QA Compact: Quick Access

PREFACE Personal message to students from Lynn Troyka and Doug Hesse As writers, many of you have much in common with both of us. Sure, we've been at it longer, so we've had more practice, and most rules have become cemented in our heads. However, we share with you a common goal: to put ideas into words worthy of someone else's reading time. We also share the constant desire to become better writers. Given our extensive teaching experience, this probably sounds odd. However, writing is a lifelong enterprise. Just as we did, you'll write not only in composition classes, but also in other courses throughout college. Writing will likely be an important part of your career, of your role as a public citizen, and even of your personal life. It has certainly been central to ours. Whenever we get stuck in an unfamiliar writing situation or while learning new writing technology, we rummage through strategies we've developed over time. We talk to friends and colleagues, in person, by phone, and by e-mail, and they consult us, too. We offer this book to you, then, as our partners in the process of writing. We hope that its pages help you give voice to your thoughts—now and years from now. We trust that you'll find our advice useful in the wide range of writing situations you're bound to encounter in college and in life. You're always welcome to write us at LQTBook@aol.com or doug.hesse@gmail.com to share your reactions to this book and your experiences as writers. We promise to answer. Each of us would like to end this message with a personal story. From Doug: I first glimpsed the power of writing in high school, when I wrote sappy—but apparently successful—love poems. Still, when I went to college, I was surprised to discover all I didn't know about writing. Fortunately, I had good teachers and developed lots of patience. I needed it. I continue to learn, especially from Lynn. From Lynn: When I was an undergraduate, writing handbooks weren't common. Questions about writing nagged at me. One day, browsing in the library, I found an incorrectly shelved, dust-covered book whose title included the words handbook and writing. I read it hungrily and kept checking it out from the library. Back then, I could never have imagined that someday I might write such a book myself. Now that we've completed this first edition of QA Compact, I'm amazed that I ever had the nerve to begin. This proves to me—and I hope to you—that anyone can write. Students don't always believe that. I hope you will. With cordial regards, Lynn Quitman Troyka Doug Hesse About the Authors LYNN QUITMAN TROYKA, Professor of Writing, at the City University of New York (CUNY), has taught at Queensborough Community College and in the graduate Language and Literacy program at City College. Former editor of the Journal of Basic Writing, her writing and research appears in major journals and various scholarly collections. She conducts workshops in the teaching of writing. Lynn is co-author of the Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers, Eighth Edition, Prentice Hall (2007), Quick Access Reference for Writers, Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall (2007) , Canadian editions of her Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers and Quick Access Reference for Writers, Structured Reading, Seventh Edition, Prentice Hall (2006), and Steps in Composition, Eighth Edition, Prentice Hall (2004). Dr. Troyka received the 2001 CCCC Exemplar Award, the highest CCCC award for scholarship, teaching, and service; the Rhetorician of the Year Award; and the TYCA Pickett Award for Service. She is a past chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC); the Two-Year College Association (TYCA) of NCTE; the College Section of NCTE; and the Writing Division of the Modern Language Association. "This information," says Dr. Troyka, "tells what I've done, not who I am. I am a teacher. Teaching is my life's work, and I love it." DOUG HESSE, Professor of English and Director of the Honors Program at Illinois State University, previously served as the university's Director of Writing Programs and also led its Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Dr. Hesse earned his Ph.D. from The University of Iowa. In addition to teaching at Illinois State, he's also taught at The University of Findlay, Miami University (as Wiepking Distinguished Visiting Professor), and Michigan Tech. Dr. Hesse has had numerous national leadership roles in the teaching of writing. He is past Chair of the Conference on Collection Composition and Communication (CCCC), the nation's largest professional association of college writing instructors. A past president, as well, of the Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA), Hesse edited that organization's journal, Writing Program Administration. He is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Executive Committee and the Modern Language Association (MLA) Division on Teaching as a Profession Executive Committee. He is author of 45 articles and book chapters, in such journals as College Composition and Communication, College English, JAC, Rhetoric Review, the Journal of Teaching Writing, and others, and in such books as Essays on the Essay; Writing Theory and Critical Theory; The Writing Program Administrator's Sourcebook; Literary Nonfiction; The Private, the Public, and the Published; Passions, Pedagogies, and 21st Century Technologies; and others. He is also co-author, with Lynn Troyka, of the Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers, Eighth Edition, Prentice Hall (2007) and Quick Access Reference for Writers, Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall (2007). Illinois State University named him Outstanding University Researcher. "Of all these accomplishments," says Dr. Hesse, "the one that matters most to me is being named Distinguished Humanities Teacher at Illinois State. That one came from my students and suggests that, in however small a way, I've mattered in their educations and lives." ACKNOWLEDGMENTS With this first edition of the QA Compact, we warmly thank all those students who, to our great luck, have landed in our writing courses. We admire how they and their counterparts in classrooms around the world strive to write skillfully, think critically, and communicate successfully, in college and beyond. Hundreds of students have contacted us by e-mail or letter with feedback on our other books. We take these comments seriously and use them to provide more of what students are looking for. Any student now holding QA Compact is welcome to get in touch with us at LQTBook@aol.com, at doug.hesse@gmail.com, or c/o Executive English Editor, Pearson Education, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. We promise your feedback will be read and considered. A project as complicated as QA Compact, literally cannot be done without the expertise and dedication of many professionals. We would like to thank the many exceptional people at Prentice Hall who facilitated our work on QA Compact. We also thank our colleagues, friends and families for their generous support. Troyka and Hesse Dedications For each of the following books: QA 5e QA Compact SSHB 8e To David, the love of my life Lynn Quitman Troyka To My Illinois State English 101 Students Doug Hesse Supplements The following supplements accompany Quick Access Compact, First Edition, to aid in teaching and learning: For the Instructor ? Prentice Hall Resources for Writing. This series is a specially designed set of supplements for the instructor that support timely, classroom and composition topics. These supplements are free upon adoption of the Quick Access Compact, First Edition.\ • Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum by Art Young is written for college teachers in all disciplines and provides useful advice on teaching writing across the curriculum.\ • Teaching Civic Literacy by Cheryl Duffy offers advice on how to integrate civic literacy into the composition classroom.\ • Teaching Visual Rhetoric by Susan Loudermilk provides an illustrated look at visual rhetoric and offers guidance on how to incorporate this topic into the classroom.\ • Teaching Writing for ESL Students by Ruth Spack addresses various strategies that can be employed to teach writing to non-native speakers. For the Instructor and Student ? Web Site (www.prenhall.com/troyka). Every copy of Quick Access Compact is packaged with a FREE access card that allows you to register for instant access to a comprehensive, easy-to-use web site that includes the following resources and tools: — eBook. The Web site complete on-line version of the book. Whenever you write or do research, the eBook is just a click away. — Diagnostic Test.A comprehensive diagnostic assesses each student's particular strengths and weaknesses. — Interactive, Self-Graded Exercises.This resource provides additional exercises tied to every topic of every chapter in the handbook. — Writing and Grammar Practice for ESL Students. This additional set of exercises has over 700 interactive activities on topics that ESL students find most difficult. — Blue Pencil Exercises.This popular editing software provides contextual grammar and punctuation editing exercises at the paragraph level. — Optional Plagiarism Detection Software. MyDropBox allows instructors to submit papers for plagiarism detection or set up class accounts so that students can submit their papers themselves. Please contact your Prentice Hall Representative to get set up with an account. — Understanding Plagiarism. This section of the Web site helps students understand what plagiarism is and provides strategies for avoiding plagiarism. — Writing Matters Videos. This video series includes anecdotes from instructors and students with tips on teaching and writing from the handbook, as well as interviews with professionals who discuss the importance of writing in their jobs. — Exchange. This resource provides instructor commenting and peer review. — Research Navigator. This tool is the easiest way for students to start a research assignment or research paper. Students get extensive help on the research process and access to exclusive databases of credible and reliable source material, including the New York Times Archive. — Research and Documentation Website. This Web site provided a quick guide to writing a research paper and documenting sources. ? The Prentice Hall WAC PAC. A compilation of resources, designed to facilitate teaching and learning Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC), includes Papers Across the Curriculum (edited by Judith Ferster), a series of sample student papers, and A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader: Writing Across the Curriculum (by Stephen Brown, Unviersity of Nevada Las Vegas). If you would like to put additional emphasis on WAC in your composition course(s), please contact your Prentice Hall sales rep for more information. ? Dictionary, Thesaurus, Writer's Guides, Workbooks and Pocket Readers. The following resources can be packaged with Quick Access Compact, First Edition. These valuable student resources provide additional depth on specialized topics that may only be touched upon in the text and allow you to customize the handbook to your specific needs. Contact your local Prentice Hall representative for discount pricing information.\ • The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary\ • The New American Roget's College Thesaurus\ • Writer's Guide to Research and Documentation\ • Writer's Guide to Oral Presentations and Writing in the Disciplines\ • Writer's Guide to Document and Web Design\ • Writer's Guide to Writing About Literature\ • The Prentice Hall Grammar Workbook\ • The Prentice Hall ESL Workbook\ • Applying English to Your Career (Workbook)\ • A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader: Argument\ • A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader: Literature\ • A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader: Patterns\ • A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader: Themes\ • A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader: Purposes\ • A Prentice Hall Pocket Reader: Writing Across the Curriculum\ • Papers Across the Curriculum

WRITING, GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND MECHANICS 1. Thinking About Purposes, Audiences and Technologies1a Writing defined1b Purposes for writing1c Audiences for writing1d Sources for writing2. Planning and Shaping 2a The writing process2b The writing situation2c Thinking of topics2d Thinking of ideas2e Idea logs and journals2f Freewriting2g Brainstorming2h Mapping2i Searching the Internet2j Shaping2k Levels of generality2l Subject tree2m Thesis statement2n Outlining 3. Drafting and Revising3a Drafting3b Writer’s block3c Revising3d Editing3e Proofreading3f Student essay, 3 drafts 4. Writing Paragraphs 4a Paragraph defined4b Introductory paragraphs4c Body paragraphs4d Paragraph unity4e Topic sentences4f Developing body paragraphs4g Coherent paragraphs4h Arrange paragraphs4i Rhetoric strategies4j Transitional paragraphs4k Concluding paragraphs 5. Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing5a Critical thinking defined5b Using critical thinking5c The reading process5d Using critical reading5e Summary and synthesis5f Critical responses5g Logical fallacies6. Writing Arguments6a Written argument defined6b Choosing a topic6c Assertion and thesis statement6d Source-based writing6e Classical argument6f Toulmin model6g Audience for argument6h Reasoning effectively6i Tone6j Opposing arguments6k Drafting and revising6l Student argument essay 7. Parts of Speech and Sentence Structures Parts of speech7a Nouns7b Pronouns7c Verbs7d Verbals7e Adjectives7f Adverbs7g Prepositions7h Conjunctions7i Interjections Sentence structures7j Subjects and predicates7k Direct and indirect objects7l Complements, modifiers and appositives7m Phrases7n Clauses7o Sentence types 8. Verbs8a Verbs defined Verb forms8b Main verbs8c -s and -es forms8d Regular and irregular verbs8e Auxiliary verbs8f Intransitive and transitive Verb tense8g Verb tense defined8h Simple present8i Perfect tenses8j Progressive forms8k Tense sequences Mood8l Mood defined8m Subjunctive forms Voice8n Voice defined8o Active voice8p Passive voice 9. Pronoun Case and Reference Pronoun case9a Case defined9b Personal pronouns9c Objective, subjective9d and between subjects9e With appositives9f After linking verbs9g who, whoever, whom, whomever9h than, as9i With infinitives9j With -ing words9k For -self pronouns Pronoun reference9l Pronoun reference defined.9m Clear pronoun reference9n Unclear pronoun reference9o With it, that, this, which9p Using they and it9q Using it suitably9r Using you9s Using that, which, who10. AgreementSubject-verb agreement10a S-V agreement defined10b Final -s or -es10c Between subject and verb10d and between subjects10e With each and every10f or between subjects10g Inverted word order10h Indefinite pronouns10i With collective nouns10j Linking verbs10k who, which, that10l Amounts, special nouns10m Titles, wordsPronoun-antecedent agreement10n P-A agreement defined10o and with antecedents10p or with antecedents10q Indefinite pronouns10r Nonsexist pronouns10s With collective nouns11. Adjectives and Adverbs11a Differences between11b Adverbs as modifiers11c Double negatives11d Effect of linking verbs11e Comparatives and superlatives11f String of modifiers12. Sentence Fragments12a Sentence fragment defined12b Recognizing12c Correcting12d With compound predicate12e Two special problems12f Intentional fragments13. Comma Splices and Run-on Sentences13a Defining cs and run-ons13b Recognizing13c Correcting13d Using transitions14. Misplaced and Dangling ModifiersMisplaced modifiers14a Misplaced modifiers defined14b Split infinitives14c Splits in sentencesDangling modifiers14d Dangling modifiers defined15. Shifting and Mixed SentencesShifting sentences15a Shifting defined15b Person and number15c Subject and voice15d Tense and mood15e Indirect, direct discourseMixed sentences15f Mixed sentence defined15g Faulty predication15h Elliptical constructions15i Comparisons16. Conciseness16a Conciseness defined16b Common expressions16c Sentence structures16d Revising for conciseness16e Concise verbs17. Coordination and SubordinationCoordination17a Coordination defined17b Coordinate structure17c Coordinating conjunctions17d MisusingSubordination17e Subordination defined17f Subordinate structures17g Subordinating conjunctions17h Misusing17i Using both coordination and subordination18. Parallelism, Variety, and Emphasis18a Parallelism defined18b Balanced sentences18c Words, phrases, clauses18d Impact of parallelism18e Faulty parallelism18f Variety and emphasis defined18g Varying sentence length18h Questions, commands18i Adding modifiers18j Repetition for emphasis18k Other techniques19. Usage Glossary20. The Impact of Words20a American English20b Levels of formality20c Edited American English20d Figurative language20e Exact diction20f Specific words20g Gender-neutral language20h Language to avoid20i Clichés20j Jargon20k Euphemisms20l Bureaucratic language21. Spelling21a Good speller defined21b Proofreading for errors21c Plurals spelled21d Suffixes spelled21e ie, ei rule21f Homonyms, confused words21g Compound words22. Periods, Question Marks and Exclamation PointsPeriods22a End of sentence22b AbbreviationsQuestion marks22c Using question marks22d ParenthesesExclamation points22e Using exclamation points22f Overuse23. Commas23a Role of commas23b Coordinating conjunctions23c Introductory elements23d Items in a series23e Coordinate adjectives23f Nonrestrictive elements23g Parenthetical expressions, etc23h Quoted words23i Dates, names, etc23j To clarify meaning23k Misusing commas23l Avoiding comma errors24. Semicolons24a Uses of semicolons24b With independent clauses24c Semicolons and commas24d Coordinating conjunctions24e Items in a series24f Misusing25. Colons25a Uses of colons25b Standard formats25c Independent clauses25d Standard formats25e Misusing26. Apostrophes26a Role of apostrophes26b For possession26c Possessive pronouns26d Contractions26e Indefinite pronouns26f Miscellaneous elements26g Misusing27. Quotation Marks27a Role of quotation marks27b Short direct quotations27c Long quotations27d Quotations in quotations27e Quoting poetry, dialogue27f Titles in quotations27g Words as words27h With other punctuation27i Misusing28. Other Punctuation Marks28a Using a dash28b Using parentheses28c Using brackets28d Using ellipsis points28e Using the slashHyphen28f Role of the hyphen28g End of a line28h Prefixes, suffixes28i In compound words29. Capitals, Italics, Abbreviations, and NumbersCapitals29a First words29b Listed items29c Sentences in parentheses29d Quotations29e Nouns, adjectivesItalics29f Role of italics29g Versus quotation marks29h Special emphasisAbbreviations29i In standard practice29j Months, time, eras, symbols29k Other elements29l Using etc.Numbers29m Spelled-out numbers29n Standard practices29o Hyphens with numbersRESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION30. Research Writing as a Process.30a Research writing defined30b Research topics30c Research questions30d Schedule30e Research log30f Documentation styles30g Working bibliography30h Thesis statement30i Outlining30j Draft, revise31. Finding and Evaluating Sources31a Source defined31b Search strategy31c Finding sources31d Finding books31e Finding periodicals31f Using reference works31g Missing library sources31h Government documents31i Field research31j Evaluating sources32. Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism32a Using sources well32b Plagiarism defined32c Avoiding plagiarism32d Plagiarism and the Internet32e Don’t document32f Must document32g Integrating sources32h Using quotations32i Writing paraphrases32j Writing summaries32k Verbs in writing33. MLA Documentation with Case Study33a MLA style defined33b MLA parentheticals33c MLA guidelines for parentheticals33d MLA Works Cited33e Student MLA research paper34. APA Documentation with Case Study34a APA style defined34b APA parentheticals34c APA guidelines for parentheticals34d APA guidelines for abstracts34e APA content notes34f APA References list34g APA formatting34h Student APA research paper35. Effective Print Document Design35a Document design defined35b Principles of design35c Page layout35d Formatting text35e Using visualsWRITING FOR COLLEGE AND BEYOND; WRITING FOR MULTILINGUAL STUDENTSWRITING FOR COLLEGE AND BEYOND36. Writing About Literature36a Literature defined36b Interpreting literature36c Inquiring into literature36d Special rules36e Sample student essay37. Writing in the Social SciencesSocial sciences37a Gathering information37b Purposes, practices37c Documentation styles38. Special Writing38a Business writing38b Preparing for essay examsWRITING FOR MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS39. Singulars and Plurals39a Count, noncount nouns39b Determiners39c Miscellaneous uses40. Articles40a Singular count nouns40b Plural with noncount nouns40c Proper nouns, gerunds41. Word Order41a Standard and inverted41b Adjective placement41c Adverb placement42. Prepositions42a Prepositions defined42b With time, place42c Phrasal verbs42d Past participles42e In common expressions43. Gerunds, Infinitives and Participles43a As subjects43b Gerund objects43c Infinitive objects43d Meaning changes43e Unchanged with sense verbs43f Adjectives ending in -ed and -ing44. Model Auxiliary Verbs44a Ability, necessity, etc44b Preferences, plans, etc44c In the passive voiceHow to Find Information In this BookColor Guide to this HandbookElements on the Pages of this HandbookResponse Symbols and Proofreading MarksList of Boxes by Content