  Than, as  

q  Who, whom  

r   Reflexive pronouns  

 

50 Consistent and Complete Sentences 

a   Unnecessary shifts  

b   Mixed constructions  

c   Missing words  

 

PUNCTUATION

 

51 End Punctuation

a   Periods  

b   Question marks  

c   Exclamation points  

 

52 Commas 

a   Coordinating conjunctions  

b   Introductory elements  

c   Nonrestrictive elements  

d   Parenthetical expressions and elements of contrast  

e   Tag sentences, direct address, and interjections  

f    Items in a series  

g   Coordinate adjectives  

h   Quotations  

i    Numbers, dates, names, and places  

j    To prevent misreading  

k   Misuse  

 

53 Semicolons  

a   Between independent clauses  

b   In a series  

 

54 Colons

a   Marks of introduction  

b   Marks of separation  

 

55 Apostrophes 

a   Possessive nouns and indefinite pronouns  

b   Plurals of words used as words, letters, numbers, and symbols  

c   Omission of letters  

 

56 Quotation Marks  

a   Direct quotations  

b   Dialogue  

c   Titles  

d   Translations, special terms, irony, and nicknames  

e   With other punctuation  

 

57 Other Punctuation 

a   Parentheses  

b   Dashes  

c   Ellipsis points  

d   Brackets  

e   Slashes  

 

MECHANICS 

 

58 Spelling  

a   Confusing words  

b   Spelling rules  

 

59 Capitalization

a   First word of a sentence  

b   Quotations and lines of poetry  

c   Proper nouns  

d   Titles   

 

60 Hyphenation 

a   Ends of lines  

b   Prefixes  

c   Compound words  

d   Numbers, fractions, and units of measure  

 

61 Italics 

a   Titles  

b   Individual trains, ships, airplanes, and spacecraft  

c   For emphasis   

d   Words, numerals, and letters used as words  

e    Foreign words  

 

62 Numbers and Abbreviations 

a   Figures and words  

b   Conventional uses  

c   In nontechnical terms  

d   Titles and degrees  

e   Time, dates, amounts, and symbols  

f    Geographic names    

g   Latin terms  

h   Initials and acronyms  

 

 

PART  9

Glossaries  

 

63 Glossary of Terms   

       

64 Glossary of Usage  

 

CREDITS

ESL INDEX

INDEX