Table of Contents

The McGraw-Hill Handbook, Third Edition
*Indicates new content or a chapter/section with major revisions.
Part One: Writing and Designing Texts
Chapter 1: Writing Today
*(Foldout) RESOURCES FOR WRITERS Start Smart: Addressing the Writing Situation
a. Use writing to learn across the curriculum and beyond college *b. Explore the situation as a means of approaching any writing task*c. Recognize audience and academic English in a multilingual world
Chapter 2: Understanding Assignments a. Recognize that writing is a process. b. Understand the writing situation.c. Find an appropriate topic. d. Be clear about the purpose of your assignment. e. Ask questions about your audience. f. Determine the appropriate stance and tone.g. Use the appropriate genre and medium. h. Meet early to discuss coauthored projects.
Chapter 3: Planning and Shaping the Whole Essay a. Explore your ideas. b. Decide on a thesis. c. Plan a structure that suits your assignment. *d. Consider using visuals and multimedia for multimodal texts.
Chapter 4: Drafting Paragraphs and Visuals a. Use electronic tools for drafting. b. Write focused paragraphs. c. Write paragraphs that have a clear organization. d. Develop ideas and use visuals strategically. *e. Integrate visuals and multimedia effectively. f. Craft an introduction that establishes your purpose. g. Conclude by answering "So what?"
Chapter 5: Revising and Editing a. Get comments from readers. b. Use resources available on your campus, on the Internet, and in your community. c. Use electronic tools for revising. d. Focus on the writing situation (topic, purpose, audience, medium, genre).e. Make sure you have a strong thesis. f. Review the structure of your project as a whole. g. Revise your composition for paragraph development, paragraph unity, and coherence. *h. Revise visuals and multimedia. i. Edit sentences. j. Proofread carefully before you turn in your composition. k. Learn from one student's revisions (with three sample drafts).
Chapter 6: Designing Academic Texts and Preparing Portfolios a. Consider audience and purpose when making design decisions. b. Use the tools available in your word-processing program. c. Think intentionally about design. d. Compile a print or an electronic portfolio that presents your work to your advantage.
Part Two: Common Assignments across the Curriculum
Chapter 7: Reading, Thinking, and Writing: the Critical Connection a. Recognize that critical reading is a process. b. Preview the text or visual (with professional sample). c. Read and record your initial impressions. d. Reread using annotation and summary to analyze and interpret. e. Synthesize your observations in a critical response paper (with student sample).
Chapter 8: Informative Reports a. Understand the assignment. b. Approach writing an informative report as a process. *c. Write informative reports on social science research (with new student sample). d. Write reviews of the literature to summarize current knowledge in a specific area. e. Write informative papers in the sciences to share discoveries. f. Write lab reports to demonstrate understanding (with student sample). g. Write informative reports on events or findings in the humanities (with professional sample).
Chapter 9: Interpretive Analyses and Writing about Literature a. Understand the assignment. b. Approach writing an interpretive analysis as a process. c. Learn to write interpretive papers in the humanities. d. Write a literary interpretation of a poem (with student sample). e. Write a literary interpretation of a work of fiction (with student sample). f. Write a literary interpretation of a play (with student sample). g. Write case studies and other interpretive analyses in the social sciences (with professional sample). *h. Write interpretive papers in the sciences (with new student sample).
Chapter 10: Arguments a. Understand the assignment. *b. Learn how to evaluate verbal and visual arguments. c. Approach writing your own argument as a process. *d. Construct arguments to address issues in the social sciences (with new student sample). *e. Construct arguments to address issues in the humanities (with new student sample). f. Construct arguments to address issues in the sciences (with professional sample).
Chapter 11: Personal Essays a. Understand the assignment. b. Approach writing a personal essay as a process.
Chapter 12: Essay Exams a. Prepare to take an essay exam. b. Approach essay exams strategically (with student sample).
Chapter 13: Oral Presentations a. Plan and shape your oral presentation. b. Draft your presentation with the rhetorical situation in mind. c. Use presentation software to create multimedia presentations.d. Prepare for your presentation.
Chapter 14: Multimedia and Online Writing a. Learn about the tools for creating multimedia texts. b. Combine text and images with a word-processing program to analyze images. c. Create a Web site. *d. Create and interact with Blogs and Wikis.
