The Little, Brown Handbook

636 Pages·2006·10.742 MB·English

by  H. Ramsey Fowler, Jane E. Aaron

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The Little, Brown

Handbook
TENTH EDITION
H. Ramsey Fowler
St. Edward’s University
Jane E. Aaron
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Publisher: Joseph Opiela
Acquisitions Editor: Brandon Hight
Development Manager: Mary Ellen Curley
Development Editor: Carol M. Hollar-Zwick
Executive Marketing Manager: Megan Galvin-Fak
Senior Supplements Editor: Donna Campion
Media Supplements Editor: Jenna Egan
Production Manager: Donna DeBenedictis
Project Coordination, Text Design, and Electronic Page Makeup: Nesbitt Graphics, Inc.
Cover Design Manager: John Callahan
Cover Designer: Kay Petronio
Cover Photos: Top left: Paul Hardy/CORBIS. Top right: Tom Stewart/
CORBIS. Bottom center: Peter M. Fisher/CORBIS. Bottom left:
Picturequest. Background: Bob Diffenderfer
Photo Researcher: Vivette Porges
Senior Manufacturing Buyer: Alfred C. Dorsey
Printer and Binder: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company/Crawfordsville
Cover Printer: Phoenix Color Corporation
The authors and publisher are grateful to the many students who allowed their work to be reprinted here and to
the copyright holders who are listed on pages 905–06, which are hereby made part of this copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fowler, H. Ramsey (Henry Ramsey)
The Little, Brown handbook / H. Ramsey Fowler, Jane E. Aaron.-- 10th ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-321-38951-4
1. English language--Grammar--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. English
language--Rhetoric--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Report writing--
Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Aaron, Jane E. II. Title.
PE1112.F64 2006
808'.042--dc22
2005037704
Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States.
Please visit us at ablongman.com/littlebrown.
ISBN 0-321-38951-4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10—DOC—09 08 07 06
Preface for Students:
Using This Book
The Little, Brown Handbook is a basic resource that will answer almost any question you have
about writing. Here you can find how to get ideas, punctuate quotations, search the Internet, cite
sources, or write a résumé. The handbook can help you not only in writing courses but also in other
courses and outside school.
Don’t let the size of the handbook put you off. You need not read the whole book to get
something out of it, and no one expects you to know everything included. Primarily a reference
tool, the handbook is written and arranged to help you find the answers you need when you need
them, quickly and easily.
Using this book will not by itself make you a good writer; for that, you need to care about
your work at every level, from finding a subject to spelling words. But learning how to use the
handbook and its information can give you the means to write what you want in the way you want.
Reference aids
You have many ways to find what you need in the handbook:
Use the directory. ―Plan of the Book,‖ inside the front cover, displays the book’s entire
contents.
Use a glossary. ―Glossary of Usage‖ (pp. 864–80) clarifies more than 275 words that are
commonly confused and misused. ―Glossary of Terms‖ (pp. 881–904) defines more than 350
words used in discussing writing.
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Use the index. Beginning on page 907, the extensive index includes every term, concept, and
problem word or expression mentioned in the book.
Use a list. Three helpful aids fall inside the book’s back cover: (1) ― Guide‖ pulls together all
the book’s material for students using standard American English as a second language or a
second dialect. (2) ―Editing Symbols‖ explains abbreviations often used to comment on
papers. And (3) ―Useful Lists and Summaries‖ indexes topics that students frequently ask
about.
Use the elements of the page. As shown in the illustration on the next page, the handbook
constantly tells you where you are and what you can find there.
Content and organization
An overview of the handbook’s contents appears inside the front cover. Briefly, the book
divides into the following sections:
Chapters 1–5: The big picture, including the writing process, paragraphs, and document
design.
Chapters 6–11: Reading and writing in college, with chapters on academic writing, study
skills and exams, critical reading and writing, reading arguments, writing arguments, and
reading and using visual arguments.
Chapters 12–26: Sentence basics, including the conventions of English grammar, errors that
affect clarity, and techniques of effective sentences.
Chapters 27–36: Punctuation and mechanics (capital letters, underlining, and the like).
Chapters 37–41: Words—how to use them appropriately and precisely, how to look them up,
how to spell them.
Chapters 42–48: Research writing, from planning through revising, with detailed help on
finding and evaluating electronic sources, a complete guide to citing sources, and two sample
papers.
Chapters 49–53: Writing in the academic disciplines, including literature, the other
humanities, the social sciences, and the natural and applied sciences.
Chapters 55–56: Practical information about online writing, business and other public
writing, and oral presentations.
Recommended usage
The conventions described and illustrated in this handbook are those of standard American
English—the label given the dialect used in higher education, business, and the professions. (See
also pp. 132–33.) The handbook stresses written standard English, which is more conservative than
the spoken dialect in matters of grammar and usage. A great many words and constructions that are
widely spoken remain unaccepted in careful writing.
When clear distinctions exist between the language of conversation and that of careful writing,
the handbook provides examples of each and labels them spoken and written. When usage in
writing itself varies with the level of formality intended, the handbook labels examples formal and
informal. When usage is mixed or currently changing, the handbook recommends that you choose
the more conservative usage because it will be acceptable to all readers.
Companion Web site
The companion Web site offers many resources to help you use the handbook and improve
your writing. You can use the site on your own (it is not password protected), or your instructor
may direct you to portions of it as part of his or her course assignments.
Go to ablongman.com/littlebrown, and click on The Little, Brown Handbook, Tenth Edition.
You’ll see further directions to the following:
Downloadable checklists and other material from the book.
The book’s exercises in electronic format.
More than a thousand additional electronic questions.
Video tutorials that supplement the book’s explanations.
Hundreds of links to other Web sites providing help on the book’s topics.
Sample research papers from various academic disciplines.
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Usage flashcards allowing you to test yourself on tricky words and phrases.

