The Concise Canadian Writer's Handbook

The Concise Canadian Writer's Handbook is a streamlined version of the well-established Canadian Writer's Handbook. This handbook features the accessible, well-organized structure of the full volume, including descriptions and examples of the entire writing process: from basic grammar to constructing sentences and paragraphs, pre-writing, composing, proofreading, and editing. The text is suitable for students of all levels of study and includes EAL icons that point to material of particular benefit to students learning English as an additional language.

This new edition features an updated and expanded documentation section that includes more citations for online sources, as well as colour coding to help students recognize the common elements among in-text and reference citations.

William E. Messenger, Professor emeritus, University of British Columbia,Jan de Bruyn, Professor emeritus, University of British Columbia,Judy Brown, Senior instructor and associate head, English, University of British Columbia,Ramona Montagnes, Head, Writing Centre, University of British Columbia

List of Online Student Exercises
Common Mechanical and Spelling Errors
Important Topics for EAL Students
Preface
Acknowledgements
Part I Principles of Composition
1. Kinds of Paragraphs
1a Functions of Paragraphs
1b Kinds of Paragraphs: Methods of Development
Unity, Coherence, and Emphasis in Paragraphs
2. Paragraph Unity
3. Paragraph Coherence
4. Coherence Through Organization: Beginning, Middle, and Ending
4a The Beginning: Topic Sentences
4b The Middle
4c The Ending
5. Structural Coherence
5a Parallelism
5b Repetition
5c Pronouns and Demonstrative Adjectives
5d Transitional Terms
6. Emphasis in Paragraphs
7. Length of Paragraphs
7a Too Many Long Paragraphs
7b Too Many Short Paragraphs
7c Variety
Review: A Sample Paragraph with an Analysis
The Whole Essay
8. Unity, Coherence, and Emphasis
8a Unity
8b Coherence
8c Emphasis
9. The Process of Planning, Writing, and Revising
9a Finding a Subject and Pre-writing
9b Limiting the Subject
9c Considering Audience and Purpose
9d Gathering Evidence
9e Classifying and Organizing the Evidence
9f The Thesis Statement and the Outline
9g The Importance of Outlining
9h Kinds of Outlines
9i Sentence Outlines
9j Constructing Sentence Outlines
9k Writing the First Draft
9-l Notes on Beginnings
9m Revising
9n Preparing the Final Draft
9-o Editing and Proofreading
10. Argument: Writing to Convince or Persuade
10a Subject
10b Audience
10c Evidence
10d Organization
10e Being Reasonable
10f Including the Opposition
10g Using Induction and Deduction
10h Detecting and Avoiding Fallacies
11. Writing In-Class Essays and Essay Examinations
Part II Understanding Sentences
12. Sentence Patterns and Conventions
12a Subject and Predicate, Noun and Verb
12b Articles and Other Modifiers
12c Sentence Pattern 1: subject + verb
12d Sentence Pattern 2A: subject + verb + direct object
12e Sentence Pattern 2B (passive voice): subject + passive voice verb
12f Sentence Pattern 3: subject + verb + indirect object + direct object
12g Sentence Pattern 4A: subject + linking verb + subjective complement (predicate adjective)
12h Sentence Pattern 4B: subject + linking verb + subjective complement (predicate noun)
12i Sentence Pattern 5A: subject + verb + direct object + objective complement (adjective)
12j Sentence Pattern 5B: subject + verb + direct object + objective complement (noun)
12k Sentence Pattern 6 (expletive): there or it + linking verb (+ complement) + subject
12-l Other Elements: Structure Words
12m Independent (Main) Clauses
12n Subordinate (Dependent) Clauses
12-o Functions of Subordinate Clauses
12p Phrases
12q Appositives
12r Absolute Phrases
12s Order of Elements in Declarative Sentences
12t Order of Elements in Interrogative Sentences
12u The Structure of Imperative Sentences
12v What Is a Sentence?
12w Minor Sentences
12x Fragments
12y Major Sentences
12z Kinds of Major Sentences
Part III Parts of Speech
13. Nouns
13a Inflection of Nouns
13b Grammatical Function of Nouns
14. Pronouns
14a Personal Pronouns
14b Impersonal Pronouns
14c Interrogative Pronouns
14d Relative Pronouns
14e Case
14f Demonstrative Pronouns
14g Indefinite Pronouns
14h Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
14i Reciprocal Pronouns
15. Agreement of Pronouns with Their Antecedents
15a Antecedents Joined by and
15b Antecedents Joined by or or nor
15c Indefinite Pronoun as Antecedent
15d Pronouns and Inclusive Language: Avoiding Gender Bias
15e Collective Noun as Antecedent
15f Agreement with Demonstrative Adjectives
16. Reference of Pronouns
16a Remote Antecedent
16b Ambiguous Reference
16c Vague Reference
16d Missing Antecedent
16e Indefinite you, they, and it
17. Verbs
17a Kinds of Verbs: Transitive, Intransitive, and Linking
17b Inflection of Verbs: Principal Parts
17c Irregular Verbs
17d Inflection for Person and Number
17e Auxiliary Verbs
17f Inflection of do, be, and have
17g Time and the Verb: Inflection for Tense
17h Sequence of Tenses
17i Verb Phrases in Compound Predicates
17j Tenses in Writing About Literature
17k Mood
17-l Voice: Active and Passive
18. Agreement Between Subject and Verb
18a Words Intervening Between Subject and Verb
18b Compound Subject: Singular Nouns Joined by and
18c Compound Subject: Parts Joined by or or a Correlative
18d Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns
18e Subject Following Verb
18f Agreement with Collective Nouns
18g Nouns That Are Always Singular or Always Plural
18h Plurals: criteria, data, media, etc.
