The Little, Brown Workbook Book

Contents.

ESL Guide to the Exercises.

Preface.

Guide to Exercise Types.

Part I.

The Writing Process.

1. Assessing the Writing Situation.

a. Understanding how writing happens

b. Analyzing the writing situation

c. Discovering and limiting a subject

d. Considering the audience

e. Defining a purpose

Exercise 1-1 Discovering a Subject (1c)

Exercise 1-2 Analyzing Audience and Purpose (1d, e)

Exercise 1-3 Analyzing Tone and Purpose

2. Developing and Shaping Ideas.

a. Discovering ideas

b. Developing a thesis

c. Organizing ideas

Exercise 2-1 Developing a Subject Through Freewriting (2a-3)

Exercise 2-2 Generating Ideas (2a)

Exercise 2-3 Thesis Statement: Developing (2b)

Exercise 2-4 Thesis Statement: Revising (2b)

Exercise 2-5 The Formal Outline (2c-2)

Exercise 2-6 Outlining an Essay (2c-2)

Exercise 2-7 Writing an Outline for an Essay (2c-2)

3. Drafting and Revising.

a. Writing the first draft

b. Revising the first draft

c. Editing the revised draft

d. Preparing and proofreading the final draft

e. Giving and receiving comments

f. Preparing a writing portfolio

Exercise 3-1 Revising the First Draft (3b)

Exercise 3-2 Using the Correction Symbols (3d)

4. Writing and Revising Paragraphs.

a. Maintaining paragraph unity

b. Achieving paragraph coherence

c. Developing the paragraph

d. Writing special kinds of paragraphs

e. Linking paragraphs in the essay

Exercise 4-1 Identifying Irrelevant Details (4a)

Exercise 4-2 Identifying the Topic Sentence (4a)

Exercise 4-3 Organizing Paragraphs: Spatial Order (4b-1)

Exercise 4-4 Organizing Paragraphs: Chronological Order (4b-1)

Exercise 4-5 Organizing Paragraphs: Specific to General (4b-1)

Exercise 4-6 Organizing Paragraphs: Problem to Solution (4b-1)

Exercise 4-7 Organizing Paragraphs: Climactic Order (4b-1)

Exercise 4-8 Being Consistent (4b-5)

Exercise 4-9 Arranging and Linking Sentences (4b-6,7)

Exercise 4-10 Using Paragraph Patterns of Development

Exercise 4-11 Parallelism, Repetition, Pronouns, and Transitional Experssions: Identifying (4e)

Exercise 4-12 Opening and Closing an Essay (4d)

Exercise 4-13 Analyzing an Essay’s Coherence

5. Designing Documents.

a. Designing academic papers and other documents

b. Considering principles of design

c. Using the elements of design

d. Designing academic papers

Exercise 5-1 Designing Documents

Part II.

Reading and Writing in College.

6. Writing in Academic Situations.

a. Becoming an academic writer

b. Analyzing audience

c. Determining purpose

d. Choosing structure and content

e. Using academic language

Exercise 6-1 Examining Academic Writing

7. Studying Effectively and Taking Exams.

a. Managing your time

b. Listening and taking notes in class

c. Reading for comprehension

d. Preparing for and taking exams

Exercise 7-1Reading for Understanding (7c)

Exercise 7-2 Summarizing (7c)

8. Forming a Critical Perspective.

a. Thinking and reading critically

b. Viewing images critically

c. Writing critically

Exercise 8-1 Reading Critically — Analyzing, Interpreting, Synthesizing, Evaluating (8a,c)

Exercise 8-2 Viewing an Image Critically — Analyzing, Interpreting, Synthesizing, Evaluating (8b)

Exercise 8-3 Writing Critically — Analyzing, Interpreting, Synthesizing, Evaluating (8a,c)

9. Reading Arguments Critically.

a. Recognizing the elements of argument

b. Testing claims

c. Weighing Evidence

d. Discovering assumptions

e. Watching language, hearing tone

f. Judging reasonableness

g. Recognizing fallacies

Exercise 9-1 Testing Claims (9b)

