Rules of Thumb
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Rules of Thumb is a concise, user-friendly, and affordable handbook developed around students' real writing needs. An invaluable companion for writers at all levels, it gives students the advice they need on writing, research, grammar, and style in a clear and engaging voice. Reflecting the most current APA documentation styles, the eighth edition remains the ideal handbook for improving grammar without overwhelming student writers with specialized terminology.
Acknowledgments xiiiThe Meaning of "Rule of Thumb" xviHow to Use Rules of Thumb xviiPart 1 The Basics: Spelling, Punctuation, and GrammarA Word about Correctness 2Commonly Confused Words 3One Word or Two? 11Spelling 13Capitalization 16Abbreviations and Numbers 18Apostrophes 20Consistent Pronouns 21I vs. Me, She vs. Her, He vs. Him, Who vs. Whom 24Vague Pronouns 26Recognizing Complete Sentences 28Period or Comma? Run-on Sentences and Sentence Fragments 31Feature: Using But, However, Although 37Commas 38Semicolons 40Colons 41Dashes and Parentheses 42Quotation Marks 44Titles: Italics, Underlines, or Quotation Marks 48Shifting Verb Tenses 49Verb Agreement 54Word Endings: -s and -ed 56Parallel Structure 58Dangling Constructions 59Mixed Sentence Patterns 60Part 2 Putting a Paper TogetherWhat to Do When You're Stuck 63Addressing Your Audience 67Writing with a Thesis 69Finding an Organization for Your Essay 72Introductions 75Paragraphs-Long and Short 77Transitions 80Incorporating Quotations 82Conclusions 84How to Make a Paper Longer (and When to Make It Shorter) 85How to Work on a Second Draft 87Shortcuts for "Word" 90Proofreading Tips 93Format of College Papers 95Special Case: Writing an Essay in Class 98Special Case: Writing about Literature 101Part 3 The Research PaperSeven Steps to a Research Paper 111How to Conduct Research 112Feature: Sizing Up a Website 117Getting Information Online and at the Library 121Feature: When You Find Too Few or Too Many Sources 125Writing the Research Paper 126Feature:PowerPoint Presentations 130Plagiarism (Cheating) 132What Is Documentation? 133Feature: Where to Find Specific Entries for Works Cited, References, and Bibliography 135Documentation: The MLA Style 136Documentation: The APA Style 150Documentation: Footnotes, Endnotes, and Bibliography 159Part 4 StyleFinding Your Voice 165Adding Details 166Repetition: Bad, Not-So-Bad, and Good 168Eliminating Inappropriate Language 170Trimming Wordiness 172Using Strong Verbs 174Varying Your Sentences 176Recognizing Cliches 181Keeping a Journal 182Postscript 185A List of Valuable Sources 187About the Authors 191Index 193Troubleshooting Guide 204