Part Three: Researching
Chapter 15: Understanding Research a. Understand the purpose of primary and secondary research. b. Recognize the connection between research and college writing. c. Understand the research assignment. d. Choose an interesting research question for critical inquiry. e. Create a research plan.
Chapter 16: Finding and Managing Print and Online Sources a. Use the library in person and online. b. Consult various kinds of sources.*c. Use the best primary or secondary sources for your purpose and genre d. Use printed and online reference works for general information. e. Understand keywords and keyword searches. f. Use print indexes and online databases to find articles in journals and other periodicals. g. Use search engines and subject directories to find sources on the Internet. h. Use your library's online catalog or card catalog to find books. i. Take advantage of printed and online government documents. j. Explore online communication.
*Chapter 17: Finding and Creating Effective Visuals, Audio, and Videoa. Find quantitative data and display the data visually. b. Search for appropriate images in online and print sources.*c. Search for or create appropriate audio clips and videos
Chapter 18: Evaluating Sources a. Question print sources. b. Question Internet sources. c. Evaluate a source's arguments.
Chapter 19: Doing Research in the Archive, Field, and Lab a. Adhere to ethical principles when doing primary research. b. Prepare yourself for archival research. c. Plan your field research carefully. d. Keep a notebook when doing lab research.
Chapter 20: Plagiarism, Copyright, and Intellectual Property a. Understand how plagiarism relates to copyright and intellectual property. b. Avoid plagiarism. c. Use copyrighted materials fairly.
Chapter 21: Working with Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism a. Maintain a working bibliography. b. Create an annotated bibliography c. Take notes on your sources. d. Synthesis: Take stock of what you have learned. *e. Integrating quotations, paraphrases, and summaries properly and effectively.
Chapter 22: Writing the Paper a. Plan and draft your paper. b. Revise your draft. c. Document your sources. d. Present and publish your work.
Part Four: Documenting across the Curriculum
Chapter 23: MLA Documentation Style (Foldout) RESOURCES FOR WRITERS Identifying and Documenting Sources in MLA Style and Finding Source Information for MLA Style
a. The elements of MLA documentation style b. MLA style: In-text citations c. MLA style: List of works cited d. MLA style: Explanatory notes and acknowledgments e. MLA style: Paper format *f. Student paper in MLA style
Chapter 24: APA Documentation Style
(Foldout) RESOURCES FOR WRITERS Identifying and Documenting Sources in APA Style/Finding Source Information for APA Style
a. The elements of APA documentation style b. APA style: In-text citations c. APA style: References d. APA style: Paper format *e. Sample from a student paper in APA style
*Chapter 25: Chicago Documentation Style a. Chicago style: In-text citations and notes b. Chicago style: Bibliography c. Sample Chicago-style notes and bibliography entries d. Sample from a student paper in Chicago style
Chapter 26: CSE Documentation Styles a. In-text citations b. List of References c. Sample references list: CSE name-year style d. Sample references list: CSE citation-name (and citation-sequence) style
Part Five: Writing Beyond College
Chapter 27: Service Learning and Community-Service Writing a. Address the community on behalf of your organization. *b. Design brochures, newsletters, and posters with an eye to purpose and audience.
Chapter 28: Letters to Raise Awareness and Share Concern a. Write about a public issue. b. Write as a consumer.
Chapter 29: Writing to Get and Keep a Job a. Explore internship possibilities, and keep a portfolio of career-related writing. b. Keep your résumé up-to-date and available on a computer disk. c. Write a tailored application letter. d. Prepare in advance for the job interview. e. Apply what you learn in college to your on-the-job writing.
Part Six: Grammar Basics(Foldout)RESOURCES FOR WRITERS Identifying and Editing Common Prob lems/Quick-Reference for Multilingual Writers
Chapter 30: The Parts of Speech a. Verbs b. Nouns c. Pronouns d. Adjectives e. Adverbs f. Prepositions g. Conjunctions h. Interjections
Chapter 31: Sentence Basics a. Sentence purpose b. Subjects c. Predicates: Verbs and their objects or complements d. Phrases and clauses e. Noun phrases and verb phrases f. Verbals and verbal phrases g. Appositive phrases h. Absolute phrases i. Dependent clauses j. Sentence structures
Part Seven: Editing for Grammar Conventions
Chapter 32: Sentence Fragments a. Learn how to identify sentence fragments. b. Edit sentence fragments. c. Connect a phrase fragment to another sentence, or add the missing elements. d. Connect a dependent-clause fragment to another sentence, or make it into a sentence by eliminating or changing the subordinating word.