Exercise 9-2 Examining Evidence (9c)

Exercise 9-3 Analyzing Assumptions (9d)

Exercise 9-4 Identifying Logical Fallacies

10. Writing an Argument.

a. Finding a subject

b. Conceiving a thesis statement

c. Analyzing your purpose and your audience

d. Using reason

e. Using evidence

f. Reaching your readers

g. Organizing your argument

h. Revising your argument

i. Examining a sample argument

Exercise 10-1 Analyzing an Argument

11. Using Computer Skills.

a. Managing files

b. Working with spelling checkers and grammar/style checkers

c. Using other word-processing tools

d. Using electronic mail

e. Going places on the Web

f. Working in a group

g. Participating in discussions

h. Working on drafts

Exercise 11-1 Using Your Word Processor (11a, b)

Exercise 11-2 Using Electronic Mail (11d)

Exercise 11-3 Using Online Collaboration (11f, g, h)

Part III.

Grammatical Sentences.

12. Understanding Sentence Grammar.

a. Understanding the basic sentence

b. Expanding the basic sentence with single words

c. Expanding the basic sentence with word groups

d. Compounding words, phrases, and clauses

e. Changing the usual order

f. Classifying sentences

Exercises 12-1 Subjects and Predicates: Identifying and Comparing (12a-1)

Exercises 12-2 Nouns, Verbs, and Pronouns: Identifying Functions

Exercise 12-3 Nouns and Verbs: Writing Sentences (12a)

Exercise 12-4 Parts of the Sentence: Identifying (12a-3)

Exercise 12-5 Sentence Patterns: Combining Sentences (12a-3)

Exercise 12-6 Adjectives and Adverbs: Identifying Function (12b-1)

Exercise 12-7 Prepositions: Writing Sentences (12c-1)

Exercise 12-8 Prepositional Phrases: Identifying Function (12c-1)

Exercise 12-9 Participles: Using —ing and —ed (12c-2)

Exercise 12-10 Verbal Phrases: Identifying Function (12c-2)

Exercise 12-11 Verbal Phrases: Revising Sentences (12c-2,3)

Exercise 12-12 Subordinate Clauses: Identifying Function (12c-4)

Exercise 12-13 Subordinate Clauses: Combining Sentences (12c-4)

Exercise 12-14 Subordinate Clauses: Writing Sentences (12c-4)

Exercise 12-15 Compound Constructions: Revising Clauses (12d)

Exercise 12-16 Compound Constructions: Combining Words and Phrases (12d)

Exercise 12-17 Order of Sentences: Rewriting Sentences (12e)

Exercise 12-18 Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex Sentences: Writing (12f)

13. Case of Nouns and Pronouns.

a. Compound subjects and subject complements

b. Compound objects

c. We or us with a noun

d. Appositives

e. Pronoun after than or as in a comparison

f. Subjects and objects of infinitives

g. Who vs. whom

h. Case before a gerund

Exercise 13-1 Pronoun Case: Compound Subjects and Objects (13a, b)

Exercise 13-2 Pronoun Case: Who and Whom (13g)

Exercise 13-3 Pronoun Case: Review

Exercise 13-4 Pronoun Case: Rewriting a Text

14. Verbs.

VERB FORMS

a. Regular and irregular verbs

b. Sit and set, lie and lay, rise and raise

c. Omitted —s and —ed endings

d. Helping verbs

e. Verb plus gerund or infinitive

f. Verb plus particle

TENSE

g. Appropriate tense for meaning

h. Sequence of tenses

MOOD

i. Subjunctive verb forms

VOICE

j. Active versus passive voice

Exercise 14-1 Principal Part of Irregular Verbs: Comparing Forms (14a-b)

Exercise 14-2 The —s Forms of Verbs: Rewriting a Text (14c)

Exercise 14-3 The —ed Forms of Verbs: Rewriting a Text

Exericses 14-4 Helping Verbs and Main Verbs: Comparing Forms (14d)

