Synopses & Reviews
The best handbook is the one that students will use. Keys for Writers continues to build on this formula for success. In addition to offering students the clearest organization and most accessible, user-friendly features of any tabbed handbook, Keys for Writers maintains its hallmark strengths: color-coded tabs that further simplify navigation; thorough coverage of grammar in one convenient section; unique KeyTabs, which are moveable note cards and bookmarks; a wealth of convenient Key Points summary boxes throughout; concise, student-oriented writing style; and an extensive index.
- Superior ESL material promotes a "difference, not deficit" approach and integrates a wealth of support, including Language and Culture boxes, and the Guide to Language Transfer Errors.
- Outstanding style coverage, featuring simple, direct instruction throughout, includes sections on personal presence, appropriate and consistent tone, and revising for style, with a sample student draft. The popular 5 C's of Style guide students toward more engaging writing.
- A research chapter presents a section devoted to avoiding plagiarism and helps students focus on the need to develop analytical skills.
Synopsis
Keys for Writers is the most accessible, user-friendly handbook in the tabbed, comb-bound market. With a simple tabbing system (five red tabs for the writing process and research, and five gold tabs for sentence-level lessons), thorough and concise coverage of grammar, and an easy-to-read format, Keys for Writers is a valuable resource to students in all disciplines throughout their college careers. The Fifth Edition features enhanced discussion of plagiarism (and how to avoid it), expanded argument coverage, a full literature paper, two-page "Source Shots" that visually demonstrate to students where to find citation information in different kinds of publications, and even more discussion of evaluating online sources and writing in and for online environments. An emphasis on critical reading and critical thinking appears throughout discussions of the writing process, argument, and research. Superior coverage of style includes the popular "5 C's of Style"--Cut, Check for Action, Connect, Commit, and Choose the Best Words--which helps students submit their best work.
Synopsis
The best handbook is the one that students will use. Keys for Writers continues to build on this formula for success. In addition to offering students the clearest organization and most accessible, user-friendly features of any tabbed handbook, Keys for Writers maintains its hallmark strengths: color-coded tabs that further simplify navigation; thorough coverage of grammar in one convenient section; unique KeyTabs, which are moveable note cards and bookmarks; a wealth of convenient Key Points summary boxes throughout; concise, student-oriented writing style; and an extensive index.
About the Author
Ann Raimes was born and educated in England and the U.S. (University of London, Oxford University, and Cornell). A few years ago, she retired from full-time teaching at Hunter College, where she was a professor of English for thirty-two years. With its 21,000 ethnically diverse students, many of whom are immigrants or born to immigrant families, Hunter is known as "an urban leader in educating a diverse student body." In addition to teaching undergraduate composition courses, ESL writing courses, and graduate courses in rhetoric and composition, Ann was in charge of the Developmental English Program (1,500 students) for ten years and directed the first-year composition course (75+ sections), working with a colleague to establish and direct a still-thriving writing center. She also was a member of the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the College Preparatory Initiative and served as one of the first Chairs of the CUNY ESL Council, Chair of the TESOL Publications Committee, and Chair of the CUNY ESL Task Force. Ann has also published many research and theoretical articles and has been a frequent presenter at conferences. Her articles have appeared in TESOL Quarterly, Language Learning, College English, College ESL, and other journals and anthologies. She is also the author of ten textbooks (writing, ESL, and grammar), many in several editions.
