PART 1 The Basics 1 Words a Nouns b Pronouns c Verbs d Adjectives e Articles f Adverbs g Prepositions h Conjunctions i Interjections 2 Phrases a Noun phrases b Infinitive phrases c Gerund phrases d Prepositional phrases e -ing and -ed phrases f Appositive phrases 3 Clauses a Independent clauses b Dependent clauses 4 Sentences a Sentence parts b Sentence patterns c Question patterns d Kinds of sentences PART 2 Clear Sentences 5 Connecting Ideas a Coordination b Subordination c Coordination or subordination? 6 Connecting Ideas by Coordination a Making compound sentences b Connecting words coordinating conjunctions c Connecting words with correlative conjunctions d Using parallel forms 7 Connecting Ideas by Subordination a Making complex sentences b Using appositives c Using -ing and -ed phrases d Using shortened adverb clauses 8 Common Sentence Problems a Fragments b Run-together sentences c Choppy writing d Overuse of and, but, and so 9 Word Order a Normal word order b Inverted (verb-subject) word order c Word order of direct and indirect objects d Varying sentence openings 10 Word Choice a Dictionaries and thesauruses b Informal language and slang c Gender-sensitive (sexist) language PART 3 Grammar 11 Verb Forms and Tenses a Verb forms b Verb tenses c Special tense combinations d Modals e Passive voice 12 Special Situations with Verbs a Gerunds b Infinitives c Gerunds vs. infinitives d Phrasal verbs 13 Subject-Verb Agreement a Singular subject b Singular or plural subjects c Plural subjects d Confusing situations 14 Nouns: Count and Noncount a Count nouns b Noncount nouns c Count or noncount nouns d Expressing quantity 15 Articles a For generic nouns: a, an, or no article ( æ ) b For indefinite articles: a, an, or some c For definite nouns: the d Idiomatic uses of articles e Choosing the right article 16 Pronouns a Subject, object, and possessive forms b Special situations c Myself, ourselves d Each other and one another 17 Pronoun Agreement a With indefinite pronouns: someone, everybody b With generic nouns: a student, an employee c With collective nouns: team, class d With either ...or and neither ... nor 18 Pronouns: Unclear Reference 19 Adjectives and Adverbs: Position a Position of adjectives b Position of adverbs 20 Special Situations with Adjectives a Agreement of adjectives b Order of adjectives c Participial adjectives: boring or bored? 21 Comparisons a Equal degree: as big as, the same size as b Comparative and superlative degrees: bigger than, the biggest; more difficult than, the most difficult c Parallel forms with comparisons 22 Negatives a No vs. not b Double negatives 23 Adjective Clauses a Subject pronouns: who, which, that b Object pronouns: whom, which, that, æ (no pronoun) c Possessive pronoun: whose d Relative adverbs: where and when e Punctuation of adjective clauses PART 4 Punctuation 24 End Punctuation a Periods b Question marks c Exclamation points 25 Commas a In compound sentences b After introducers c Around extra-information modifiers d With transition signals e With direct quotations f With items in a series g Other uses of commas 26 Semicolons a In compound sentences b In compound sentences with transition signals c In a series containing commas 27 Colons a In sentences b Other uses of colons 28 Apostrophes a With possessives b In contractions and in years c With special plurals 29 Quotation Marks a With direct quotations b Other uses of quotation marks 30 Parentheses 31 Dashes 32 Brackets and Ellipses PART 5 Mechanics 33 Capital Letters a Pronoun I b First word of a sentence c Proper nouns and most proper adjectives d Titles and subtitles of works e Greetings and closings in letters f Certain abbreviations 34 Hyphens a In compound words b Dividing words at the end of a line 35 Underlining and Italics a Titles of long works b Foreign words c Numbers, letters, and words used as words 36 Abbreviations a Titles of people b Dates and times c Familiar abbreviations d Postal codes e Latin abbreviations f Words usually not abbreviated 37 Numbers a Numbers written as words b Numbers written as numerals c Forming plural numbers 38 Spelling a ei or ie rule b Adding suffixes c Forming plurals d British and American spelling PART 6 Writing and Revising 39 Writing in English 40 The Writing Process a Creating b Organizing c Writing d Polishing 41 Paragraphs a Topic sentence b Supporting sentences c Paragraph unity d Paragraph coherence e Concluding sentence f Patterns of paragraph organization 42 Essays a Introduction b Body c Conclusion d Patterns of essay organization PART 7 Formats 43 Writing on a Computer 44 Document Formats a Academic papers (MLA style) b Lab reports c Business documents d E-mail 45 Research Papers a Making a schedule b Taking a library tour c Choosing a topic d Collecting information e Reading and taking notes f Writing and revising the paper g Citing your sources (MLA style) h Sample research paper PART 8 Reference Lists 46 Irregular Verbs 47 Verb + Prepositions Combinations 48 Phrasal Verbs 49 Adjective + Preposition Combinations 50 Pairs of -ing / -ed Adjectives 51 Proper Nouns with The 52 Connecting Words 53 Transition Signals 54 Troublesome Words 55 Editing Symbols 56 APA Style Answer Key

From grammar and punctuation to the creation of essays and business letters, The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook is a must-have reference tool for today's writer. As easy to use as a dictionary, this handbook is designed specifically for non-native English speakers: Pays extra attention to articles, phrasal verbs, subordinate clauses, and other commonly troublesome items. Uses everyday language and simple sentence structure in both explanations and examples. Examples reflect topics of multicultural interest. Includes reference lists especially helpful to non-native speakers.Each part focuses on a single topic, building from sentence structure and mechanics to writing, revising, and proper formatting. Students also learn how to write a research paper in the MLA and APA styles. Practice exercises provide immediate application, and "Special Tips" throughout indicate common errors, explain confusing points, and offer helpful hints. The Essentials of English includes eight parts, an answer key, and an index: The Basics Clear Sentences Grammar Punctuation Mechanics Writing and Revising Formats Research Papers Reference Lists Exercises to Accompany The Essentials of English provides additional practice related to the writing process, sentence structure, grammar, pronunciation, and more.

From grammar and punctuation to the creation of essays and business letters, The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook, by Ann Hogue, is a must-have reference tool for today's writer. As easy to use as a dictionary, this handbook is designed specifically for non-native English speakers. The Essentials of English pays extra attention to articles, phrasal verbs, subordinate clauses, and other commonly troublesome items. The book uses everyday language and simple sentence structure in both explanations and examples. The examples reflect topics of multicultural interest. Each part focuses on a single topic, building from sentence structure and mechanics to writing, revising, and proper formatting. Students also learn how to write a research paper in the MLA and APA styles. Practice exercises provide immediate application, and 'Special Tips' throughout indicate common errors, explain confusing points, and offer helpful hints.

Features and Benefits F: Emphasis on problems common to intermediate to high-intermediate ESL writers.B: Gives students what they need without exposing them to material less relevant to their concerns. F: Simple and clear explanations and examples written in everyday language.B: Makes material accessible to students. F: Eight tabbed sections: The Basics; Clear Sentences; Grammar; Punctuation; Mechanics; Writing and Revising Formats; Lists; Appendices.B: Makes it easy for students to find what they are looking for. F: Sections on business letters, resume writing, memos, etc.B: Meets non-academic needs of students. F: Lists geared to ESL students’ needs, including irregular verbs, transition signals, two-word verbs, verb + gerund/infinitive, adjective + preposition.B: Provides quick and easy answers to common questions.