Exercise 14-5 Sequence of Tenses: Rewriting a Text (14g,h)

Exercise 14-6 Gerunds and Infinitives: Using as Appropriate (14e)

Exercise 14-7 Two-Word Verbs: Understand Meaning (14f)

Exercise 14-8 Verb Tenses: Writing Sentences (14g)

Exercise 14-9 Subjunctive Verb Forms: Rewriting Sentences (14i)

Exercise 14-10 Verb Forms, Tense, and Mood: Editing a Text (14g, h, i)

Exercise 14-11 Active and Passive Voices: Revising Text (14j)

15. Agreement.

a. Agreement between subject and verb

b. Agreement between pronoun and antecedent

Exercise 15-1 Subjects and Verbs: Editing Sentences (15a)

Exercise 15-2 Subjects and Verbs: Rewriting Sentences (15a)

Exercise 15-3 Subject-Verb Agreement: Review (15a)

Exercise 15-4 Pronouns and Antecedents: Editing Sentences (15b)

Exercise 15-5 Agreement: Rewriting Text

Exercise 15-6 Agreement: Review

16. Adjectives and Adverbs.

a. Adjectives only with nouns and pronouns

b. Adjectives after linking verbs

c. Adjectives with objects; adverbs with verbs

d. Comparative and superlative forms

e. Double negatives

f. Overuse of nouns as modifiers

g. Present and past participles as adjectives

h. A, an, the, and other determiners

Exercise 16-1 Adjectives and Adverbs: Comparing Forms (16a-e)

Exercise 16-2 Adjectives and Adverbs: Editing Forms (16a-e)

Exercise 16-3 Articles: Using Appropriately (16i)

Part IV.

Clear Sentences.

17. Sentence Fragments.

a. Tests for sentence completeness; revision of fragments

b. Subordinate clause

c. Verbal or prepositional phrase

d. Other fragments

e. Acceptable uses of incomplete sentences

Exercise 17-1 Sentence Fragments: Revising I

Exercise 17-2 Sentence Fragments: Revising II

Exercise 17-3 Sentence Fragments: Revising III

Exercise 17-4 Sentence Fragments: Revising Text

18. Comma Splices and Fused Sentences.

COMMA SPLICES

a. Main clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction

b. Main clauses related by a conjunctive adverb or transitional expression

FUSED SENTENCES

c. Main clauses with no conjunction or punctuation

Exercise 18-1 Comma Splices and Fused Sentences: Revising

Exercise 18-2 Comma Splices and Fused Sentences: Combining Sentences

Exercise 18-3 Comma Splices and Fused Sentences: Patterning

Exercise 18-4 Comma Splices and Fused Sentences: Review

19. Pronoun Reference.

a. Clear reference to one antecedent

b. Clear placement of pronoun and antecedent

c. Reference to specific antecedent

d. Indefinite use of it and they

e. Indefinite use of you

f. Clear use of it

g. Appropriate use of relative pronouns

Exercise 19-1 Pronoun Reference: Revising Sentences

Exercise 19-2 Pronoun Reference: Replacing Vague Pronouns

Exercise 19-3 Pronoun Reference: Combining Sentences

Exercise 19-4 Pronoun Reference: Review

20. Shifts.

a. Person and number

b. Tense and mood

c. Subject and voice

d. Indirect and direct quotations and questions

Exercise 20-1 Shifts in Person and Number: Revising Sentences for Consistency

Exercise 20-2 Shifts in Tense: Revising Sentences for Consistency

Exercise 20-3 Revising Sentences for Consistency

Exercise 20-4: Shifts: Review

21. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers.

MISPLACED MODIFIERS

a. Clear placement of modifiers

b. Limiting modifiers

c. Squinting modifiers

d. Separation of subjects, verbs, and objects

e. Separation of parts of infinitive or verb phrases

f. Position of adverbs

g. Order of adjectives

DANGLING MODIFIERS

h. Dangling modifiers

Exercise 21-1 Misplaced Modifiers: Revising Sentences

Exercise 21-2 Adjectives and Adverbs: Arranging Appropriately

Exercise 21-3 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers: Revising Text

Exercise 21-4 Dangling Modifiers: Revising Sentences

22. Mixed and Incomplete Sentences.

MIXED SENTENCES

a. Mixed grammar

b. Mixed meaning (faulty predication)

INCOMPLETE SENTENCES

c. Compound constructions

d. Comparisons

e. Careless omissions

Exercise 22-1 Mixed Sentences: Revising

Exercise 22-2 Incomplete Sentences: Revising

Exercise 22-3 Mixed and Incomplete Sentences: Review

Exercise 22-4 Omissions and Faulty Repetitions: Revising Text

Part V.

Effective Sentences.

23. Emphasizing Ideas.

a. Using subjects and verbs effectively

b. Using sentence beginnings and endings

c. Arranging parallel elements effectively

d. Repeating ideas

e. Separating ideas

f. Being concise

Exercise 23-1 Emphasis: Revising Sentences

Exercise 23-2 Emphasis: Combining Sentences

24. Using Coordination and Subordination.

a. Coordinating to relate equal ideas

b. Subordinating to distinguish main ideas

c. Choosing clear connectors

Exercise 24-1 Coordination: Combining Sentences

Exercise 24-1 Subordination: Combining Sentences

Exercises 24-3 Coordination and Subordination: Revising Text

25. Using Parallelism.

a. Using parallelism for coordinate elements

b. Using parallelism to increase coherence

Exercise 25-1 Parallelism: Writing Sentences

Exercise 25-2 Parallelism: Combining Sentences

Exercise 25-3 Parallelism: Editing Text

26. Achieving Variety.

a. Varying sentence and length structure

b. Varying sentence beginnings

c. Inverting the normal word order

d. Mixing types of sentences

Exercise 26-1 Sentence Beginnings: Revising for Variation

Exercise 26-2 Varying Sentences in Paragraphs

Part VI.

Punctuation.

27. End Punctuation.

a. The period

b. The question mark

c. The exclamation point

Exercise 27-1 End Punctuation: Editing Sentences

28. The Comma.

a. Main clauses linked by coordinating conjunction

b. Introductory elements

c. Nonessential elements

d. Absolute phrases

e. Phrases expressing contrast

f. Series and coordinate adjectives

g. Dates, addresses, place names, long numbers

h. With quotations

i. To prevent misreading

j. Misuse and overuse

Exercise 28-1 Commas Between Main Clauses and After Introductory Elements: Revising Text (28a,b)

Exercise 28-2 Commas in Sentences with Nonessential Elements, Absolute Phrases, and Phrases of Contrast: Editing (28c,d,e)

Exercise 28-3 Commas with Nonessential Elements, Absolute Phrases, and Phrases of Contrast: Combining Sentences (28c,d,e)

Exercise 28-4 Commas with Series, Coordinate Adjectives, Dates, Addresses, Long Numbers, and Quotations, Editing (28f,g,h)

Exercise 28-5 Misused Commas: Editing (28j)

Exercise 28-6 Commas: Editing Text

29. The Semicolon.

a. Main clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction

b. Main clauses not related by a conjunctive adverb or transitional expression

c. Long or internally punctuated main clauses

d. Long or internally punctuated series items

e. Misuse and overuse

Exercise 29-1 Semicolon: Editing Sentences

Exercise 29-1 Commas and Semicolons: Editing Text

30. The Apostrophe.

a. Possessive case

b. Misuse with noun plurals, verbs, and personal pronouns

c. Contractions

d. Plurals of abbreviations, dates, and words or characters named as words

Exercise 30-1 Apostrophes for Possessive Case: Changing Words

Exercise 30-2 Apostrophes for Contractions and Plurals

Exercise 30-3 Apostrophes: Editing Text

31. Quotation Marks.

a. Direct quotations

b. Quotation within a quotation

c. Dialog

d. Titles of songs, short stories, etc.

e. Words used in a special sense

f. Overuse

g. Placement with other punctuation marks

Exercise 31-1 Quotation Marks: Editing Sentences

Exercise 31-2 Quotations: Rewriting Text

32. Other Punctuation Marks.

a. The colon

b. The dash

c. Parentheses

d. Brackets

e. The ellipsis mark

f. The slash

Exercise 32-1 The Colon, the Dash, Parentheses, Brackets, the Ellipsis Mark, and the Slash: Editing Sentences

Exercise 32-2 Punctuation: Review of Chapters 27-32

Part VII.

