The Little, Brown Handbook

984 Pages·2011·12.629 MB·English

by  H. Ramsey Fowler, Jane E. Aaron

Why do you need
this new edition?
This edition of The Little, Brown
Handbook differs from the previ-
ousedition in countless ways.
Here are six that make the
book indispensable:
1. Media-rich eText versions for MyCompLab, sources.(cid:2)Updated annotated sample
MyWritingLab,and the iPad(cid:2)Video tutori- sourcesillustrate how to find and format
alsillustrate key principles.(cid:2)Podcastsdis- bibliographic information in articles and
cuss common questions about grammar and books and on Web sites.
usage.(cid:2)Sample papers and documentspro- 4. More help with the writing process(cid:2)Cov-
vide models of common writing assignments.
erage of thesisexplains how to pose a thesis
(cid:2)Exercisesfrom the handbook and addi- question and move from the question to a
tional exercises give opportunities for prac-
thesis statement.(cid:2)Coverage of paragraphs
tice.(cid:2)Checklistsfrom the handbook allow foregrounds relating paragraphs in an essay.
you to adapt key summaries for your own
use(cid:2)MyCompLaband MyWritingLabinclude 5. New help with visual and media literacy
additional resources on grammar, writing, (cid:2)A new chapter on presenting writinghelps
and research. you make choices when designing docu-
ments, using visuals and other media, writing
2. More help with research writing(cid:2)An intro- for the Web, and making oral presentations.
ductionon joining the academic community
(cid:2)Chapters on critical reading, reading argu-
provides tips for succeeding in face-to-face
ments, and working with sourcesshow how
and online classes.(cid:2)Discussions of genre to analyze ads, graphs, and other visuals.
help you get started on college writing assign-
ments.(cid:2)Discussions of academic integrity 6. More help with grammar and usage(cid:2)More
andwritingresponsiblythroughout help you than twenty new and revised exercisesgive
write successfully in an academic setting. hands-on practice.(cid:2)New and revised
3. More help with research writing and docu- LCAUNLGTUUARGEE notesprovide added help if you are
using standard American English as a second
mentation(cid:2)A revised chapter on plagiarism language or dialect.(cid:2)Revised chapters on
helps you recognize and avoid plagiarism.
effectivewordsdiscuss and illustrate online
(cid:2)Material on evaluating online sources— dictionaries and thesauruses and give tips for
Web sites, social-networking sites, blogs,
avoiding the shortcuts of online communica-
wikis, and multimedia—shows you how to
tion in academic writing.
distinguish between reliable and unreliable

