Rules for Writers

Beginning college writers come from a wide range of backgrounds and communities. And for many, academic reading and writing skills are ones they must learn and practice. Enter Rules for Writers. It’s an easy-to-use, comprehensive composition tool with the quality you expect from authors you trust. It empowers students by teaching them how to meet new expectations and by giving them the practice that builds confidence.

With trusted advice for writing well, reading critically, and working with sources, Rules for Writers  now has even more help for underprepared and inexperienced writers—sentence guides that foster an academic voice, tips for spotting fake news and misleading sources, more on paraphrasing, and fifteen new “how-to” pages that offer practical help for writing challenges. It’s an affordable solution with significant value, especially when paired with LaunchPad Solo for Hacker Handbooks, an innovative practice solution available at no additional cost when package with a new text.

* = new to this edition or substantially revised

*Scavenger Hunt: Learning to Use Rules for Writers
The Writing Process?
?1 Exploring, planning, and drafting?
a Assess the writing situation.?
b Explore your subject.?
c Draft and revise a working thesis statement.
*How to solve five common problems with thesis statements,
d Draft a plan.?
e Draft an introduction.?
f Draft the body.?
g Draft a conclusion.?
?2 Revising, editing, and reflecting?
a See revising as a social process.?
b Use peer review: Revise with comments.?
c Use peer review: Give constructive comments.?
*How to write helpful peer review comments
d Highlights of one student’s peer review process?
SAMPLE ROUGH DRAFT WITH PEER COMMENTS?
e Approach global revision in cycles.?
f Revise and edit sentences.?
   *How to improve your writing with an editing log
g Proofread the final manuscript.?
h Format the final manuscript.     
i Sample student revision?
SAMPLE STUDENT REVISION?
j Prepare a portfolio; reflect on your writing.?
?3 Building effective paragraphs?
a Focus on a main point.?
b Develop the main point.?
c Choose a suitable pattern of organization.?
d Make paragraphs coherent.?
e If necessary, adjust paragraph length.?
Academic Reading and Writing ?
?4 Reading and writing critically?
a Read actively.?
Sample annotated article?
  *How to read like a writer
b Outline a text to identify main ideas.?
c Summarize to deepen your understanding.?
d Analyze to demonstrate your critical reading.?
  *How to draft an analytical thesis statement, 
e Sample student writing: Analysis of an article?
Sample analysis paper?
Writing guide: HOW TO WRITE AN Analytical essay?
?5 Reading and writing about multimodal texts?
a Read actively.?
Sample annotated advertisement?
b Summarize to deepen your understanding.?
 *How to write a summary of a multimodal text,
c Analyze to demonstrate your critical reading.?
d Sample student writing: Analysis of an advertisement?
Sample analysis of an advertisement?
?6 Reading arguments?
a Distinguish between reasonable and fallacious argumentative tactics.?
b Distinguish between legitimate and unfair emotional appeals.?
c Judge how fairly a writer handles opposing views.?
?7 Writing arguments?
a When writing arguments, identify your purpose and context.?
b View your audience as a panel of jurors.?
c In your introduction, establish credibility and state your position.?
 *How to draft a thesis statement for an argument
d Back up your thesis with persuasive lines of argument.?
e Support your claims with specific evidence.?
f Anticipate objections; counter opposing arguments.?
g Build common ground.?
h Sample student writing: Argument
Sample argument paper?
WRITING GUIDE: HOW TO WRITE AN ARGUMENT ESSAY
Clarity?
?8 Prefer active verbs.?
a Active versus passive verbs?
b Active versus be verbs?
c Subject that names the actor?
?9 Balance parallel ideas.?
a Parallel ideas in a series?
b Parallel ideas presented as pairs?
c Repetition of function words?
10 Add needed words.?
a In compound structures
b that?
c In comparisons?
d a, an, and the?
11 Untangle mixed constructions.?
a Mixed grammar?
b Illogical connections?
c is when, is where, and reason . . . is because?
12 Repair misplaced and dangling modifiers.?
a Limiting modifiers?
b Misplaced phrases and clauses?
c Awkwardly placed modifiers?
d Split infinitives?
e Dangling modifiers?
13 Eliminate distracting shifts.?
a Point of view (person, number)?
b Verb tense?
c Verb mood, voice?
d Indirect to direct questions or quotations?
14 Emphasize key ideas.?
a Coordination and subordination?
b Choppy sentences?
c Ineffective or excessive coordination?
d Ineffective subordination?
e Excessive subordination?
f Other techniques?
15 Provide some variety.?
a Sentence openings?
b Sentence structures?
c Inverted order?
16 Tighten wordy sentences.?
a Redundancies?
b Unnecessary repetition?
c Empty or inflated phrases?
d Simplifying the structure?
e Reducing clauses to phrases, phrases to single words?
17 Choose appropriate language.?
a Jargon?
b Pretentious language, euphemisms, “doublespeak”?
c Slang, regional expressions, nonstandard English?
d Levels of formality?
e Sexist language?
f Offensive language?
18 Find the exact words.?
a Connotations?
b Specific, concrete nouns?
c Misused words?
d Standard idioms?
e Clichés?
f Figures of speech?
Grammar?
19 Repair sentence fragments.?
a Subordinate clauses?
b Phrases?
c Other fragmented word groups?
d Acceptable fragments?
20 Revise run-on sentences.?
a Revision with coordinating conjunction?
b Revision with semicolon, colon, or dash?
c Revision by separating sentences?
d Revision by restructuring?