Chapter 33: Comma Splices and Run-on Sentences a. Learn how to identify comma splices and run-on sentences. b.Edit comma splices and run-on sentences in one of five ways. c. Join the two clauses with a comma and a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or, nor, for, so, or yet. d. Join the two clauses with a semicolon. e. Separate the clauses into two sentences. f. Turn one of the independent clauses into a dependent clause. g. Transform the two clauses into one independent clause.
Chapter 34: Subject-Verb Agreement a. Identify problems with subject-verb agreement. b. Learn to edit errors in subject-verb agreement. c. Do not lose sight of the subject when other words separate it from the verb. d. Learn to distinguish plural from singular compound subjects. e. Treat most collective nouns—nouns like audience, family, and committee—as singular subjects. f. Treat most indefinite subjects—subjects like everybody, no one, each, all, and none—as singular. g. Make sure that the subject and verb agree when the subject comes after the verb. h. Make sure that the verb agrees with its subject, not the subject complement. i. Who, which, and that (relative pronouns) take verbs that agree with the subject they replace. j. Gerund phrases (phrases beginning with an -ing verb treated as a noun) take the singular form of the verb when they are subjects.
Chapter 35: Problems with Verbs a. Learn the principal forms of regular and irregular verbs. b. Identify and edit problems with common irregular verbs. c. Distinguish between lay and lie, sit and set, and rise and raise. d. Do not forget to add an -s or -es ending to the verb when it is necessary. e. Do not forget to add a -d or -ed ending to the verb when it is necessary. f. Make sure your verbs are complete. g. Use verb tenses accurately. h. Use the past perfect tense to indicate an action completed at a specific time or before another event. i. Use the present tense for literary events, scientific facts, and introductions to quotations. j. Make sure infinitives and participles fit with the tense of the main verb. k. Use the subjunctive mood for wishes, requests, and conjecture. l. Choose the active voice unless a special situation calls for the passive.
Chapter 36: Problems with Pronouns a. Identify problems with pronoun case. b. Learn to edit for pronoun case. c. Use the correct pronouns in compound structures. d. Use the correct pronoun in subject complements. e. Use the correct pronoun in appositives. f. Use either we or us before a noun, depending on the noun's function. g. Use the correct pronoun in comparisons with than or as. h. Use the correct form when the pronoun is the subject or the object of an infinitive. i. Use the possessive case in front of a gerund. j. Distinguish between who and whom. k. Identify and edit problems with pronoun-antecedent agreement. l. Choose the right pronoun to agree with an indefinite pronoun antecedent. m. Avoid gender bias with indefinite pronoun and generic noun antecedents. n. Treat most collective nouns as singular. o. Choose the right pronoun for a compound antecedent. p. Identify and edit problems with pronoun reference. q. Avoid ambiguous pronoun references. r. Watch out for implied pronoun references. s. Keep track of pronoun reference in paragraphs. t. Use who, whom, and whose, not that or which, to refer to people.
Chapter 37: Problems with Adjectives and Adverbs a. Identify and edit problems with adjectives and adverbs. b. Use adjectives to modify nouns or pronouns. c. Use nouns as adjectives sparingly. d. Use adverbs to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. e. Do not use an adjective when an adverb is needed. f. Use adjectives after linking verbs to describe the subject. g. Use positive, comparative, and superlative adjectives and adverbs correctly. h. Avoid double negatives.
Checklist: Editing for Grammar Conventions
Part Eight: Editing for Clarity
Chapter 38: Wordy Sentences a. Identify and edit wordiness. b. Eliminate wordy phrases and empty words. c. Eliminate unnecessary repetition. d. Make your sentences straightforward. e. Shorten clauses and phrases. f. Combine sentences.
