The Penguin Handbook (MLA Update) Book

I. COMPOSING IN THE DIGITAL ERA.

Inroduction: Writing for Different Purposes in Different Media.

1. The Rhetorical Situation.
The Rhetorical Triangle.
A Writer's Audience.
A Writer's Ethos.
A Writer's Purpose.

2. Words and Images.
Verbal vs. Visual Media.
Where Visuals Work Best.
Where Words Work Best.

3. Planning and Drafting.
Establish Your Goals.
Explore Your Topic.
Write a Working Thesis.
Plan a Strategy.
Compose a Draft.
Write as a Member of a Team.
Stay Organized.

4. Composing Paragraphs.
Focus Your Paragraphs.
Organize Your Paragraphs.
Make Your Paragraphs Coherent.
Consider Paragraph Length.
Link Across Paragraphs.
Write Effective Beginning and Ending Paragraphs.

5. Rewriting, Editing, and Proofreading.
Switch from Writer to Reader.
Learn Strategies for Rewriting.
Respond to Other Writers' Drafts.
Edit for Particular Goals.
Proofread Carefully.
Learn to Edit the Writing of Others.

II. WRITING IN COLLEGE AND BEYOND.

6. Critical Reading and Viewing.
Two Kinds of Reading and Viewing.
Critical Reading.
Verbal Fallacies.
Critical Viewing.
Visual Fallacies.

7. Writing to Reflect.
Find An Reflective Topic.
Identify a Focus.
Develop Your Response.
Sample Reflective Essay.
A Reflective Magazine Article.
A Reflective Web Site.

8. Writing to Inform.
Find an Informative Topic.
Narrow Your Topicand Write a Thesis.
Develop and Organize Your Ideas.
An Informative Brochure.
Business Letters, Emails, and Memos.
Reports.

9. Writing to Persuade.
Find an Arguable Topic.
Make an Arguable Claim.
Developand Organize Good Reasons.
Sample Proposal Argument.
A Persuasive Letter of Application and Résumé.

III. VISUAL RHETORIC.

10. Design Basics.
Create a Visual Relationship.
Make Similar Elements Look Similar.
Make Different Elements Look Different.
Understanding the Rhetoric of Type.

11. Creating Graphics, Tables, and Charts.
Types of Illustrations.
Illustrations.
Imaging Editors.
Formats and Printers.
Tables.
Charts and Graphs.

12. Verbal and Visual Presentations.
Planning a Presentation.
Delivering a Presentation.
Design Effective Visuals.

IV. WRITING FOR THE WEB.

13. Web Basics.
The Architecture of a Web Site.
Visual Design on the Web.
Establish Goals for a Web Site.

14. Steps in Creating a Web Site.
Get Started.
How HTML Tags Work.
Adding Links and Images.
Organize Your Web Site.

15. Building a Multi-Page Site.
Principles of Navigational Design.
Tools for Navigation.
Navigation on Complex Sites.
Make Your Site Accessible.
Test and Improve Your Site.

V. RESEARCHING.

16. Planning Your Research.
Analyze the Research Task.
Set a Schedule.
Find a Topic That Interests You.
Ask a Question and Draft a Working Thesis.
Decide What Kind of Research You Need to Do.
Plan Field Research.

17. Finding Sources.
Research in Libraries and on the Web.
Find Books.
Find Articles in Journals.
Find Newspaper Articles.
Find Information on the Web.
Start a Working Bibliography.

18. Evaluating Sources.
Determine the Relevance of Sources.
Determine the Reliability of Print Sources.
Determine the Reliability of Internet Sources.

19. Avoiding Plagiarism When Using Sources.
The Purpose of Documenting Sources.
Intellectual Property and Scholastic Honesty.
Avoid Plagiarism.
Quote Sources without Plagiarizing.
Summarize and Paraphrase Sources Without Plagiarizing.

20. Writing the Research Project.
Review Your Goals and Thesis.
Plan Your Organization.
Incorporate Quotations, Summaries, and Paraphrases Effectively.
Write Your Draft.
Review Your Draft.
Edit and Check Formatting.

VI. DOCUMENTING.

21. MLA Documentation.
In-Text Citations.
Books In Works Cited.
Other Book and Nonperiodical Sources.
Periodicals In Works Cited.
Online Publications in Works Cited.
CD-ROM, Software, and Unedited Online Sources.
Visual Sources in Works Cited.
Multimedia Sources in Works Cited.
Sample Research Paper with MLA Documentation.

22. Writing About Literature.
Become a Critical Reader of Literature.
Develop an Original Argument.
Support Your Argument.
Sample Literary Analysis.

23. APA Documentation.
In-Text Citations.
Books in the References List.
Other Book and Nonperiodical Sources.
Periodicals in the References List.
Online Sources in the References List.
Other Visual, Computer and Multimedia Sources.
Sample Paper with APA Documentation.

24. CMS Documentation.
CMS Notes and Bibliography.
Books.
Other Book and Nonperiodical Sources.
Periodicals.
Online and Computer Sources.
Multimedia Sources.
Sample Pages with CMS Documentation.

25. CSE Documentation.
Name-Year and Citation-Sequence Systems.
In-Text Citations.
Books.
Periodicals.
Online Sources.
Multimedia Sources.
Sample Pages with CSE Documentation.

VII. EFFECTIVE STYLE AND LANGUAGE.

26. Write with Power.
Recognize Active and Passive Voice.
Use Action Verbs.
Name Your Agents.
Vary Your Sentences.
Project Personality.

27. Write Concisely.
Eliminate Unnecessary Words.
Reduce Wordy Phrases.
Simplify Tangled Sentences.

28. Write with Emphasis.
Manage Emphasis Within Sentences.
Forge Links Across Sentences.
Use Parallel Structure with Parallel Ideas.
Use Parallel Structure with Lists.
Use Parallel Structure in Paragraphs

29. Find the Right Words.
Recognize Varieties of English.
Be Aware of Levels of Formality.
Be Aware of Denotation and Connotation.
Use Specific Language.
Use Effective Figurative Language.

30. Write to Be Inclusive.
Be Aware of Stereotypes.
Be Inclusive About Gender.
Be Inclusive About Race and Ethnicity.
Be Inclusive About Other Differences.

31. Write with Accurate Spelling.
Know the Limitations of Spelling Checkers.
Distinguish Homonyms.
Learn Spelling Rules.

VIII. UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR.

32. Grammar Basics.
Sentence Basics.
Word Classes.
Clauses.
Phrases.
Sentence Types.

33. Fragments, Run-On Sentences, and Comma Splices.
Fragments.
Run-On Sentences.
Comma Splices.

34. Subject-Verb Agreement.
Agreement in the Present Tense.
Problems with Subject-Verb Agreement.
Singular and Plural Subjects.
Indefinite Pronouns as Subjects.
Collective Nouns as Subjects.
Inverted Word Order.
Amounts, Numbers, and Pairs.

35. Verbs.
Basic Verb Forms.
Irregular Verbs.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs.
Shifts in Tense.
Shifts in Mood.

36. Pronouns.
Pronoun Case.
Pronoun Agreement.
Problems with Pronouns and Gender.
Vague Reference.

37. Modifiers.
Choose the correct Modifiers.
Place Adjectives Carefully.
Place Adverbs Carefully.
Revise Disruptive Modifers.
Revise Dangling Modifers.

IX. UNDERSTANDING PUNCTUATION AND MECHANICS.

38. Commas.
Commas with Conjunctive Adverbs and Introductory Phrases.
Commas with Compound Clauses.
Commas with Nonrestrictive Modifiers.
Commas with Items in a Series.
Commas with Coordinate Adjectives.
Commas with Quotations.
Commas with Dates, Numbers, Titles, and Addresses.
Commas to Avoid Confusion.
Unnecessary Commas.

39. Semicolons and Colons.
Semicolons with Closely Related Independent Clauses.
Semicolons Together with Commas.
Colons in Sentences.
Colons with Lists.

40. Hyphens.
Hyphens with Compound Modifiers.
Hyphens with Compound Nouns.
Hyphens That Divide Words at the End of Lines.
Hyphens and Ambiguity.
Hyphens for Clarity.

41. Dashes and Parentheses.
Dashes and Parentheses vs. Commas.
Dashes and Parentheses to Set Off Information.
Other Punctuation with Parentheses.
Other Punctuation with Dashes.

42. Apostrophes.
Possessives.
Contractions and Omitted Letters.
Plurals of Letters, Symbols, and Words Referred to as Words.

43. Quotation Marks.
Direct Quotations.
Titles of Short Works.
Other Uses of Quotations.
Misuses of Quotations.
Other Punctuation with Quotation Marks.

44. Other Punctuation Marks.
Periods.
Question Marks.
Exclamation Points.
Brackets.
Ellipses.
Slashes.

45. Capitalization, and Italics.
Capital Letters.
Italics.

46. Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Numbers.
Abbreviations.
Acronyms.
Numbers.

X. IF ENGLISH IS NOT YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE.

47. Nouns and Articles.
Kinds of Nouns.
Count and Noncount Nouns.
Singular and Plural Forms.
Articles.

48. Verbs.
Be Verbs.
Modal Auxiliary Verbs.
Verbs and Infinitives.
Verbs and -Ing Verbals.
Phrasal Verbs.
Conditional Sentences.
Participial Adjectives.

49. English Sentence Structure.
Subjects.
English Word Order.
Placement of Modifiers.
Direct and Indirect Questions.

50. Idiomatic Structures.
Prepositions.
Adjectives with Prepositions.
Phrasal Verbs.

Writing Essay Examinations.

Glossary of Usage.

Glossary of Web Terms.

HTML Tags.

Index.