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TWELFTH EDITION
The Little, Brown
Handbook
H. Ramsey Fowler
St. Edward’s University
Jane E. Aaron
Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco
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Executive Editor: Suzanne Phelps Chambers
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Production Manager: Bob Ginsberg
Project Coordination, Text Design, and Electronic Page Makeup:
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Cover Designer: Kay Petronio
Cover Image: jocic/Shutterstock
Senior Manufacturing Buyer: Roy L. Pickering, Jr.
Printer and Binder: RR Donnelley & Sons Company/Crawfordsville
Cover Printer: Lehigh-Phoenix
Credits and acknowledgments for material borrowed from other sources
and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on pages 885–86.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fowler, H. Ramsey (Henry Ramsey)
The Little, Brown handbook / H. Ramsey Fowler, Jane E. Aaron. — 12th ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-205-21307-8
ISBN-10: 0-205-21307-3
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 2011
808'.042—dc23
2011034317
Copyright © 2012, 2010, 2007, 2004 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This pub-
lication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from
the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval sys-
tem, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material
from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc.,
Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1—DOC—14 13 12 11
ISBN 10: 0-205-21307-3
ISBN 13: 978-0-205-21307-8
www.pearsonhighered.com
Preface for Students:
Using This Book
TheLittle, Brown Handbookis a basic resource that will answer
almost any question you have about writing. Here you can find how
to get ideas, develop paragraphs, punctuate quotations, find sources
for research projects, cite sources, or write a résumé. The handbook
can help you not only in writing courses but also in other courses
and outside of 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 whatyou want
in the wayyou want.
Reference aids
You have many ways to find what you need in the handbook:
(cid:2) Use the directory.“Plan of the Book,” inside the front cover, dis-
plays the book’s entire contents.
(cid:2) Use a glossary. “Glossary of Usage” (pp. 845–61) clarifies more
than 275 words that are commonly confused and misused.
“Glossary of Terms” (pp. 862–84) defines more than 350 words
used in discussing writing.
(cid:2) Use the index. Beginning on page 887, the extensive index in-
cludes every term, concept, and problem word or expression
mentioned in the book.
(cid:2) Use a list. Three helpful aids fall inside the book’s back cover:
(1) “ LCAUNLGTUUARGEE Guide” pulls together all the book’s material for stu-
dents who are 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) “Use-
ful Lists and Summaries” indexes topics that students fre-
quently ask about.
(cid:2) 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.
vii
viii Preface for students: Using this book
The handbook’s page elements
Running head (header)
showing the topic being 368 Pronoun reference
discussed on this page
Principal causes of unclear pronoun reference
Icon for the eText link- (cid:2)More than one possible antecedent(below):
ipnogd tcoa sat ,v sidameop tleu tdooricaul,- tuVtidoerioal Confusing Tcool okerienpg .birds from eating seeds, soak themin blue food
ment, student paper, Clear To keep birds from eating seeds, soak the seedsin blue
exercise, or checklist food coloring.
(cid:2)Antecedent too far away(facing page):
Confusing Employees should consult with their supervisor whore-
quire personal time.
Summary or checklist box Clear Employees whorequire personal time should consult
providing key information in with their supervisor.
accessible form (cid:2)Antecedent only implied(p. 370):
Confusing Many children begin reading on their own by watching
television, but thisshould probably be discounted in gov-
ernment policy.
Section heading,a main Clear Many children begin reading on their own by watching
convention or topic labeled television, but such self-instructionshould probably be
with the section code, 19a: discounted in government policy.
chapter number (19) and sec- See also pages 371–72.
tion letter (a)
Page tab containing the ref 19a Make a pronoun refer clearly to one antecedent.
section code (19a) and 19a When either of two nouns can be a pronoun’s antecedent, the
editing symbol (ref) reference will not be clear:
Confusing Emily Dickinson is sometimes compared with Jane Austen,
Podcast but sh?ewas quite different.
Examples,always indented,
Revise such a sentence in one of two ways:
with underlining and annota-
tions highlighting sentence (cid:2)Replace the pronoun with the appropriate noun:
elements and revisions Clear Emily Dickinson is sometimes compared with Jane Austen,
but Dickinson[or Austen] was quite different.
(cid:2)Avoid repetition by rewriting the sentence.If you use the pro-
noun, make sure it has only one possible antecedent:
Clear Despite occasional comparison, Emily Dickinson and Jane
Austen were quite different.
Sentences that report what someone said, using verbs such as
saidortold, often require direct rather than indirect quotation.
Web boxlinking to the eText
andMyCompLab
Visit mycomplab.comfor the eText and for resources and
more exercises on pronoun reference.
Culture-language con-
LCAUNLGTUUARGEE Anena Erbnyg, libsuht pdroonn’ot uuns ed booesth n eae pdr ao ncoleuanr aanndte citesd aennt- nsteucdteionnts, uas pinogin sttearn fdoarrd
tecedent as the subject of the same sentence or clause: Jim[notJim
American English as a
he]told Mark to go alone.(See also pp. 391–92.)
second language or a
Exercise 19.3 Revising: Pronoun reference second dialect
Revise the following paragraph so that each pronoun refers clearly to a
single specific and appropriate antecedent. Exerciseproviding op-
Exercise
In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, she is a shy young woman that takes portunity for practice
a job as governess. Her employer is a rude, brooding man named
Rochester. He lives in a mysterious mansion on the English moors, which
contributes an eerie quality to Jane’s experience. Eerier still are the fires,
strange noises, and other unexplained happenings in the house; but
Rochester refuses to discuss this. Eventually, they fall in love. On the day
Preface for students: Using this book ix
Content and organization
An overview of the handbook’s contents appears inside the front
cover. Briefly, the book divides into the following sections:
(cid:2) Introduction: Participating in the academic community, includ-
ing getting the most from your classes and developing your in-
tegrity as a student and writer.
(cid:2) Chapters 1–5: The writing process, writing and revising para-
graphs, and presenting your writing in print, online, and orally.
(cid:2) Chapters 6–11: Reading and writing in and out of college, with
chapters on critical thinking and reading, academic writing,
reading arguments, writing arguments, taking essay exams, and
public writing.
(cid:2) Chapters 12–26: Sentence basics, including the conventions of
English grammar, errors that affect clarity, and techniques of
effective sentences.
(cid:2) Chapters 27–36: Punctuation and mechanics (capital letters,
italics, and the like).
(cid:2) Chapters 37–40: Words—how to use them appropriately and pre-
cisely, how to edit them for conciseness, how to spell them.
(cid:2) Chapters 41–47: Research writing, from planning through re-
vising, with detailed help on finding and evaluating electronic
sources, a complete guide to citing sources, and two sample
papers.
(cid:2) Chapters 48–52: Writing in the academic disciplines, including
concepts, tools, and source citations in literature, other humani-
ties, the social sciences, and the natural and applied sciences.
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. 177–79.) 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 conversa-
tion and that of careful writing, the handbook provides examples of
each and labels them spokenandwritten. When usage in writing it-
self 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 accepted by all readers.
Print and eText versions
The Little, Brown Handbook is available as a print book and in
several electronic versions: