When Words Collide

Renowned for its clear presentation of grammar, Kessler and McDonald's WHEN WORDS COLLIDE, 9e equips you with the tips and tools you need to succeed in today's dynamic, cross-platform, multi-media writing environment. This versatile grammar and usage handbook provides an excellent resource for learners and seasoned media writers alike. With its simplified rules, the book appeals to writers from a variety of backgrounds. It combines straightforward explanations and examples with quick and accurate answers to common grammar and usage questions, problems and potential pitfalls. In addition, its unique ¿from writer to writer¿ perspective guides you step by step through the entire writing process.

List of contents

PART I: UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR AND STYLE.
1. Grammar Lives!
Grammar Is More Important Than Ever. What Does Your E-mail Say about You?
2. Ten Little Secrets: Ten Big Mistakes.
The Ten Secrets of Writing Well. Grammar Is Everywhere. Making Mistakes. What You Don't Know.
3. The Sentence.
Sentence Parts. Phrases and Clauses. Types of Sentences. Sentence Errors. The Lead Sentence.
4. Power UP with the Verb!
Verbs Propel Our Sentences. Verb Forms and Functions. Verb Number and Person. Verb Tense. Principal Parts of Verbs. Voice. The Mood of Verbs. Verbals.
5. Working with the Verb: The Captain's View.
Nouns. Pronouns. Adjectives. Adverbs. Prepositions. Conjunctions. Interjections.
6. Making the Case for Agreement.
Subject–Verb Agreement. Pronoun Reference: The Antecedent Search. Case: It's All about Relationships. Nominative Case. Objective Case. Possessive Case. Parallel Structure. A Final Note.
7. Punctuation: Your Symphony of Signals and Stops.
Some Basic Guidelines. Period. Comma. Semicolon. Colon. Dash. Quotation Marks. Hyphen. Apostrophe. Ellipses. Parentheses. Question Mark and Exclamation Point.
8. Clarity and Conciseness.
Choosing Words. Putting Words Together. Making Sense. Clarity, Conciseness, Coherence.
9. Style.
What is Style? Liveliness. Originality. Rhythm and Sound. Imagery. Writing with Style.
PART II: YOUR SPEEDY GRAMMAR AND WORD USE GUIDE.
Appendix A: Homonyms, Homophones, Spell-Checks, Oh My!
Appendix B: Irregular (Make That Troublesome) Verb Forms.
Index.

About the author

Lauren Kessler is professor and director of the Multimedia Journalism Master's Program at the University of Oregon as well as a national speaker, workshop leader, and founder and editor of ETUDE, the online magazine of narrative nonfiction. In addition, she is the author of three textbooks and seven works of narrative nonfiction, including MY TEENAGE WEREWOLF: A MOTHER, A DAUGHTER, A JOURNEY THROUGH THE THICKETS OF ADOLESCENCE, Pacific Northwest Book Award winner DANCING WITH ROSE (published in paperback as FINDING LIFE IN THE LAND OF ALZHEIMER'S), WASHINGTON POST bestseller CLEVER GIRL and LOS ANGELES TIMES bestseller THE HAPPY BOTTOM RIDING CLUB-–which David Letterman, in fierce competition with Oprah, chose as the first (and only) book for the Dave Letterman Book Club. She appeared twice on his late-night show. She is also the author of Oregon Book Award winner STUBBORN TWIG, which was chosen as the book for all Oregon to read in honor of the state's 2009 sesquicentennial. Dr. Kessler's journalism has appeared in THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, LOS ANGELES TIMES MAGAZINE, O magazine, UTNE READER, THE NATION, newsweek.com and salon.com. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Dr. Kessler blogs at www.myteenagewerewolf.com.Find out more at www.laurenkessler.comDuncan McDonald is professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, where he also served as dean of the School of Journalism and Communications as well as vice president of Public Affairs and Development. He is a former deputy director of the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at Columbia University. A former newspaper reporter, editor and publisher, he has co-authored texts in grammar, media writing, information gathering and graphics.

Summary

Renowned for its clear presentation of grammar, this book equips you with the tips and tools you need to succeed in dynamic, cross-platform, multi-media writing environment. It combines straightforward explanations and examples with quick and accurate answers to common grammar and usage questions, problems and potential pitfalls.

Product details

• Authors: Lauren Kessler, Lauren (University of Oregon) Kessler, Duncan Mcdonald, Duncan (University of Oregon) McDonald
• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.07.2015
• EAN: 9781285052472
• ISBN: 978-1-285-05247-2
• No. of pages: 224
• Dimensions: 155 mm x 229 mm x 10 mm
• Weight: 272 g
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; Social sciences, law, business > Business > Economics