Mechanics.

33. Capitals.

a. First word of sentence

b. Titles of works

c. Pronoun I and interjection O

d. Proper nouns and adjectives

e. Titles before proper names

f. Misuse of capitals

Exercise 33-1 Capitals: Rewriting Sentences

34. Underlining or Italics.

a. Underlining vs. italics

b. Titles of books and periodicals

c. Names of ships, aircraft, spacecraft, trains

d. Foreign words and phrases

e. Words, letters, and numbers named as words

f. For emphasis

g. In online communication

Exercise 34-1 Underlining or Italics: Editing Sentences

35. Abbreviations.

a. Titles before and after proper names

b. Familiar abbreviations and acronyms

c. BC, BCE, AD, AM, PM, no., and $

d. Latin abbreviations

e. Inc., Bros., Co., and &

f. Misuse with units of measurement, geographical names, etc.

Exercise 35-1 Abbreviations: Editing Sentences

36. Numbers.

a. Numerals vs. words

b. For dates, addresses, etc.

c. Beginning sentences

Exercise 36-1 Numbers: Editing Sentences

Part VIII.

Effective Words.

37. Using Appropriate Language.

a. Revising nonstandard dialect

b. Using regionalisms only when appropriate

c. Using slang only when appropriate

d. Using colloquial language only when appropriate

e. Revising neologisms

f. Using technical words with care

g. Revising indirect or pretentious writing

h. Revising sexist and other biased language

Exercise 37-1 Appropriate Words: Revising Text (37a-g)

Exercise 37-1 Biased Language: Revising Sentences (37h)

38. Using Exact Language.

a. Using the right word for your meaning

b. Balancing the abstract and concrete, the general and specific

c. Using idioms

d. Using figurative language

e. Using fresh expressions

Exercise 38-1 Denotation: Comparing Forms (38a)

Exercise 38-2 General and Specific Words, Abstract and Concrete Words: Revising Text (38b)

Exercise 38-3 Idioms: Comparing Forms (38c)

Exercise 38-4 Trite Expressions: Revising Sentences (38e)

39. Writing Concisely.

a. Focusing on subject and verb

b. Cutting or shortening empty words and phrases

c. Cutting unnecessary repetition

d. Reducing clauses to phrases, phrases to single words

e. Eliminating there is and it is constructions

f. Combining sentences

g. Rewriting jargon

Exercise 39-1 Empty Words and Phrases: Revising Text (39b)

40. Using Dictionaries.

a. Choosing a dictionary

b. Working with a dictionary’s contents

Exercise 40-1 Using the dictionary

41. Spelling and the Hyphen.

a. Recognizing typical spelling problems

b. Following special rules

c. Developing spelling skills

d. Using the hyphen to form or divide words

Exercise 41-1 Commonly Confused Words (41a)

Exercise 41-2 Spelling Rules: Practice (41b)

Exercise 41-3 The Hyphen in Compound Words, Fractions, and Compound Numbers: Practice (41d)

Exercise 41-4 Dividing Words Correctly

Exercise 41-5 Dividing Electronic Addresses

Part IX.

Working with Sources.

42. Writing a Short Documented Paper.

a. Using summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation

b. Avoiding plagiarism

c. Taking notes

d. Evaluating sources

e. Documenting sources

f. Sample short documented paper

Exercise 42-1 Writing Paraphrases

Exercise 42-2 Identifying Plagiarism

Exercise 42-3 Writing Bibliographic Entries

Acknowledgments.

Index.