18i Agreement with Relative Pronouns
18j Titles of Works: Words Referred to as Words
19. Adjectives
19a Kinds of Adjectives
19b Comparison of Descriptive Adjectives
19c Articles: a, an, and the
19d Placement of Adjectives
19e Order of Adjectives
19f Adjectives Functioning as Nouns
20. Adverbs
20a Kinds and Functions of Adverbs
20b Forms of Adverbs
20c Comparison of Adverbs
20d Placement of Adverbs
21. Verbals: Infinitives, Participles, and Gerunds
21a Infinitives
21b Tense and Voice of Infinitives
21c Split Infinitives
21d Participles
21e Tense and Voice of Participles
21f Gerunds
21g Tense and Voice of Gerunds
21h Possessives with Gerunds
21i Verbals in Absolute Phrases
22. Prepositions
22a Functions of Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
22b Placement of Prepositions
22c Common Prepositions
22d Two-Part Verbs; Verb Idioms
23. Conjunctions
23a Coordinating Conjunctions
23b Correlative Conjunctions
23c Subordinating Conjunctions
24. Interjections
Part IV Writing Effective Sentences
Basic Sentence Elements and Their Modifiers
25. Basic Sentence Elements: Subject, Verb, Object, Complement
25a Subject
25b Finite Verb
25c Direct Object
25d Subjective Complement
26. Modifiers
26a Adjectival Modifiers
26b Adverbial Modifiers
26c Overlapping Modifiers
26d Using Modifiers: A Sample Scenario
Sentence Length, Variety, and Emphasis
27. Sentence Length
27a Short Sentences
27b Long Sentences
28. Sentence Variety
28a Variety of Lengths
28b Variety of Kinds
28c Variety of Structures
29. Emphasis in Sentences
29a Endings and Beginnings
29b Loose Sentences and Periodic Sentences
29c The Importance of the Final Position
29d Changing Word Order
29e Movable Modifiers
29f Using the Expletive and the Passive Voice for Emphasis
29g Emphasis by Repetition
29h Emphasis by Stylistic Contrast
29i Emphasis by Syntax
29j Emphasis by Punctuation
30. Analyzing Sentences
30a The Chart Method
30b The Vertical Method
Common Sentence Problems
31. Sentence Coherence
32. Fragments
33. Comma Splices
34. Run-on (Fused) Sentences
35. Misplaced Modifiers
35a Movability and Poor Placement
35b Only, almost, etc.
35c Squinting Modifiers
36. Dangling Modifiers
36a Dangling Participial Phrases
36b Dangling Gerund Phrases
36c Dangling Infinitive Phrases
36d Dangling Elliptical Clauses
36e Dangling Prepositional Phrases and Appositives
37. Mixed Construction
38. Faulty Alignment
39. Shifts in Perspective: Inconsistent Point of View
39a Shifts in Tense
39b Shifts in Mood
39c Shifts in Voice
39d Shifts in Person of Pronoun
39e Shifts in Number of Pronoun
40. Faulty Parallelism
40a With Coordinate Elements
40b With Correlative Conjunctions
40c In a Series
41. Faulty Coordination: Logic, Emphasis, and Unity
42. Faulty Logic
Part V Punctuation
43. Internal Punctuation: The Comma
43a The Comma with Independent Clauses Joined by a Coordinating Conjunction
43b The Comma with Short Independent Clauses Not Joined by a Coordinating Conjunction
43c The Comma Between Items in a Series
43d The Comma Between Parallel Adjectives
43e The Comma with Introductory or Concluding Words, Phrases, and Clauses
43f The Comma with Nonrestrictive Elements
43g The Comma with Sentence Interrupters
44. Internal Punctuation: The Semicolon
44a The Semicolon Between Independent Clauses
44b The Semicolon Between Items in a Series
45. Internal Punctuation: The Colon In
46. Internal Punctuation: The Dash
47. Parentheses
48. Brackets
49. End Punctuation: The Period
50. End Punctuation: The Question Mark
51. End Punctuation: The Exclamation Point
52. Quotation Marks
52a Direct Speech
52b Direct Quotation from a Source
52c Quotation Within Quotation
52d Words Used in a Special Sense
52e Other Marks with Quotation Marks
53. Ellipses for Omissions
54. Avoiding Common Errors in Punctuation
54a Run-on (Fused) Sentences
54b Comma Splice
54c Unwanted Comma Between Subject and Verb
54d Unwanted Comma Between Verb and Object or Complement
54e Unwanted Comma After Last Adjective of a Series
54f Unwanted Comma Between Coordinated Words and Phrases