Chapter 39: Missing Words a. Identify and edit problems with missing words. b. Add words needed to make compound structures complete and clear. c. Include that when it is needed for clarity. d. Make comparisons clear. e. Add articles (a, an, the) where necessary.f. Make intensifiers complete
Chapter 40: Mixed Constructions a. Identify and edit mixed constructions. b. Make sure predicates fit their subjects.
Chapter 41: Confusing Shifts a. Identify and edit confusing shifts. b. Make your point of view consistent in person and number. c. Keep your verb tenses consistent. d. Avoid unnecessary shifts in mood and voice. e. Be alert to awkward shifts between direct and indirect quotations and questions.
Chapter 42: Faulty Parallelism a. Learn to identify and edit faulty parallelism. b. Make items in a series parallel. c. Make paired ideas parallel. d. Repeat function words as needed to keep parallels clear. e. Make the items in outlines, headings, and lists parallel.
Chapter 43: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers a. Identify and edit misplaced modifiers. b. Put modifiers close to the words they modify. c. Clarify ambiguous modifiers. d. Move disruptive modifiers. e. Avoid splitting infinitives. f. Learn to identify and edit dangling modifiers.
Chapter 44: Coordination and Subordination a. Identify coordination and subordination and use them effectively. b. Use coordination to combine ideas of equal importance. c. Avoid faulty or excessive coordination. d. Use subordination for ideas of unequal importance. e. Avoid faulty or excessive subordination. f. Use coordination and subordination to combine short, choppy sentences.
Chapter 45: Sentence Variety and Emphasisa. Vary your sentence openings. b. Vary the length and structure of your sentences. c. Include a few cumulative and periodic sentences. d. Try an occasional inversion, rhetorical question, or exclamation. e. Repeat key words for emphasis.
Chapter 46: Active Verbs a. Consider alternatives to some be verbs. b. Prefer the active voice.
Checklist: Editing for Clarity
Part Nine: Editing for Word Choice
Chapter 47: Dictionaries and Vocabulary a. Make using the dictionary a habit. b. Consult a thesaurus for words that have similar meanings. c. Read for pleasure. d. Learn the meanings of new words by their context. e. Learn new words by analyzing their parts.
Chapter 48: Appropriate Language a. Avoid slang, regional expressions, and nonstandard English in college writing. b. Use an appropriate level of formality. c. Avoid jargon. d. Avoid most euphemisms and all doublespeak. e. Do not use biased or sexist language.Chapter 49: Exact Language a. Avoid misusing words. b. Choose words with suitable connotations. c. Include specific and concrete words. d. Use standard idioms. e. Create suitable figures of speech. f. Avoid clichés
Chapter 50: Glossary of Usage
Checklist: Editing for Word Choice
Part Ten: Sentence Punctuation
Chapter 51: Commas COMMON USES OF THE COMMAa. Place a comma before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses. b. Use commas between items in a series. c. Use commas between coordinate adjectives. d. Use a comma after an introductory word group that is not the subject of the sentence. e. Use a comma or commas to set off nonessential (nonrestrictive) elements. f. Use a comma or commas with transitional expressions, parenthetical expressions, contrasting comments, and absolute phrases. g. Use a comma or commas to set off words of direct address, yes and no, mild interjections, and tag sentences. h. Use a comma or commas to separate a direct quotation from the phrase that signals it. i. Use commas with parts of dates and addresses, with people's titles, in numbers, and in parts of correspondence. j. Use a comma to take the place of an omitted word or phrase or to prevent misreading. COMMON MISUSES OF THE COMMAk. Do not use commas to separate major elements in an independent clause. l. Do not use commas to separate compound word groups unless the word groups are independent clauses. m. Do not place commas after prepositions or conjunctions. n. Do not use commas to set off restrictive modifiers, appositives, or slightly parenthetical words or phrases. o. D o not use a comma after the phrase that begins an inverted sentence. p. Do not place a comma before the first or after the last item in a series. Do not place a comma between an adjective and a noun, even in a series of coordinate adjectives. q. Do not use a comma to repeat the function of other punctuation.
Chapter 52: Semicolons a. Use a semicolon to join independent clauses. b. Use semicolons with transitional expressions that connect independent clauses. c. Use care when placing a semicolon before a conjunction. d. Use a semicolon to separate items in a series when the items contain commas. e. Edit to correct common semicolon errors.
Chapter 53: Colons a. Use a colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list, an appositive, or a quotation. b. Use a colon when a second closely related independent clause elaborates on the first one. c. Use colons in business letters, to indicate ratios, to indicate times of day, for city and publisher citations in bibliographies, and to separate titles and subtitles. d. Edit to eliminate unnecessary colons.
Chapter 54: Quotation Marks a. Use quotation marks to indicate the exact words of a speaker or writer. b. Use quotation marks to set off brief direct quotations and lines of dialogue. c. Use single quotation marks, slashes, ellipses, and brackets with direct quotations as required. d. Set off long quotations in indented blocks rather than using quotation marks. e. Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation. f. Use quotation marks to enclose titles of short works such as articles, poems, and stories. g. Use quotation marks to indicate that a word or phrase is being used in a special way. h. Place punctuation marks within or outside quotation marks, as convention and your meaning require. i. Edit to correct common errors in using quotation marks.
Chapter 55: Dashes, Parentheses, and Other Punctuation Marks a. Use the dash provided by your word-processing program, or form it by typing two hyphens. b. Use a dash to highlight an explanation or a list that begins or ends a sentence. c. Use one or two dashes to highlight a nonessential phrase or independent clause within a sentence. d. Use a dash or dashes to indicate a sudden break in tone, thought, or speech. e. Do not overuse dashes. f. Use parentheses to enclose supplementary information. g. Use parentheses to enclose numbers or letters, according to convention. h. Learn the conventions for capitalization and punctuation with parentheses. i. When quoting, use brackets to set off material that is not part of the original quotation. j. Use ellipses to indicate that words have been omitted from a quotation or that a thought is incomplete. k. Use a slash to show line breaks in quoted poetry, to separate options or combinations, and in electronic addresses.
Chapter 56: End Punctuation: Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points a. Use a period after most statements, indirect questions, polite requests, and mild commands. b. Use a period in abbreviations according to convention. c. Do not use a period at the end of a sentence within a sentence. d. Use a question mark after a direct question. e. Use exclamation points sparingly to convey shock, surprise, or a forceful command. f. Place a question mark or exclamation point within a sentence if your meaning requires it. g. Do not add a comma or another end mark after a period, question mark, or exclamation point. h. Make sure that the end mark concludes a complete sentence.
Checklist: Editing for Sentence Punctuation
Part Eleven: Mechanics and Spelling
Chapter 57: Capitalization a. Capitalize proper nouns (names), words derived from them, brand names, certain abbreviations, and call letters. b. Capitalize a person's title when it appears before a proper name but not when it is used alone. c. Capitalize names of areas and regions. d. Follow standard practice for capitalizing names of races, ethnic groups, and sacred things. e. Capitalize titles of works of literature, works of art, musical compositions, documents, and courses. f. Capitalize the first word of a sentence. g. Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence but not the first word of an indirect quotation. h. Capitalizing the first word of an independent clause after a colon or in a series of short questions is optional. i. Capitalize the first word of each item in a formal outline. j. Be consistent about the capitalization of the first word of items in numbered lists.k. Capitalize the first word in the greeting and closing of a letter.
Chapter 58: Abbreviations and Symbols a. Abbreviate familiar titles that precede or follow a person's name. b. Use abbreviations only when you know your readers will understand them. c. Abbreviate words typically used with times, dates, and numerals, as well as units of measurement in charts and graphs. d. Use abbreviations in mailing addresses. e. Become familiar with abbreviations used in research citations. f. Avoid Latin abbreviations in formal writing. g. Avoid inappropriate abbreviations and symbols.
Chapter 59: Numbers a. In nontechnical writing, spell out numbers up to one hundred and round numbers greater than one hundred. b. In technical and business writing, use numerals for exact measurements and all numbers greater than ten. c. Always spell out a number that begins a sentence. d. Use numerals for dates, times of day, addresses, and similar kinds of conventional quantitative information.
Chapter 60: Italics a. Italicize titles of lengthy works or separate publications. b. Italicize the names of ships, trains, aircraft, and spaceships. c. Italicize foreign terms. d. Italicize scientific names. e. Italicize words, letters, and numbers referred to as themselves. f. Use italics sparingly for emphasis.
Chapter 61: Apostrophes a. Use apostrophes to indicate possession. b. Use apostrophes to form contractions. c. Distinguish between contractions and possessive pronouns. d. An apostrophe can be used with -s to form plural letters and words used as words, but it usually should not be used to form plural numbers and abbreviations,e. Watch out for common misuses of the apostrophe.
Chapter 62: Hyphens a. Use hyphens to form compound words and to avoid confusion. b. Use hyphens to join two or more words to create compound adjective or noun forms. c. Use hyphens to spell out fractions and compound numbers. d. Use a hyphen to attach some prefixes and suffixes. e. Use hyphens to divide words at the ends of lines.
Chapter 63: Spelling a. Learn the rules that generally hold for spelling, as well as their exceptions. b. Learn to distinguish words that are pronounced alike but spelled differently. c. Check for commonly misspelled words.
Checklist: Editing for Mechanics and Spelling
Part Twelve: Guide for Multilingual Writers
Chapter 64: Language Basics a. Learn the characteristics of English nouns and their modifiers. b. Learn the characteristics of English pronouns. c. Learn the characteristics of English verb phrases.
Chapter 65: Sentence Structure a. Learn the requirements of English word order. b. Use subordinating and coordinating words correctly.
Chapter 66: Identifying and Editing Common Errors a. Beware of misleading cognates.b. Express quantity and intensity appropriatelyc. Understand adverb formarion.d. Manage English prepositions.e. Master phrasal verbs.f. Learn the meanings of idioms.g. Avoid errors in subject-verb agreement.h. Avoid errors in pronoun reference.i. Avoid errors in word order.j. Understand tense sequence in reported speech.k. Avoid double negation.
Checklist: Self-Editing for Multilingual Students
Part Thirteen: Further Resources for LearningSelected Terms from across the Curriculum (Foldout) Resources for Writers: Timeline of World History/World Map
Glossary of Key TermsCreditsIndexIndex for Multilingual WritersQuick Guide to Key ResourcesEditing Symbols and Abbreviations

About the Author

Elaine P. Maimon is President of Governors State University in the south suburbs of Chicago, where she is also Professor of English. Previously she was Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage, Provost (Chief Campus Officer) at Arizona State University West, and Vice President of Arizona State University as a whole. In the 1970s, she initiated and then directed the Beaver College writing-across-the-curriculum program, one of the first WAC programs in the nation. A founding Executive Board member of the National Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA), she has directed national institutes to improve the teaching of writing and to disseminate the principles of writing across the curriculum. With a PhD in English from the University of Pennsylvania, where she later helped to create the Writing Across the University (WATU) program, she has also taught and served as an academic administrator at Haverford College, Brown University, and Queens College.



Janice Haney Peritz is an Associate Professor of English who has taught college writing for more than thirty years, first at Stanford University, where she received her PhD in 1978, and then at the University of Texas at Austin; Beaver College; and Queens College, City University of New York. From 1989 to 2002, she directed the Composition Program at Queens College, where in 1996, she also initiated the colleges writing-across-the-curriculum program and the English Departments involvement with the Epiphany Project and cyber-composition. She also worked with a group of CUNY colleagues to develop The Write Site, an online learning center, and more recently directed the CUNY Honors College at Queens College for three years. Currently, she is back in the English Department doing what she loves most: research, writing, and full-time classroom teaching of writing, literature, and culture.



Kathleen Blake Yancey is the Kellogg W. Hunt Professor of English and Director of the Graduate Program in Rhetoric and Composition at Florida State University. Past President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA) and Past Chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), she is President of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). In addition, she co-directs the Inter/National Coalition on Electronic Portfolio Research. She has directed several institutes focused on electronic portfolios and on service learning and reflection, and with her colleagues in English Education, she is working on developing a program in new literacies. Previously, she has taught at UNC Charlotte and at Clemson University, where she directed the Pearce Center for Professional Communication and created the Class of 1941 Studio for Student Communication, both of which are dedicated to supporting communication across the curriculum.