21 Make subjects and verbs agree.?
a Standard subject-verb combinations?
b Words between subject and verb?
c Subjects joined with and?
d Subjects joined with or, nor, either . . . or, or neither . . . nor?
e Indefinite pronouns?
f Collective nouns?
g Subject following verb?
h Subject, not subject complement?
i who, which, and that?
j Words with plural form, singular meaning?
k Titles of works, company names, words mentioned as words, gerund phrases?
22 Make pronouns and antecedents agree.?
*a  Singular with singular, plural with plural (indefinite pronouns, generic nouns)?
b Collective nouns?
c Antecedents joined with and?
d Antecedents joined with or, nor, either . . . or, or neither . . . nor?
23 Make pronoun references clear.?
a Ambiguous or remote reference?
b Broad reference of this, that, which, and it?
c Implied antecedents?
d Indefinite use of they, it, and you?
e who for persons, which or that for things?
24 Distinguish between pronouns such as I and me.?
a Subjective case for subjects and subject complements?
b Objective case for objects?
c Appositives?
d Pronoun following than or as?
e Subjects and objects of infinitives?
f Pronoun modifying a gerund?
25 Distinguish between who and whom.?
a In subordinate clauses?
b In questions?
c As subjects or objects of infinitives?
26 Choose adjectives and adverbs with care.?
a Adjectives to modify nouns?
b Adverbs to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs?
c good and well, bad and badly?
d Comparatives and superlatives?
e Double negatives?
27 Choose appropriate verb forms, tenses, and moods in Standard English.?
a Irregular verbs?
b lie and lay?
c -s (or -es) endings?
d -ed endings?
e Omitted verbs?
f Verb tense?
g Subjunctive mood?
Multilingual Writers and ESL Topics?
28 Verbs?
a Appropriate form and tense?
b Passive voice?
c Base form after a modal?
d Negative verb forms?
e Verbs in conditional sentences?
f Verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives?
29 Articles?
a Articles and other noun markers?
b When to use the?
c When to use a or an?
d When not to use a or an?
e No articles with general nouns?
f Articles with proper nouns?
30 Sentence structure?
a Linking verb between a subject and its complement?
b A subject in every sentence?
c Repeated nouns or pronouns with the same grammatical function?
d Repeated subjects, objects, and adverbs in adjective clauses?
e Mixed constructions with although or because?
f Placement of adverbs?
g Present participles and past participles as adjectives?
h Order of cumulative adjectives?
31 Prepositions and idiomatic expressions?
a Prepositions showing time and place?
b Noun (including -ing form) after a preposition?
c Common adjective + preposition combinations?
d Common verb + preposition combinations?
Punctuation?
32 The comma?
a Independent clauses joined with and, but, etc.?
b Introductory elements?
c Items in a series?
d Coordinate adjectives?
e Nonrestrictive and restrictive elements?
f Transitional expressions and other word groups?
g Direct address, yes and no, interrogative tags, interjections?
h he said etc.?
i Dates, addresses, titles, numbers?
33 Unnecessary commas?
a Between two words, phrases, or subordinate clauses?
b Between a verb and its subject or object?
c Before the first or after the last item in a series?
d Between cumulative adjectives, an adjective and a noun, or an adverb and an adjective?
e Before and after restrictive or parenthetical elements?
f Before essential concluding adverbial elements?
g After a phrase beginning an inverted sentence?
h Other misuses?
34 The semicolon?
a Between independent clauses not joined with a coordinating conjunction?
b Between independent clauses linked with a transitional expression?
c In a series containing internal punctuation?
d Misuses?
35 The colon?
a Before a list, an appositive, or a quotation?
b Conventional uses?
c Misuses?
36 The apostrophe?
a Possessive nouns?
b Possessive indefinite pronouns?
c Contractions?
d Not for plural numbers, letters, abbreviations, words as words?
e Misuses?
37 Quotation marks?
a Direct quotations?
b Quotation within a quotation?
c Titles of short works?
d Words as words?
e With other punctuation marks?
f Misuses?
38 End punctuation?
a The period?
b The question mark?
c The exclamation point?
39 Other punctuation marks?
a The dash?
b Parentheses?
c Brackets?
d The ellipsis mark?
e The slash?
Mechanics?
40 Abbreviations?
a Titles with proper names?
b Familiar abbreviations?
c Conventional abbreviations?
d Units of measurement?
e Latin abbreviations?
f Plural of abbreviations?
g Misuses?
41 Numbers?
a Spelling out?
b Using numerals?
42 Italics?
a Titles of works?
b Names of ships, spacecraft, and aircraft?
c Foreign words?
d Words as words, letters as letters, numbers as numbers?
43 Spelling?
a Spelling rules?
b Words that sound alike?
c Commonly misspelled words?
44 The hyphen?
a Compound words?
b Hyphenated adjectives?
c Fractions and compound numbers?
d With certain prefixes and suffixes?
e To avoid ambiguity or to separate awkward double or triple letters?
f Word division?
45 Capitalization?
a Proper vs. common nouns?
b Titles with proper names?
c Titles and subtitles of works?
d First word of a sentence?
e First word of a quoted sentence?
f First word after a colon?
Grammar Basics?
46 Parts of speech?
a Nouns?
b Pronouns?
c Verbs?
d Adjectives?
e Adverbs?
f Prepositions?
g Conjunctions?
h Interjections?
47 Sentence patterns?
a Subjects?
b Verbs, objects, and complements?
48 Subordinate word groups?
a Prepositional phrases?
b Verbal phrases?
c Appositive phrases?
d Absolute phrases?
e Subordinate clauses?
49 Sentence types?
a Sentence structures?
b Sentence purposes?