Table of Contents
I. The Writing Process 1. Getting Started and Finding a Focus 1a Reading, thinking, writing 1b Purpose and audience 1c Explorations 1d Topic and focus 1e Thesis or claim 1f Outlines 1g Writer's block 1h Collaborative writing 1i Six tips for writing drafts 2. Developing Paragraphs and Essays 2a Paragraph basics 2b Unified paragraphs 2c Developing ideas 2d Transitions and links for coherence 2e Introductions and conclusions 3. Revising, Editing, and Formatting 3a Strategies for revising and managing drafts 3b Giving and getting feedback 3c Title 3d Editing, proofreading, and using computer tools 3e Sample student revision 3f Formatting a college essay 4. Writing an Argument 4a Features of a good argument 4b Choice of topic 4c Thinking critically 4d The claim (thesis) 4e Reasons and evidence 4f Audience: Appeals and common ground 4g Opposing views 4h Toulmin's four questions 4i Deductive and inductive reasoning 4j Flaws in logic 4k Structures for an argument essay 4l Visual arguments 4m Sample argument essay 5. Writing in All Your Courses 5a Essay exams and short-answer tests 5b Writing about literature 5c Writing about community service 5d Lab reports 5e Writing in the disciplines II. Doing Research/ Evaluating Sources 6. Beginning a Research Project 6a Guide to writing a research paper 6b Schedule 6c Research question 6d Primary and secondary sources 6e A working thesis 6f Purpose statement, proposal, and outline 7. Finding Sources 7a Basic reference works 7b Indexes and databases 7c Online searching: keywords and search engines 7d Print sources: books and periodical articles 7e Online sources 7f A student's search 7g Sources in 27 subject areas 8. Evaluating Sources 8a Reading critically 8b Recognizing a scholarly article 8c Evaluating works originating in print 8d Evaluating Internet sources 9. Avoiding Plagiarism 9a What is plagiarism? 9b How to avoid even the suspicion of plagiarism 9c Keeping track of sources 9d Setting up a working bibliography 9e Annotating and taking notes 9f Summarizing and paraphrasing 9g What to cite 9h Indicating the boundaries of a citation 10. Writing the Research Paper 10a Guidelines for writing drafts 10b Getting mileage out of your sources 10b Putting yourself in your paper and synthesizing 10c Driving the organization with ideas, not sources 10d Introducing and integrating source material 10e Quoting 10f Researching across the curriculum III. MLA Documentation 11. Citing Sources, MLA Style 11a Two basic MLA features 11b FAQs about MLA in-text citations 11c Sample author/page citations 11d Explanatory footnotes and endnotes 12. MLA List of Works Cited 12a List format and organization 12b Guidelines for listing entries 12c Print books and parts of books 12d Print articles in periodicals 12e Internet and other electronic sources 12f Miscellaneous sources 13. Sample Documented Paper, MLA Style IV. Documentation: APA, CBE/CSE, Chicago, and CGOS Styles 14. Citing Sources, APA Style 14a Two basic APA features 14b Author/year in-text citations 14c Notes, tables, and figures 15. APA List of References 15a List format and organization 15b Guidelines for listing authors 15c Print books and parts of books 15d Print articles in periodicals 15e Internet and other electronic sources 15f Miscellaneous sources 16. Sample Documented Paper, APA Style 17. CBE/CSE Style of Documentation 17a Two basic CBE/CSE features 17b In-text citations 17c Guidelines for listing CBE/CSE references 17d Examples of entries in list 18. Chicago Manual of Style: Endnotes, Footnotes, and Bibliography 18a Two basic features 18b In-text citations, notes, and bibliography 18c Guidelines for notes 18d Print books and parts of books 18e Print articles in periodicals 18f Internet and electronic sources 18g Miscellaneous sources 18h Chicago bibliography guidelines and sample 19. CGOS Style for Online Sources 19a Two basic features: CGOS humanities style 19b Sample entries: humanities style 19c Two basic features: CGOS scientific style 19d Sample entries: scientific style V. Document Design/ Online and Workplace 20. Design Tools, Design Features 20a Basic design functions in Word 20b Typefaces 20c Color 20d Headings 20e Lists 20f Columns 21. Visuals 21a Tables 21b Graphs and charts 21c Illustrations, clip art, Web downloads, and copyright issues 22. Online Communication 22a E-mail style and mechanics 22b E-mail discussion lists, bulletin boards, and discussion boards 22c Newsgroups, blogs, and synchronous communication 23. Web Site Design 23a Planning and organizing a Web site 23b Tips for Web site design 23c Useful resources 23d Sample student Web site 24. Academic Writing Online 24a Hypertext 24b HTML 24c Guidelines for posting academic writing online 25. Flyers, Brochures, and Newsletters 25a Design principles for flyers, brochures, newsletters 25b Sample community brochure 26. Resumes and Letters of Application 26a How to write a resume 26b Sample print or Web page resume 26c An electronic resume 26d Sample electronic resume 26e Cover letter and sample 27. Business Letters and Memos 27a Features of a business letter 27b Sample business letter 27c Technical requirements of a business letter 27d Basic features of a memo 27e Sample memo 28. Oral and Multimedia Presentations 28a Preparing an oral presentation 28b Speaking from notes or manuscript 28c Practicing and presenting 28d Using presentation aids and multimedia 28e Using PowerPoint 28f A student's PowerPoint slides VI. Style The Five C's of Style 29. The First C: Cut 29a Repetition and wordiness 29b Formulaic phrases 29c References to your intentions 29d Redundancy 30. The Second C: Check for Action 30a Who's doing what? 30b Sentences beginning with there or it 30c Unnecessary passive voice 31. The Third C: Connect 31a Consistent subjects and topic chains 31b Old/new information and emphasis 31c Options: coordination, subordination, and transitions 31d Beginning a sentence with and or but 31e Paragraph connections 32. The Fourth Cut: Commit 32a Personal presence 32b Appropriate and consistent tone 32c Confident stance 33. The Fifth C: Choose Your Words 33a Word choice checklist 33b Dictionary and thesaurus 33c Exact words and connotations 33d Language of speech, region, and workplace 33e Figurative language 33f Avoiding biased and exclusionary language 33g Avoiding cliches and pretentious language Style in Action 34. Sentence Variety 34a Sentence length 34b Statements, questions, commands, and exclamations 34c Types of sentences 34d Inverted word order 34e Sentence beginnings 35. Revising for Style: A Student's Drafts 36. Style Tips VII. Common Sentence Problems 37. Troublespots and Terms 37a Students' frequently asked questions 37b Teachers' top ten sentence problems 37c Standard English 37d Terms for the parts of a sentence 38. Sentence Fragments 38a Phrases 38b Dependent clauses 38c Missing verb 38d Missing subject 38e Intentional use 39. Run-ons and Comma Splices 39a Identifying 39b Correcting 39c Transitions 40. Sentence Snarls 40a Fuzzy syntax 40b Misplaced modifiers: only, even, phrases, split infinitives 40c Dangling modifiers 40d Shifts: statements/commands, indirect/direct quotation, point of view 40e Subject/predicate mismatch 40f Definitions and reasons 40g Adverb clause as subject 40h Omitted words and apostrophes 40i Restated subjects 40j Faulty parallelism 41. Verbs 41a Verb forms 41b Verbs commonly confused 41c Auxiliaries 41d Tenses 41e Present tenses 41f Past tenses 41g -ed endings: Past tense and past participle 41h Tense shifts 41i Indirect quotations 41j Conditional sentences, wishes, requests, demands, and recommendations 42. Passive Voice 42a When to use 42b How to form 42c No emphasis on who performs action 42d As connector 42e Overuse 43. Subject-Verb Agreement 43a Basic principles 43b Intervening words 43c Linking verb, subject, and complement 43d Subject after verb 43e Tricky subjects with singular verbs 43f Collective nouns 43g Compound subjects with and, or, nor 43h Indefinite pronouns and quantity words 43i Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives 43j Possessive pronouns 43k Clauses beginning with what 44. Pronouns 44a Personal pronouns (I or me, he or him?) 44b Possessive forms (my or mine, her or hers?) 44c Clear reference 44d Agreement with antecedent 44e Gender bias 44f Consistent