Media Writer's Handbook

Appropriate for media writing courses as either a primary or supplemental text, Media Writer's Handbook is a primer for anyone who really wants to understand the grammatical and stylistic elements of good writing. Long after being a teaching tool in the classroom, it functions as a resource book that students and professionals can place on their desks alongside their dictionaries and stylebooks.Part 1 (offering immediate help) has been expanded from four to six chapters. Chapter 5 demonstrates how the word "only" can be insensitive if used incorrectly and can give an unintended meaning if placed incorrectly within a sentence. Chapter 6 offers brief explanations and helpful lists of some of the most puzzling plural and possessive endings in the English language. More than 260 additions have been made to the five reference sections in Part 4 (bringing the total to approximately 1,200 examples overall). The supplementary workbook now offers 30 daily lessons and 63 exercises. The workbook is now available FREE to students on the Online Learning Center, joining the "Test Yourself" exercises at the end of each related chapter from the textbook. The Instructor's Manual, now available on CD-ROM, contains answers and explanations for the workbook materials, as well as quizzes and tests that can be graded in part by computer. This text covers all the building blocks of good writing, from adjectives to apostrophes, with examples that will speak to journalism students and media professionals alike. Media Writer's Handbook can be used as a quick-reference guide for grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary; it can be used, along with its companion workbook and Instructor's Resource CD-ROM, for a complete language skills course; or it can be used as a supplement in other writing, reporting, or editing courses. Chapter 1, "25 Ways to Improve Writing Immediately," addresses commonly made yet easily corrected errors. The listed explanations and corrections allow students to jump immediately into writing. Part III, "Quick Reference," is divided into five easy-to-use sections to help students solve problems in word confusion, misspelling, irregular verbs, wordiness, and word choice.