The handbook’s page elements
Running head (header) and page tab showing the topic
being discussed on this page,

its section code (15b), and its editing symbol (pn agr)
Section heading, a main convention or topic labeled with the section code, 15b: chapter

number (15) and section letter (b)
Examples, always indented, with underlining and annotations highlighting sentence

elements and revisions
Summary or checklist box
providing key information in

accessible form

Web box linking to the handbook’s companion Web site
Culture-language connection, a pointer for students using standard American English as a

second language or a second dialect
Exercise providing

opportunity for practice
Preface for Instructors
The Little, Brown Handbook always aims to address both the current and the recurrent needs
of writing students and teachers. This tenth edition is no exception. Writing and its teaching are
changing dramatically, and the handbook has changed in response. At the same time, much about
writing does not change, and the handbook remains a comprehensive, clear, and accessible guide to
a host of writing situations and challenges.
The Little, Brown Handbook is actually many books in one, and each is stronger in this
edition. The revisions—highlighted below with New—affect most pages.
A guide to academic writing
The handbook gives students a solid foundation in the goals and requirements of college
writing.
New Part 2 now covers the skills needed for academic success, beginning with a new chapter
that helps students analyze and compose in academic writing situations.
New A chapter provides practical tips for effective study skills, including time management,
reading for comprehension, and preparing for and taking exams.
Four chapters detail techniques of critical reading and writing, reading arguments critically,
writing arguments, and reading and using visual arguments.
Later chapters discuss the emphases and methods of writing about literature and writing in
other humanities, the social sciences, and the natural and applied sciences. Extensive,
specially highlighted sections cover documentation and format in MLA, Chicago, APA, and
CSE styles.
A guide to research writing
With detailed advice and two sample MLA papers, the handbook always attends closely to
research writing, keeping pace with changes in its methods and challenges.
The discussion emphasizes using the library as Web gateway, managing information,
evaluating and synthesizing sources, integrating source material, and avoiding plagiarism.
New Guidelines and samples explain how to prepare an annotated bibliography, whether
descriptive or evaluative.
New Library subscription services receive even greater emphasis. In addition to a detailed,
annotated sample search, the text now provides help with choosing databases and
brainstorming keywords.
New Web logs are covered as possible sources requiring careful evaluation and
documentation.
New Using images as research sources receives close attention, including a guide to image
banks.
New An expanded discussion of evaluating Web sites includes tips for distinguishing
scholarly, personal, commercial, and other kinds of sites.
New MLA documentation now includes annotated samples of key source types, showing
students how to find the bibliographical information needed to cite each type.
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New The extensive coverage of documentation in four styles—MLA, Chicago, APA, and
CSE—reflects each style’s latest version and includes more electronic sources, such as Web
logs and multimedia.
A guide to visual literacy
The handbook helps students process visual information and use it effectively in their writing.
New An expanded section on using illustrations includes annotated examples.
New An expanded discussion of viewing images critically uses diverse examples to
demonstrate identifying and analyzing visual elements.
New A student paper illustrates a critique of an image.
New A chapter on reading and using visual arguments focuses on images’ claims, evidence,
assumptions, appeals, and fallacies.
New Illustrations in many of the handbook’s student papers show various ways in which visual
information can support written ideas.
A guide to the writing process
The handbook takes a practical approach to assessing the writing situation, generating ideas,
writing the thesis statement, revising, and other elements of the writing process.
Numerous examples, including a student work-in-progress on Internet communication,
illustrate every stage.
New A student paper shows techniques for achieving whole-
essay unity and coherence.
New Managing files, using a spelling checker, and other computer skills are now integrated
into discussions of revision and editing.
New The extensive material on document design, now concluding the chapters on the writing
process, includes more help with using illustrations and a section on designing for readers
with disabilities.
A guide for culturally and linguistically diverse writers
At notes and sections labeled , the handbook provides extensive rhetorical and grammatical
help for writers whose first language or dialect is not standard American English.
Fully integrated coverage, instead of a separate section, means that students can find what they
need without having to know which problems they do and don’t share with native SAE
speakers.
New ― Guide,‖ inside the back cover, orients students with advice on mastering SAE and pulls
all the integrated coverage together in one place.
A guide to usage, grammar, and punctuation
The handbook’s core reference material continues to be reliable and accessible.
Concise text explains all basic concepts and common errors.
Annotated examples from across the curriculum represent college writers and writing.
Frequent exercises in connected discourse include end-of-part exercises that combine several
kinds of problems. The exercises are also available on the book’s companion Web site.
An accessible reference guide
The handbook is designed to be easy to use.
New A clean, uncluttered page design uses color and type clearly to distinguish elements.
New Annotations on both visual and verbal examples directly connect principles and
illustrations.
New Dictionary-style headers in the index make it easy to find entries.
Helpful endpapers offer several paths to the book’s content.
More than 150 boxes provide summaries and checklists of key information.
A preface just for students outlines the book’s contents, details reference aids, and explains
the page layout.
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A reference for college and beyond
With chapters on document design, study skills, academic and cross-curricular writing, online
writing, public writing, and oral presentations, the handbook is a resource that students keep. With
a hard cover and sturdy binding, it is a book that lasts.
New A chapter on writing online focuses on the rhetorical issues of e-mail, collaboration, and
Web composition.
New A chapter on public writing covers writing for business and for community work, with
annotated samples of letters, résumés, and a memo, report, proposal, flyer, newsletter, and
brochure.
New The chapter on oral presentations now includes a discussion and illustrations of
PowerPoint slides.
An integrated text and Web site
At the start of every handbook chapter, a Web box links students to the book’s companion
Web site, a powerful online resource for students and teachers.
New Most of the handbook’s exercises can now be completed online. A cross-reference to the
Web site appears in the instruction of each dual-format exercise.
More than a thousand additional self-study questions, keyed to the handbook, provide
immediate feedback for every answer.
Fifteen of the handbook’s checklists are available for students to copy and use in generating
ideas and revising their work.
More than thirty video tutorials provide explanations, examples, and tips to help students
understand concepts and techniques.
Hundreds of Web links direct students to helpful sites on the writing process, critical thinking,
argument, grammar, research, writing in the disciplines, and more.
Ten documented student research papers provide examples of writing across the curriculum.
Usage flashcards allow students to test their knowledge and practice usage.
The ―Instructor’s Resources‖ section provides links to material from the print Instructor’s
Resource Manual and Instructor’s Annotated Edition, including teaching tips and answers to
the handbook’s exercises. It also provides lists and summaries from the handbook in
transparency and PowerPoint format and links to Web sites that are useful to writing teachers.
Supplements
In addition to the companion Web site, an extensive package of supplements accompanies The
Little, Brown Handbook for both students and instructors.
For students
An asterisk precedes every supplement that is free to students when it is packaged with The
Little, Brown Handbook.
*MyCompLab with the E-book of The Little, Brown Handbook offers comprehensive online
resources in grammar, writing, and research in one dynamic, accessible place:
Grammar resources include ExerciseZone, with more than three thousand self-grading practice
questions on sentences and paragraphs; and ESL ExerciseZone, with more than seven
hundred self-grading questions.
Writing resources include a hundred writing activities involving videos, images, and Web
sites; guided assistance through the writing process, with worksheets and exercises; and an
extensive collection of sample papers from across the disciplines.
Research resources include ResearchNavigator, which provides help with the research
process, the AutoCite bibliography maker, and access to ContentSelect by EBSCOhost and
the subject-search archive of the New York Times; and Avoiding Plagiarism, which offers
tutorials in recognizing plagiarism, paraphrasing, documenting sources in MLA or APA
style, and other topics.
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Other student features of MyCompLab include Grade Tracker, a system for tracking work on
the site, and access to Longman’s English Tutor Center, offering live help from qualified
writing teachers.
The Little, Brown Workbook, by Donna Gorrell, parallels the handbook’s organization but
provides many more exercises and briefer instructional text. A separate answer key is
available.
*ESL Worksheets, by Jocelyn Steer and Dawn Schmid, provides nonnative speakers with extra
practice in typical problem areas.
*Longman Grammar and Documentation Study Card is a laminated eight-page guide to key
writing skills.
Many supplements help students in and out of writing courses: *10 Practices of Highly
Successful Students; *The Longman Writer’s Portfolio and Student Planner; *The Longman
Writer’s Journal; *The Longman Researcher’s Journal; *Peer-Evaluation Manual;
*Analyzing Literature: A Guide for Students; *Visual Communication; and the Literacy
Library, consisting of *Aca-
demic Literacy, *Workplace Literacy, and *Public Literacy.
Four references are available: *The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary; *The
Oxford American Desk Diction-ary and Thesaurus; *The Oxford Essential Thesaurus; and
The Oxford American College Dictionary.
Two programs provide resources at deep discounts: any Penguin title can be packaged with
the handbook; and Newsweek magazine is available to students in twelve-week subscriptions.
For instructors
All of the following supplements are free to confirmed adopters of The Little, Brown
Handbook.

MyCompLab offers a wealth of teaching resources:
MyCompLab Faculty Teaching Guide helps instructors make the most of this extensive

resource.
Online course-management versions are available in Course Compass, Blackboard, and
WebCT.
MyDropBox, a leading online plagiarism detection service, is available to instructors who

adopt the handbook in a Value Pack.
Instructor’s Annotated Edition of The Little, Brown Handbook provides a complete teaching
system in one book. Integrated with the student text are essays on teaching, updated reading
suggestions, specific tips for class discussions and activities, and answers to the handbook’s
exercises.
Instructor’s Resource Manual to Accompany The Little, Brown Handbook is a freestanding,
two-color paperback that includes all the teaching material and exercise answers from the
Instructor’s Annotated Edition.
The Little, Brown Handbook Answer Key provides answers to the handbook’s exercises.
Diagnostic and Editing Tests and Exercises are cross-referenced to the handbook and are
available on reproducible sheets or on CD.
Longman’s Teaching Resource Library includes works on both theory and practice.
Acknowledgments
The Little, Brown Handbook stays fresh and useful because instructors talk with Longman’s
sales representatives and editors, answer questionnaires, write detailed reviews, and send us
personal notes.
For the tenth edition, we are especially grateful to the many instructors who communicated
with us directly or through reviews, drawing on their rich experience to offer insights into the
handbook and suggestions for its improvement: Dale T. Adams, Lee College; Jonathan Ausubel,
Chaffey College; Mark Bernier, Blinn College; Jacqueline A. Blackwell, Thomas Nelson
Community College; Winfred P. Bridges, Arkansas State University; Daniel Brigham, University
of Colorado, Boulder; Lynnda L. Brown, Tulsa Community College; Melania Rosen Brown, St.
Johns River Community College; Michael Burke, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville; Mary
Joanne de Falla, Miami Dade College, InterAmerican; Suzanne Gitonga, North Lake College; Kyle
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S. Glover, Lindenwood University; Maurice A. Hunt, Baylor University; Lori Kanitz, Oral Roberts
University; Patricia Kramer, Rock Valley College; William J. Kupinse, University of Puget Sound;
Judith H. McKibbon, Jacksonville State University; Susan T. Peters, East Central College; Ingrid
Schreck, College of Marin; Annette Olsen-Fazi, Louisiana State University, Alexandria; Rita Wade
Perkins, Camden County College; R. G. Rader, Passaic County Community College; Elizabeth L.
Rambo, Campbell University; Gardner Rogers, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; John
Schaffer, Blinn College; Eric G. Waggoner, West Virginia Wesleyan College; and Pavel
Zemliansky, James Madison University.
In responding to the ideas of these thoughtful critics, we had the help of many creative people.
Carol Hollar-Zwick, development editor and sine qua non, is our ideal for can-do attitude, smart
thinking, and gentle encouragement. Brooke Hessler, Oklahoma City University, served invaluably
as a consultant on visual literacy and research writing; her ideas infuse this edition. Caroline
Crouse, University of Minnesota, guided us through the labyrinth of the contemporary library.
Susan Smith Nash, Excelsior College, advised us on disabilities issues and new technologies. And
Sylvan Barnet, Tufts University, continued to lend his expertise in the chapter ―Reading and
Writing About Literature,‖ which is adapted from his Short Guide to Writing About Literature and
Introduction to Literature (with William Burto and William E. Cain).
A superb team helped us make this book. At Longman, Brandon Hight, the book’s sponsor,
offered perceptive insights into instructors’ and students’ needs. He and Rebecca Gilpin, assistant
editor, responded enthusiastically to our many needs. Megan Galvin-Fak, marketing manager,
provided helpful ideas at key moments in development. Donna DeBenedictis applied a long view
and a sharp eye to overseeing production. At Nesbitt Graphics, Jerilyn Bockorick created both the
striking new design and the clear page layouts, and
Susan McIntyre worked her now-customary miracles of scheduling and management to produce the

