A Pocket Style Manual

A Pocket Style Manual gives you quick answers and expert advice for writing assignments in any course or work setting, including coverage of grammar, style, citing sources, and writing responsibly with AI.

List of contents

Part 0: Becoming a College Writer: Using Academic Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence

Part 1: Clarity

1 Tighten wordy sentences.

          1a Redundancies

          1b Empty or inflated phrases

          1c Needlessly complex structures

2 Prefer active verbs.

          2a When to replace be verbs

          2b When to replace passive verbs

3 Balance parallel ideas.

          3a Items in a series

          3b Paired ideas

4 Add needed words.

          4a Words in compound structures

          4b The word that

          4c Words in comparisons

5 Eliminate distracting shifts.

          5a Shifts in point of view

          5b Shifts in tense

6 Untangle mixed constructions.

          6a Mixed grammatical structure

          6b Illogical connections

          6c Is when, is where, and reason . . . is because constructions

7 Repair misplaced and dangling modifiers.

          7a Misplaced words

          7b Misplaced phrases and clauses

          7c Dangling modifiers

          7d Split infinitives

8 Provide sentence variety.

          8a Combining choppy sentences

          8b Varying sentence openings

9 Find an appropriate voice.

          9a Jargon

          9b Clichés

          9c Slang

          9d Sexist and noninclusive language

Part 2: Grammar

10 Make subjects and verbs agree.

          10a Words between subject and verb

          10b Subjects joined with and

          10c Subjects joined with or or nor

          10d Indefinite pronouns such as someone

          10e Collective nouns such as jury

          10f Subject after verb

          10g Who, which, and that

          10h Plural form, singular meaning

          10i Titles, company names, and words mentioned as words

11 Be alert to other problems with verbs.

          11a Irregular verbs

          11b Tense

          11c Mood

12 Use pronouns with care.

          12a Pronoun-antecedent agreement

          12b Pronoun reference

          12c Case of personal pronouns (I vs. me etc.)

          12d Who vs. whom

13 Use adjectives and adverbs appropriately.

          13a Adjectives

          13b Adverbs

          13c Comparatives and superlatives

14 Repair sentence fragments.

          14a Fragmented clauses

          14b Fragmented phrases

15 Revise run-on sentences.

          15a Revision with a comma and a coordinating conjunction

          15b Revision with a semicolon (or a colon or a dash)

          15c Revision by separating sentences

          15d Revision by restructuring the sentence

16 Consider grammar topics for multilingual writers.

          16a Verbs

          16b Articles (a, an, the)

          16c Sentence structure

          16d Prepositions showing time and place

Part 3: Punctuation

17 The comma

          17a Before a coordinating conjunction joining independent clauses

          17b After an introductory clause or phrase

          17c Between items in a series

          17d Between coordinate adjectives

          17e To set off a nonrestrictive element, but not a restrictive element

          17f To set off transitional and parenthetical expressions, absolute phrases, and word groups expressing contrast

          17g To set off nouns of direct address, the words yes and no, interrogative tags, and mild interjections

          17h To set off direct quotations introduced with expressions such as he said

          17i With dates, addresses, and titles

          17j Misuses of the comma

18 The semicolon and the colon

          18a The semicolon

          18b The colon

19 The apostrophe

          19a To indicate possession

          19b To mark contractions

          19c Conventional uses

          19d Misuses of the apostrophe

20 Quotation marks

          20a To enclose direct quotations

          20b Around titles of short works

          20c To set off words used as words

          20d Other punctuation with quotation marks

          20e Misuses of quotation marks

21 Other punctuation marks

          21a The period

          21b The question mark

          21c The exclamation point

          21d The dash

          21e Parentheses

          21f Brackets

          21g The ellipsis

          21h The slash

Part 4: Mechanics

22 Capitalization

          22a Proper vs. common nouns

          22b Titles with proper names

          22c Titles of works

          22d First word of a sentence or quoted sentence

          22e First word following a colon

23 Abbreviations, numbers, and italics

          23a Abbreviations

          23b Numbers

          23c Italics

24 Hyphenation

          24a Compound words

          24b Words functioning together as an adjective

          24c Conventional uses

Part 5: Research

25 Asking a research question

          25a Choosing a focused question

          25b Choosing a debatable question

          25c Choosing a question grounded in evidence

26 Finding appropriate sources

          26a Using the library

          26b Using the web

          26c Using bibliographies and citations

26d Conducting field research, if appropriate

27 Evaluating sources

          27a Evaluating the reliability and usefulness of a source

          27b Reading with an open mind and a critical eye

          27d Constructing an annotated bibliography

28 Managing information; avoiding plagiarism during research

          28a Maintaining a working bibliography

          28b Keeping track of source materials

          28c Taking notes responsibly: avoiding unintentional plagiarism

29 Supporting a thesis

          29a Forming a thesis statement

          29b Organizing your ideas

          29c Using sources to inform and support your argument

30 Avoiding plagiarism

          30a Citing quotations and borrowed ideas

          30b Using the MLA, APA, and Chicago citation systems to lead readers to your sources

          30c Using quotation marks around borrowed language

          30d Putting summaries and paraphrases in your own words

31 Integrating sources

          31a Summarizing and paraphrasing effectively

          31b Using quotations effectively

          31c Using signal phrases to integrate sources

          31d Synthesizing sources

32 Integrating literary quotations

          32a Introducing quotations from literary works

          32b Avoiding shifts in tense

          32c Formatting and citing literary passages

Part 6: MLA Style

33 MLA documentation style

          33a MLA in-text citations

          33b MLA list of works cited

34 MLA format; sample research essay

          34a MLA format

          34b Sample MLA research essay

Part 7: APA Style

35 APA documentation style

          35a APA in-text citations

          35b APA list of references

36 APA format; sample research essay

          36a APA format

          36b Sample APA research essay

Part 8: Chicago Style

37 Chicago documentation style

          37a First and later notes for a source

          37b Chicago-style bibliography

          37c Model notes and bibliography entries

38 Chicago format; sample pages

          38a Chicago format

          38b Sample pages from a Chicago research essay

Part 9: Glossaries

Glossary of usage

Glossary of grammatical terms

Product details

• Authors: Diana Hacker, Hacker Diana, Sommers Nancy, Nancy Sommers
• Publisher: Macmillan International Higher Education
• Languages: English
• Product format: Spiral bound
• Released: 01.02.2025
• EAN: 9781319413019
• ISBN: 978-1-319-41301-9
• No. of pages: 336
• Dimensions: 128 mm x 220 mm x 17 mm
• Subjects: Education and learning > Adult education/adult education classes > Adult education class / course materials (language); Humanities, art, music > Education > Education system; Language learning: writing skills, Writing skills, Creative writing & creative writing guides, Creative writing and creative writing guides, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Writing / General