point of view 44g Use of you 44h Intensive and reflexive pronouns 44i Who/whom, whoever/whomever 45. Adjectives and Adverbs 45a Forms 45b When to use 45c Adjectives after linking verbs 45d Compound adjectives 45e Position of adverbs 45f Double negatives 45g Comparative and superlative forms 45h Faulty or incomplete comparisons 46. Relative Clauses and Relative Pronouns 46a Relative pronouns 46b Agreement of verb 46c Agreement after one of and the only one of 46d Restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses 46e Clauses with quantity words 46f Clauses with prepositions 46g That as relative pronoun 46h Position of relative clause 46i Unnecessary pronoun 46j Where and when VIII. Punctuation, Mechanics, and Spelling 47. Commas 47a Comma: Yes and no 47b Before coordinating conjunction and between independent clauses 47c After introductory phrase or clause 47d With extra (nonrestrictive) elements 47e With transitional expressions and insertions 47f With items in a series 47g With coordinate evaluative adjectives 47h With direct quotations 47i When not to use 47j Special uses 48. Apostrophes 48a Apostrophe: Yes and no 48b Use of -'s to signal possession 48c With plural nouns 48d With contractions 48e In plurals 48f It's versus its 49. Quotation Marks 49a Guidelines 49b Punctuation introducing and ending a quotation 49c Dialogue 49d Quotation within a quotation 49e With titles, definitions, and translations 49f When not to use 50. Semicolons and Colons 50a Semicolon: Yes and no 50b Colon: Yes and no 51. Other Punctuation Marks 51a Periods 51b Question marks, exclamation points 51c Dashes 51d Parentheses 51e Brackets 51f Slashes 51g Ellipsis dots 52. Italics and Underlining 52a Titles of long, whole works 52b Transportation 52c Letters, numerals, and words as words 52d Words in other languages 52e When not to use (for emphasis) 53. Capitalization 53a I and first word of sentence 53b Proper nouns and proper adjectives 53b Titles before names 53c Major words in titles 53d After a colon or at the beginning of a quotation 54. Abbreviations 54a Titles with people's names 54b Certain types of familiar names 54c Terms used with numbers 54d Common Latin terms 54e When not to abbreviate 54f Plurals of abbreviations 55. Numbers 55a Conventions 55b Beginning a sentence 55c When to use numerals 55d Plurals of numerals 56. Hyphenation 56a With prefixes 56b In compound words 56d In spelled-out numbers 56e At end of a line 57. Online Guidelines 57a Punctuation in URLs 57b Underlining and italics online 57c Capital letters online 57d Hyphens online 58e Asterisks and abbreviations online 58. Spelling 58a Plurals of nouns 58b Doubling consonants 58c Spelling with -y or -i 58d Internal ie or ei 58e Adding a suffix 58f Accents, umlauts, tildes, and cedillas IX. For Multilingual/ ESL Writers 59. Culture, Language, and Writing 59a English and Englishes 59b ESL--difference, not deficit 59c Learning from errors 59d Language guide to transfer errors 59e False Friends (confusing cognates) 60. Nouns and Articles 60a Categories of nouns 60b Uncountable nouns 60c Basic rules for articles 60d The for a specific reference 60e Which article? Four basic questions 60f Proper nouns and articles 61. Verbs and Verbals 61a The be auxiliary 61b Modal auxiliary verbs 61c Verbs followed by an infinitive 61d Verbs followed by -ing 61e Verbs followed by an infinitive or -ing 61f -ing and -ed forms as adjectives 62. Word Order and Sentence Structure 62a Inclusion of a subject 62b Order of elements 62c Direct and indirect objects 62d Direct and indirect quotations and questions 62e Dependent clauses (although and because) 62f Unnecessary pronouns 62g Order of adjectives 63. Prepositions in Idiomatic Expressions 63a Expressions with three common prepositions 63b Adjective + preposition 63c Verb + preposition 63d Phrasal verbs 63e Preposition + -ing 63f Get used to, used to 64. Frequently Asked ESL Editing Questions 64a No and not 64b Too and very 64c Few and a few 64d Most, most of, and the most 64e Easy, hard, and difficult 64f It and there 64g His and her X. Glossaries and Index 65. Glossary of Usage 66. Glossary of Grammatical Terms