54g Commas with Emphatic Repetition
54h Unwanted Comma with Short Introductory or Parenthetical Element
54i Unwanted Comma with Restrictive Appositive
54j Unwanted Comma with Indirect Quotation
54k Unwanted Question Mark After Indirect Question
54-l Unwanted Semicolon with Subordinate Element
54m Unwanted Colon After Incomplete Construction
54n Unwanted Double Punctuation: Comma or Semicolon with a Dash
Part VI Mechanics and Spelling
55. Formatting an Essay
56. Abbreviations
56a Titles Before Proper Names
56b Titles and Degrees After Proper Names
56c Standard Words Used with Dates and Numerals
56d Agencies and Organizations Known by Their Initials
56e Scientific and Technical Terms Known by Their Initials
56f Latin Expressions Commonly Used in English
56g Terms in Official Titles
57. Capitalization
57a Names and Nicknames
57b Professional and Honorific Titles
57c Words Designating Family Relationships
57d Place Names
57e Months, Days, Holidays
57f Religious Names
57g Names of Nationalities and Organizations
57h Names of Institutions, Sections of Government, Historical Events, and Buildings
57i Academic Courses and Languages
57j Derivatives of Proper Nouns
57k Abbreviations of Proper Nouns
57-l I and O
57m Titles of Written and Other Works
57n First Words
57-o With Personification and for Emphasis
58. Titles
58a Italics for Whole or Major Works
58b Quotation Marks for Short Works and Parts of Longer Works
58c Titles Within Titles
59. Italics
59a Names of Ships, Trains, and Planes
59b Non-English Words and Phrases
59c Words Referred to as Words
59d For Emphasis
60. Numerals
60a Time of Day
60b Dates
60c Addresses
60d Technical and Mathematical Numbers
60e Parts of a Written Work
60f Statistics and Numbers of More Than Two Words
60g Commas with Numerals
61. Spelling Rules and Common Causes of Error
61a ie or ei
61b Prefixes
61c Suffixes
61d Final e Before a Suffix
61e Final y after a Consonant and Before a Suffix
61f Doubling of a Final Consonant Before a Suffix
61g Changes in Spelling of Roots
61h Confusion with Other Words
61i Homophones and Other Words Sometimes Confused
61j One Word or Two?
61k Hyphenation
61-l Plurals
61m Apostrophes to Indicate Omissions
61n Possessives
62. Spelling List
Part VII Diction
Introduction: Style and the Larger Elements of Composition
63. About Dictionaries
63a Kinds of Dictionaries
63b Features of Dictionaries
63c Three Sample Dictionary Entries
64. Level
64a Slang
64b Informal, Colloquial
64c "Fine Writing"
65. Figurative Language
65a Inappropriate Metaphors
65b Overextended Metaphors
65c Dead Metaphors
65d Mixed Metaphors
66. Concrete and Abstract Diction; Weak Generalizations
66a Concreteness and Specificity
66b Weak Generalizations
67. Connotation and Denotation
68. Euphemism
69. Wrong Word
70. Idiom
71. Wordiness, Jargon, and Associated Problems
71a Wordiness
71b Repetition
71c Redundancy
71d Ready-Made Phrases
71e Triteness, Cliches
71f Overuse of Nouns
71g Nouns Used as Adjectives
71h Jargon
72. Usage: A Checklist of Troublesome Words and Phrases
Part VIII Research, Writing, and Documentation
Introduction
73. Finding Resources
73a Libraries
73b The Internet
74. The Research Plan
74a Academic Proposals
74b A Preliminary Bibliography
74c A Working Bibliography
75. Taking Notes
75a The Note Itself
75b The Source
75c The Slug
75d Recording Your Own Ideas
76. Writing the Essay
76a Keeping Track of Notes in Your Drafts
77. Acknowledging Sources
77a "Common Knowledge"
78. Quotation, Paraphrase, Summary, and Plagiarism
78a Legitimate Paraphrase
78b Illegitimate Paraphrase
78c Paraphrase and Quotation Mixed
78d Summary
78e Maintaining Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism
78f Integrating and Contextualizing Quotations
79. Documentation
79a The Name-Page Method (MLA Style)
79b The Name-Date Method (APA Style)
79c The Note Method (Chicago Style)
79d The Number Method
Appendix: Checklists for Use in Revising, Editing, and Proofreading
Omnibus Checklist for Planning and Revising
Specialized Checklist for Writers with English as an Additional Language
Index