Preface
Brief Contents
Introduction for Students
[Part One] Grammar and Usage Chapter 1: Grammar Basics Using Standard English Why Don't We Write How We Talk? Conventional Wisdom Competing Grammars and Stylebooks Grammar and Confidence Communicating Well
Talking Shop Key Principles Of Grammar Web Resources: Grammar Help Chapter 2: Phrases, Clauses, and Sentences Phrases Phrases as Subjects, Objects and Predicate Nominatives Phrases as Verbs Phrases as Modifiers Phrases as Connecting Words
Clauses Independent Clauses Dependent Clauses
Restrictive Versus Nonrestrictive Journalism Tip: Punctuating Nonrestrictive Phrases and Clauses Sentences Journalism Tip: Using Different Types of Sentences
Sentence Errors Fragments Fused Sentences Comma-Splice Sentences Run-On Sentences
Chapter 3: Subjects and Objects Kinds of Subjects Kinds of Objects Common Nouns Versus Proper Nouns Journalism Tip: Using Trademarks The Forms Nouns Take Forming Singulars and Plurals Of Nouns Forming Possessives of Nouns
Pronoun Person, Number and Gender Pronoun Cases Nominative Case With Pronouns Journalism Tip: Predicate Nominatives in Formal Writing Versus Broadcast
Objective Case With Pronouns Possessive Case With Pronouns
Relative Pronouns Whose Versus Who's
Pronouns Ending In Self or Selves Verbal Nouns: Gerunds and Infinitives Chapter 4: Verbs Helping Verbs Versus Main Verbs Transitive Verbs Versus Intransitive Verbs Tenses Using the Simple Tenses Using the Perfect Tenses Using the Progressive Tenses
Shall Versus
Will Regular Verbs Versus Irregular Verbs
Sequence of Tenses Past Tenses Present Tenses Journalism Tip: Journalism and Sequence Of Tenses Future Tenses
Keeping Verb Tenses Consistent Active Voice Versus Passive Voice Journalism Tip: When Not To Change Passive Voice to Active
Mood Indicative Mood Imperative Mood Conditional Mood Subjunctive Mood Journalism Tip: Verb Moods
Nouns Used As Verbs Verbals Gerunds Participles Infinitives
Chapter 5: Making the Parts Agree SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
ConjunctionsCollective and Uncountable Nouns Journalism Tip: Groups of People in the News
Names of Teams and Musical Groups Other Confusing Nouns Indefinite Pronouns Intervening Nouns and Pronouns Prepositional Phrases Subject and Predicate Nominative Disagreement Inverted Order MAKING PRONOUNS AND ANTECEDENTS AGREE
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Clear Pronoun Reference MAKING SENTENCES PARALLEL
Make Items in A Series Parallel Make Verbs Parallel Chapter 6: Modifiers and Connecting Words MODIFIERS
Forms of Adjectives and AdverbsAdjectives Versus Adverbs Coordinate Adjectives Versus Compound Modifiers Journalism Tip: Compound Modifiers Without Hyphens
Articles Sentence Adverbs Participles Double Negatives Interjections CONNECTING WORDS
Prepositions Conjunctions Coordinating Conjunctions Correlative Conjunctions Subordinating Conjunctions
Conjunctive Adverbs Chapter 7: Getting Words in the Right Order Misplaced Modifiers Adverb Placement Less Confusing Jumbled Word Orders Chapter 8: Usage: Finding the Right Word Journalism Tip: Conservative Stylebook Rules
Misused and Confused Words and Phrases [Part Two]: Mechanics Chapter 9: Punctuation Commas Always Use a Comma Never Use a Comma Possibly Use a Comma
Quotation Marks and Other Problems of Quoting What to Quote Attribution of Quotations Paraphrases Quotations Across Paragraphs Other Issues With Quotes
Semicolons Colons Dashes Parentheses Hyphens Apostrophes Slashes Periods, Exclamation Points and Question Marks Chapter 10: Spelling Relief Spelling Rules Prefixes Suffixes Journalism Tip: Spelling and Your Career The Silent
E Other Spelling Rules
Words Often Misspelled Hyphenation as a Spelling Problem Looking Up Words for Hyphenation One Word, Two Words, or Hyphenated?
American Versus British Spelling Web Resources: Spelling [Part Three] Style Chapter 11: Writing as a Journalist Keys to Good Journalistic Writing Clarity A Clarity Checklist Writing Levels Unanswered Questions Specifics Math and Clarity
Correctness Objectivity Rules of Objective Writing
Web Resources: Writing Help Chapter 12: Conciseness Tightening Use Fewer Words Use Simpler Words Use Exact Words Be Fresh, Not Stale
What to Tighten, A to Z Web Resources: Concise Writing Chapter 13: Sexism, Racism, and Other "Isms" DonLanguage Turns To the Future New Players in the New Millennium A Brief History of "Isms" Future Realities: More Language Transformation Coming Dealing With Current Reality Sexism Racism Ageism Other Stereotyping
The Nonbias Rule Symbolic Annihilation Dumping TodayWeb Resources: Competent Language [Part Four] Writing Methods for Different Media Chapter 14: Writing News ThatNews Leads Pick the Best Angle Hard-News Leads Who Was Involved? What Happened? When Did It Happen? Where Did It Happen?
Problems With Hard-News Leads Soft-News Leads Soft-News Cliches What Comes After The Lead? Web Resources: Journalism Reviews Chapter 15: Writing News for Broadcast Print Versus Broadcast News Use a Conventional Style Personalize the News Make It Easy To Understand Keep It Short Keep It Timely Make It Clear
Broadcasters Must Know Grammar Broadcast Hard-News Leads Start With the
Who What Happened? Other Points to Remember
Broadcast Story Structure Broadcast Style Summary Preparing Your Manuscript for Radio Preparing Your Manuscript for Television Editing and Other Symbols Pronunciation Abbreviations Numbers Punctuation Names Spelling
Web Resources: Broadcasting Chapter 16: Writing and Editing for the Web Online Media Are Unique Correctness (Or Credibility) Conciseness Consistency Completeness The Fifth
C Writing and Presenting News Online Writing With Search Engines In Mind Legal and Ethical Concerns Corrections Hyperlinks to External Sites Tomorrow's Readers
Web Resources: Online Media Appendix: Wire-Service Style Summary Abbreviations and Acronyms Punctuation Symbols Dates People and Titles Organizations Places Miscellaneous
Capitalization Proper Nouns Geographic Regions Government And College Terms Religious Terms Titles Miscellaneous
Numbers Cardinal Numbers Numerals With Suffixes Numbers as Words
Other Rules for Numbers
Web Resources: Associated Press Style
Bibliography Index
Web Resources: Additional Sources