Little, Brown, Compact Handbook, The, MLA Update Edition
, by Aaron, Jane E.- ISBN: 9780134586342 | 0134586344
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 8/1/2016
For courses in English Composition.
This version of The Little, Brown Compact has been updated to reflect the 8th Edition of the MLA Handbook (April 2016)*
The gold standard of handbooks—unmatched accuracy, currency, reliability
The Little, Brown Compact maintains the authority of its best-selling parent (The Little, Brown Handbook) in a briefer book with spiral binding, tabbed dividers, and over 150 exercise sets. While keeping pace with rapid changes in writing and its teaching, the 9th Edition offers the most comprehensive research and documentation available, with grammar coverage that is second to none. “Culture-Language” notes explore the most common issues faced by non-native English speakers with dialect interference; rather than segregating this material, coverage is integrated so that readers don’t feel compartmentalized. With detailed discussions of critical reading, media literacy, academic writing, and argument, as well as writing as a process, writing in the disciplines, and writing beyond the classroom, this handbook addresses writers of varying experience and in varying fields in a format that is brief and convenient.
* The 8th Edition introduces sweeping changes to the philosophy and details of MLA works cited entries. Responding to the “increasing mobility of texts,” MLA now encourages writers to focus on the process of crafting the citation, beginning with the same questions for any source. These changes, then, align with current best practices in the teaching of writing which privilege inquiry and critical thinking over rote recall and rule-following.
Preface for Instructors
Part 1. WRITING PROCESS
1 The Writing Situation
a Assessment
b Subject
c Purpose
d Audience
e Genre
2 Invention
a Keeping a journal
b Observing
c Freewriting
d Brainstorming
e Drawing
f Asking questions
3 Thesis and Organization
a Thesis statement
b Organization
4 Drafting
a Starting to draft
b Maintaining momentum
c Sample first draft
5 Revising
a Reading your work critically
b Revising collaboratively
c Writing a title
d Sample revision
6 Editing, Formatting, and Proofreading
a Editing the revised draft
b Formatting and proofreading
c SAMPLE FINAL DRAFT
d Preparing a writing portfolio
7 Paragraphs
a Relating paragraphs in the essay
b Unity
c Coherence
d Development
e Introductions and conclusions
8 Presenting Writing
a Academic writing
b Visuals and other media
c Web writing
SAMPLE HOME PAGE
SAMPLE BLOG POST
Part 2. WRITING IN AND OUT OF COLLEGE
9 Academic Writing
a Purpose and audience
b Genre
c Structure and content
d Using sources with integrity
e Academic language
f Communicating in an academic setting
10 Critical Reading and Writing
a Techniques of critical reading
b Summarizing
c Critical response
d Viewing visuals critically
11 Argument
a Elements of argument
b Reasonableness
c Organization
d Visual arguments
e SAMPLE ARGUMENT
12 Essay Exams
a Preparing
b Planning
c Starting
d Developing
e Rereading
13 Oral Presentations
a Organization
b Delivery
14 Public Writing
a Social media
b Business letters
SAMPLE LETTER AND RÉSUMÉS
c Job applications
SAMPLE MEMO AND REPORT
d Memos, reports, and proposals
SAMPLE FLYER AND NEWSLETTERS
e Community work
Part 3. CLARITY AND STYLE
15 Emphasis
a Effective subjects and verbs
b Sentence beginnings and endings
c Coordination
d Subordination
16 Parallelism
a With and, but, or, nor, yet
b With both…and, not…but, etc.
c In comparisons
d With lists, headings, and outlines
17 Variety and Details
a Sentence length
b Sentence structure
c Details
18 Appropriate and Exact Language
a Appropriate language
b Exact language
19 Completeness
a Compounds
b Needed words
20 Conciseness
a Focusing on subject and verb
b Cutting empty words
c Cutting repetition
d Reducing modifiers
e Revising there is or it is
f Combining sentences
g Rewriting jargon
Part 4. SENTENCE PARTS AND PATTERNS
Basic Grammar
21 Parts of Speech
a Nouns
b Pronouns
c Verbs
d Adjective and adverbs
e Connecting words: prepositions and conjunctions
f Interjections
22 The Sentence
a Subject and predicate
b Predicate patterns
23 Phrases and Subordinate Clauses
a Phrases
b Subordinate clauses
24 Sentence Types
a Simple sentences
b Compound sentences
c Complex sentences
d Compound-complex sentences
Verbs
25 Forms
a Sing/sang/sung and other irregular verbs
d Sit/set, lie/lay, rise/raise
c -s and -ed forms
d Be, have, and other helping verbs
e Verbs + gerund or infinitive: stop eating vs. stop to eat
f Verb + participle: look up, look over, etc.
26 Tenses
a Present tense: sing
b Perfect tense: have/had/will have sung
c Progressive tenses: is/was/will be singing
d Consistency
e Sequence
27 Mood
a Subjunctive: I wish I were
b Consistency
28 Voice
a She wrote it (active)
b It was written (passive)
c Consistency
29 Subject-Verb Agreement
a -s and -es endings
b Intervening words
c Subjects with and
d Subjects with or or nor
e Everyone and other indefinite pronouns
f Team and other collective nouns
g Who, which, that as subjects
h News and other singular nouns ending in -s
i Verb preceding subjects
j Is, are, and other linking verbs
k Titles and words being defined
Pronouns
30 Case
a She and I vs. her and me
b It was she
c Who vs. whom
e Other constructions
31 Pronoun-Antecedent
a Antecedents with and
b Antecedent with or or nor
c Everyone, person, and other indefinite words
d Team and other collective nouns
32 Pronoun Reference
a Clear reference
b Close reference
c Specific reference
d Appropriate you
e Consistency
Modifiers
33 Adjectives and Adverbs
a Adjectives vs. adverb
b Adjective with linking verb: felt bad
c Comparatives (bigger) and superlatives (biggest)
d Double negatives
e Present and past participles: boring vs. bored
f A, an, the, and other determiners
34 Modifier and Dangling Modifiers
a Misplaced modifiers
b Dangling modifiers
Sentence Faults
35 Fragments
a Tests
b Revision
c Acceptable fragments
36 Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
a Main clauses without and, but, etc.
b Main clauses with however, for example, etc.
37 Mixed Sentences
a Reason is because and other mixed meanings
b Tangled grammar
c Repeated subjects and other parts
Part 5. PUNCTUATION
38 End Punctuation
a Period
b Question mark
c Exclamation point
39 The Comma
a Main clauses with and, but, etc.
b Introductory elements
c Nonessential elements
d Items in a series
e Two or more adjectives
f Dates, addresses, place names, long numbers
g She said, etc., with quotations
h Misuses
1 Between subject-verb, verb-object, preposition-object
2 In compound subject, predicate, etc.
3 After conjunction
4 Around essential elements
5 Around series
6 Before indirect quotation
40 The Semicolon
a Main clauses without and, but, etc.
b Main clauses with however, for example, etc.
c Main clauses or series items with commas
d Misuses
41 The Colon
a Concluding explanation, series, etc.
b Salutation of business letter, title and subtitle, divisions of time
c Misuses
42 The Apostrophe
a Possession
b Misuses
1 Plural nouns: Joneses, not Jones’
2 Singular verbs: makes, not make’s
3 Possessive personal pronouns: its, not it’s
4 Contractions
5 Plural abbreviations, etc.
43 Quotation Marks
a Direct quotations
b Quotation within quotation
c Dialog
d Titles of works
e Words used in a special sense
f Misuses
g With other punctuation
44 Other Marks
a Dash or dashes
b Parentheses
c Ellipsis mark
d Brackets
e Slash
Part 6. SPELLING AND MECHANICS
45 Spelling and the Hyphen
a Typical spelling problems
b Spelling rules
c The hyphen
46 Capital Letters
a First word of sentence
b Proper nouns and adjectives
c Titles and subtitles of words
d Online communication
47 Italics or Underlining
a Titles of works
b Ships, aircraft, spacecraft, trains
c Foreign words
d Words or characters names as words
e Emphasis
f Online communication
48 Abbreviations
a Titles before and after proper names
b Familiar abbreviations and acronyms
c BC, BCE, AD, CE, AM, PM, no., $
d Latin abbreviations
e Inc., Bros., Co., &
f Units of measurement, names, etc.
49 Numbers
a Numerals vs. words
b Dates, addresses, etc.
c Beginning sentences
Part 7. RESEARCH WRITING
50 Research Strategy
a Planning
b Research journal
c Researchable subject and question
d Goals for sources
e Working, annotated bibliography
SAMPLE ENTRY FOR AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
51 Finding Sources
a Your library’s Web site
b Searching electronically
c Reference works
d Books
e Periodicals
f The Web
g Social media
h Government publications
i Visals, audio, and video
j Your own sources
52 Working with Sources
a Evaluating sources
b Synthesizing sources
c Gathering information
d Using summary, paraphrase, and quotation
e Integrating sources
53 Avoiding Plagiarism
a Deliberate and accidental plagiarism
b What not to acknowledge
c What must be acknowledged
d Obtaining permission
54 Documenting Sources
a Discipline styles for documentation
b Bibliography software
55 Writing the Paper
a Focusing and organizing
b Drafting, revising, editing, and formatting
56 Reading and Writing about Literature
a Methods and evidence
b Writing assignments
c Tools and language
d Documentation and format
e SAMPLE LITERARY ANALYSIS
57 Writing in Other Disciplines
a Humanities
b Social sciences
c Natural and applied sciences
58 MLA Documentation and Format
Indexes to models
a Parenthetical text citations
b List of works cited
c Format of paper
d SAMPLE MLA PAPER
59 APA Documentation and Format
Indexes to models
a Parenthetical text citations
b List of references
c Format of paper
d SAMPLE APA PAPER
60 Chicago Documentation
Index to models
a Notes and bibliography entries
b Models
61 CSE Documentation
Index to models
a Name-year text citations
b Numbered text citations
c List of references
GLOSSARY OF USAGE
INDEX
CULTURE-LANGUAGE GUIDE
The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.