Research?
50 Thinking like a researcher; gathering sources?
a Manage the project.?
b Pose questions worth exploring.?
*How to enter a research conversation
c Map out a search strategy.?
d Search efficiently; master a few shortcuts to finding good sources.?
*How to go beyond a Google search
e Conduct field research, if appropriate.?
f Write a research proposal.?
51 Managing information; taking notes responsibly?
a Maintain a working bibliography.?
b Keep track of source materials.?
c Take notes carefully to avoid unintentional plagiarism.?
*How to take notes responsibly
*How to avoid plagiarizing from the web
52 Evaluating sources?
a Think about how sources might contribute to your writing.?
b Select sources worth your time and attention.?
c Read with an open mind and a critical eye.?
*How to detect fake news and misleading sources
d Construct an annotated bibliography.?
Writing guide: Annotated bibliography?
Writing Papers in MLA Style?
53 Supporting a thesis?
a Form a working thesis.?
b Organize your ideas.?
c Draft an introduction for your thesis.?
d Use sources to inform and support your argument.?
54 Citing sources; avoiding plagiarism?
a Understand how the MLA system works.?
b Understand what plagiarism is. 
c  Use quotation marks around borrowed language.  
d  Put summaries and paraphrases in your own words. 
*How to be a responsible research writer
55 Integrating sources?
a Summarize and paraphrase effectively.?
*How to paraphrase effectively
b Use quotations effectively.?
*c Use signal phrases to integrate sources.?
d Synthesize sources.?
56 Documenting sources in MLA style?
*a MLA in-text citations?
*b MLA list of works cited?
c MLA information notes?
57 MLA manuscript format; sample research paper?
a MLA manuscript format?
b Sample MLA research paper?
Writing Papers in APA Style?
58 Supporting a thesis?
a Form a working thesis.?
b Organize your ideas.?
c Use sources to inform and support your argument.?
59 Citing sources; avoiding plagiarism?
a Understand how the APA system works.?
b Understand what plagiarism is. 
c  Use quotation marks around borrowed language.  
d  Put summaries and paraphrases in your own words. 
60 Integrating sources?
a Summarize and paraphrase effectively.?
b Use quotations effectively.?
c Use signal phrases to integrate sources.?
d Synthesize sources.?
61 Documenting sources in APA style?
*a APA in-text citations?
*b APA list of works cited?
62 APA manuscript format; sample paper?
a APA manuscript format?
b Sample APA research paper?
Appendixes
*Models of professional writing
Glossary of usage
Answers to exercises

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.