book. We are grateful to all these collaborators.
Contents
Preface for Students: Using This Book iii
Preface for Instructors vii
Assessing the Writing Situation 2
Understanding how writing happens 2
Analyzing the writing situation 4
Discovering and limiting a subject 6
Considering the audience 9
Defining a purpose 13
Developing and Shaping Ideas 16
Discovering ideas 16
Developing a thesis 27
Organizing ideas 32
SAMPLE ESSAY 42
Drafting and Revising 44
Writing the first draft 45
Revising the first draft 48
Examining a sample revision 54
Editing the revised draft 58
Preparing and proofreading the final draft 62
EXAMINING A FINAL DRAFT 63
Giving and receiving comments 66
Preparing a writing portfolio 69
Writing and Revising Paragraphs 70
Maintaining paragraph unity 72
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Achieving paragraph coherence 77
Developing the paragraph 90
Writing special kinds of paragraphs 102
Linking paragraphs in the essay 109
Designing Documents 111
Designing academic papers and other documents 111
Considering principles of design 112
Using the elements of design 116
Using illustrations 120
Considering readers with disabilities 125
Writing in Academic Situations 128
Becoming an academic writer 128
Analyzing audience 129
Determining purpose 130
Choosing structure and content 131
Using academic language 132
Studying Effectively and Taking Exams 135
Managing your time 135
Listening and taking notes in class 137
Reading for comprehension 138
Preparing for and taking exams 142
Sample essay exams 147
Forming a Critical Perspective 150
Thinking and reading critically 151
Viewing images critically 164
Writing critically 172
SAMPLE CRITIQUE OF A TEXT 173
SAMPLE CRITIQUE OF AN IMAGE 175
Reading Arguments Critically 179
Recognizing the elements of argument 179
Testing claims 180
Weighing evidence 183
Discovering assumptions 187
Watching language, hearing tone 188
Judging reasonableness 189
Recognizing fallacies 192
Writing an Argument 199
Finding a subject 199
Conceiving a thesis statement 200
Analyzing your purpose and your audience 201
Using reason 202
Using evidence 207
Reaching your readers 208
Organizing your argument 212
Revising your argument 213
EXAMINING A SAMPLE ARGUMENT 214
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Reading and Using Visual Arguments 219
Reading visual arguments critically 219
Using visual arguments effectively 225
Understanding Sentence Grammar 232
Understanding the basic sentence 233
Expanding the basic sentence with single words 242
Expanding the basic sentence with word groups 244
Compounding words, phrases, and clauses 258
Changing the usual word order 263
Classifying sentences 265
Case of Nouns and Pronouns 267
Compound subjects and complements 268
Compound objects 269
We or us with a noun 270
Appositives 270
Pronoun after than or as in a comparison 271
Subjects and objects of infinitives 271
Who vs. whom 271
Case before a gerund 274
Verbs 275
Verb Forms 275
Regular and irregular verbs 278
Sit and set; lie and lay; rise and raise 281
Omitted -s and -ed endings 282
Helping verbs 283
Verb plus gerund or infinitive 288
Verb plus particle 291
Tense 292
Appropriate tense for meaning 294
Sequence of tenses 296
Mood 299
Subjunctive verb forms 300
Voice 302
Active vs. passive voice 303
Agreement 305
Agreement between subject and verb 305
Agreement between pronoun and antecedent 313
Adjectives and Adverbs 319
Adjectives only with nouns and pronouns 320
Adjectives after linking verbs 320
Adjectives with objects; adverbs with verbs 321
Comparative and superlative forms 322
Double negatives 324
Overuse of nouns as modifiers 325
Present and past participles as adjectives 325
A, an, the, and other determiners 326
Sentence Fragments 334