Master the basics of writing with THE LEAST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ENGLISH: WRITING SKILLS. The book's simple approach (embraced by students for decades) gives you the power to strengthen your writing with clear explanations, real-world samples, and practice from over 200 exercises with full answers that provide instant feedback in all areas of writing. First, you'll learn the basics of word use, sentence structure, and punctuation. You'll also find brief, easy-to-follow guidance for writing all types of paragraphs and essays and for strengthening basic skills (from writing summaries to including quotations) that you will use in college and beyond. Exercises on a variety of topics broaden your knowledge of science, art, history, film, literature, social studies, business, and the media while you improve your English skills. When the course ends, the book becomes a valuable "go-to" reference resource for all your future writing needs.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
Getting the Most from The Least You Should Know about English.
Part I: WORD USE.
What Is the Least You Should Know about Word Use?
Word Use Preview Test.
1. Words Often Confused (Set 1).
2. Words Often Confused (Set 2).
3. The Eight Parts of Speech.
4. Adjectives and Adverbs.
5. Contractions.
6. Possessives.
7. Consulting a Dictionary.
Word Use Progress Test. Word Use Practice.
Part I: SENTENCE STRUCTURE.
What Is the Least You Should Know about Sentence Structure?
Sentence Structure Preview Test.
8. Locating Prepositional Phrases.
9. Finding Subjects and Verbs.
10. Understanding Dependent Clauses.
11. Correcting Fragments.
12. Correcting Run-on Sentences.
13. Identifying Verb Phrases.
14. Using Standard English Verbs.
15. Using Regular and Irregular Verbs.
16. Maintaining Subject-Verb Agreement.
17. Avoiding Shifts in Tense.
18. Recognizing Verbal Phrases.
19. Correcting Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers.
20. Following Sentence Patterns.
21. Avoiding Clichés, Awkward Phrasing, and Wordiness.
22. Correcting for Parallel Structure.
23. Using Pronouns.
24. Avoiding Shifts in Person.
Sentence Structure Progress Test. Sentence Structure Practice.
Part III: PUNCTUATION.
What Is the Least You Should Know about Punctuation?
Punctuation Preview Test.
25. Periods, Question Marks, Exclamation Points, Semicolons, Colons, Dashes.
26. Commas Used to Separate Elements.
27. Commas Used to Enclose Elements.
28. Quotation Marks and Italics/Underlines.
29. Capital Letters.
Punctuation Progress Test. Punctuation Practice.
Part IV: WRITING.
What Is the Least You Should Know about Writing?
Writing as Structure.
First, Second, and Third-Person Approaches.
Basic Structures.
30. The Paragraph.
31. The Essay. Writing Skills.
32. Writing in Your Own Voice.
33. Finding a Topic.
34. Organizing Ideas. Organizing an Essay.
35. Supporting with Details.
36. Choosing and Using Quotations.
37. Writing in Response to a Reading.
38. Writing an Argument.
39. Writing Summaries.
40. Revising, Proofreading, and Presenting Your Work.
Answers.
Index.
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Paige Wilson
PAIGE WILSON, Associate Professor of English, is now primary author of Teresa Ferster Glazier's THE LEAST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ENGLISH classic textbook series (currently in its 13th edition) and a new co-author of Pamela Altman's SENTENCE-COMBINING WORKBOOK (5th edition). Wilson has enthusiastically taught grammar, writing, and literature at Pasadena City College since 1986 and also works as a Writing Consultant/Grammar Expert for international and local companies.
- Teresa Ferster Glazier
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With a revised introduction ("Getting the Most from The Least You Should Know about English") and a corresponding "What Is the Least You Should Know about . . . ?" opening for each of the four parts, the thirteenth edition highlights key concepts of this time-tested approach and demonstrates its value throughout the text.
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A Preview Test and Progress Test now frame each of the first three parts on word use, sentence structure, and punctuation. Extended answers to these tests provide full explanations with page references to help students self-manage the improvement of their sentence-level skills.
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Part One, "Word Use," includes a new "Consulting a Dictionary" section that offers brief explanations and a full set of exercises covering eleven different uses of this often overlooked but valuable resource for writers.
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In Part Two, "Sentence Structure," the section on locating prepositional phrases now precedes the related skill of finding subjects and verbs. Reordering these sections doubles the number of exercises in which students can practice finding intervening phrases that influence subject-verb agreement and sentence clarity.
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Two new charts in Part Two follow the section on understanding dependent clauses to illustrate the kinds of clauses and patterns of punctuation used to create simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.
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Parts One through Three teach students the essentials of word use, sentence structure, and punctuation and put these skills into practice with more than 200 self-teaching exercises.
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Complete exercise answers provided in the back of the book give students the power to learn on their own, wherever they are, and immediately apply what they've learned in their writing.
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All four parts include model sentences, paragraphs, and essays by both student and professional writers, including excerpts from full-length texts that cross disciplines and borders and that present a balance of male and female writers in the fields of science, business, and popular culture.
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Writing exercises in Part Four encourage students to practice the skills and stages involved in different aspects of writing: writing a thesis, finding a voice, organizing, summarizing, arguing, quoting, and in-class writing.
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Sections in Part Four on writing in response to a reading, choosing and using quotations, writing an argument, and writing summaries -- and a chart offering tips for in-class essays -- form a foundation of skills necessary for complex analytical writing assignments.
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A test booklet by Paige Wilson -- available to instructors only -- includes both sentence-format and paragraph-format identification and proofreading tests that correspond directly to the book's newly-numbered sections and that can also be used as additional exercises. Importantly, students do not have the answers to these supplemental tests or exercises.
Instructor's Companion Website for Wilson/Glazier's The Least You Should Know About English: Writing Skills, 13th
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VitalSource eBook: The Least You Should Know About English 12 Months
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MindTap: The Least You Should Know About English 12 Months
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