Quick Access, Reference For Writers (Mycomplab Series) ; 9780131952263 ; 0131952269 “This is the best of the brief handbooks available.” Dr. Harryette Brown Dallas County Community College “The strengths of this text are good language level and tone, nice examples of different types of writing, logical fallacies, essay structure, etc…Strong section on argument, which can be less than appealing to teach and read about. Your coverage is interesting and useful” Lisa McRaven Ozarks Technical Community College “The “Writing to Connect with the World” section reminds students that the need for good writing continues afterschool…The greatest strength is the ease of use and narrative that doesn’t “talk down” to students.” Ruth Gerick University of Texas Arlington “I think the handbook is one of the best on the market, which is why NHC adopted it. Strong examples and in such an engaging format is what makes Quick Access a superior resource.” Joyce Boatright North Harris College “The acknowledgement of changes in the arena of writing to include more info about the web and about writing that employs images–this is realistic and useful for today’s classes…I plan to adopt.” Diana Grumbles Southern Methodist University “The coverage of plagiarism is, in my opinion, excellent.” Joel B. Henderson Chattanooga State Technical Community College “I think this is the best writing handbook on the market for clear, straightforward, and accurate demonstration of the writing process. “ Ruth Gerick University of Texas Arlington “Quick Access seems to be much more detailed and could better stand alone [than my current text]. It is very easy to use and takes good consideration of nonnative speaker populations.” Kimberly Strain University of Minnesota “The ESL Notes add helpful information, expanding the explanation for those who do not speak English as their first language.” Dorothy Minor Tulsa Community College “The section on working in the disciplines would almost sell me this book on its own.” Lisa McRaven Ozarks Technical Community College “I think this text’s inclusion of the research checklist, numerous examples, and screen shots - assists in student understanding and sets this text apart from its competitors.” Joel B. Henderson Chattanooga State Technical Community College Quick Find Road Map If you sometimes feel a bit unsure as you write, try using the QUICK FIND ROADMAP to get you back on track to effective writing. The roadmap reflects some of the most common writing errors that frustrate writers. To find the information you need, choose the item that best describes the issue you are facing and then turn to the pages referenced. WORDS AND SENTENCES Write complete sentences instead of fragments. Join independent clauses correctly by avoiding comma splices and run-ons. Match grammatical forms within sentences to avoid shifts and keep sentences clear. Make sentences with introductory phrases and with modifiers clear. Know when to use its or it's . GRAMMAR Match subjects and verbs in number and person. Match pronouns to the word or words they refer to. Use correct verb endings. Choose verbs that correctly express time in tense and form. Describe relationships with the correct prepositions for time and place. PUNCTUATION Use commas after introductory elements. Use commas in compound sentences. Use commas to set off nonrestrictive elements. Do not use commas to set off restrictive elements. Use commas with a series of three or more elements that share the same grammatical form. Use apostrophes correctly. STYLE AND WORD CHOICE Choose the best words for your meaning. Make your writing to the point and concise. LYNN QUITMAN TROYKA , Professor of Writing, at the City University of New York (CUNY), has taught at Queensborough Community College and in the graduate Language and Literacy program at City College. Former editor of the Journal of Basic Writing, her writing and research appears in major journals and various scholarly collections. She conducts workshops in the teaching of writing. Lynn is co-author of Quick Access Reference for Writers, Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall (2007), QA Compact, First Edition, Prentice Hall (2007), Canadian editions of her Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers and Quick Access Reference for Writers, Structured Reading, Seventh Edition, Prentice Hall (2007), and Steps in Composition, Eighth Edition, Prentice Hall (2004). Dr. Troyka received the 2001 CCCC Exemplar Award, the highest CCCC award for scholarship, teaching, and service; the Rhetorician of the Year Award; and the TYCA Pickett Award for Service. She is a past chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC); the Two-Year College Association (TYCA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE); the College Section of NCTE; and the Writing Division of the Modern Language Association. ”This information,” says Dr. Troyka, “tells wh