The Canadian Writer's Handbook, Third Essentials Edition is a streamlined version of the successful Concise Canadian Writer's Handbook. The Essentials Edition uses the accessible, well-organized, and classroom-tested structure of the full volume, and continues to feature descriptions and examples of the entire writing process, from basic grammar, to constructing sentences and paragraphs, to pre-writing, composing, proofreading, and editing. This new edition includes more coverage of how to quote and paraphrase to avoid plagiarism, and has updated coverage of MLA, APA, Chicago, CSE, and IEEE styles, and a new MLA student research paper.

Important Topics for EAL Students Preface PART I: Essentials of Composition 1. The Writing Process: Planning, Writing, and Revising the Whole Essay 1a Finding and Limiting a Subject 1b Considering Audience and Purpose 1c Gathering and Organizing Evidence 1d Crafting a Thesis Statement 1e Crafting an Outline 1f Writing a First Draft 1g Beginnings 1h Revising, Editing, and Proofreading 1i Preparing the Final Draft 2. Paragraphs 2a Unity 2b Organizational Coherence 2c Structural Coherence 2d Emphasis and Variety PART II: Essentials of Grammar and Style: Sentences 3. Sentence Elements and Patterns 3a Subject and Predicate, Noun and Verb 3b Modifiers 3c Structure Words 3d Phrases 3e Independent (Main) Clauses 3f Subordinate (Dependent) Clauses 3g Kinds of Sentences: Grammatical Types 4. Working with Sentence Elements to Create Variety and Emphasis 4a Basic Sentence Elements and Their Modifiers 4b Variety in Sentence Lengths 4c Variety in Kinds of Sentences 4d Variety in Sentence Structures 4e Emphasizing a Whole Sentence 4f Emphasis by Position and Word Order 4g Emphasis by Repetition 4h Emphasis by Contrast 4i Emphasis by Syntax 5. Common Sentence Problems 5a Sentence Fragments 5b Comma Splices 5c Run-on (Fused) Sentences 5d Misplaced Modifiers 5e Dangling Modifiers 5f Mixed Constructions 5g Shifts in Perspective: Inconsistent Point of View 5h Faulty Parallelism PART III: Essentials of Grammar and Style: Parts of Speech; Diction 6. Nouns 6a Inflection of Nouns: Number; Possessive Case 6b Grammatical Functions of Nouns 6c Nouns and Articles: a, an, and the 6d Nouns and Inclusive Language 7. Pronouns 7a Pronoun Types 7b Case 7c Agreement of Pronouns with Their Antecedents 7d Pronoun Reference 7e Pronouns and Inclusive Language 7f Sensitive Language 8. Verbs 8a Transitive, Intransitive, and Linking Verbs 8b Inflection of Verbs: Principal Parts 8c Irregular Verbs 8d Auxiliary Verbs 8e Verb Tenses and Their Functions 8f Tense Sequence 8g Mood 8h Voice 9. Agreement Between Subject and Verb 9a Words Intervening Between Subject and Verb 9b Compound Subjects 9c Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns 9d Subject Following Verb 9e Agreement with Relative Pronouns 10. Adjectives 10a Kinds of Adjectives 10b Comparison of Descriptive Adjectives 10c Placement and Ordering of Adjectives 11. Adverbs 11a Kinds and Functions of Adverbs 11b Comparison of Adverbs 11c Placement of Adverbs 12. Verbals 12a Infinitives 12b Participles 12c Gerunds 13. Connecting Words; Interjections 13a Prepositions 13b Conjunctions: Coordinate, Correlative, Subordinate 13c Interjections 14. Diction 14a Level 14b Concrete and Abstract Diction 14c Euphemisms 14d Wrong Words 14e Idiom 14f Wordiness, Cliches, Jargon, and Associated Problems 14g Usage: A Checklist of Troublesome Words and Phrases PART IV: Essentials of Punctuation 15. The Comma 15a The Comma with Coordinating Conjunctions 15b The Comma with Items in a Series 15c The Comma with an Introductory Word, Phrase, or Subordinate Clause 15d The Comma with Nonrestrictive Elements 15e The Comma with Sentence Interrupters 16. The Semicolon 16a The Semicolon with Independent Clauses 16b The Semicolon with Conjunctive Adverbs and Transitions 16c The Semicolon with Items in a Series 17. The Colon 17a The Colon with Items in a Series 17b The Colon Between a Title and a Subtitle 17c The Colon in the Salutation of a Business Letter 17d The Colon Introducing a Block Quotation 18. The Dash 18a The Dash with Items in a Series 18b The Dash with Sentence Interrupters 19. Parentheses 20. Quotation Marks 20a Quotation Marks with Direct Speech 20b Quotation Marks with Direct Quotation from a Source 20c Single Quotation Marks for a Quotation Within a Quotation 20d Quotation Marks Around Words Used in a Special Sense 20e Other Marks with Quotation Marks 20f Ellipses for Omissions 21. Brackets 22. The Period 23. The Question Mark 24. The Exclamation Point 25. Checklist for Avoiding Common Errors in Punctuation PART V: Essentials of Mechanics and Spelling 26. Abbreviations 26a Titles Before Proper Names 26b Titles and Degrees After Proper Names 26c Standard Words Used with Dates and Numerals 26d Agencies and Organizations Known by Their Initials 26e Scientific and Technical Terms Known by Their Initials 26f Latin Expressions Commonly Used in English 26g Terms in Official Titles 27. Capitalization 27a Names and Nicknames 27b Professional and Honorific Titles 27c Place Names 27d Months, Days, and Holidays 27e Religious Names 27f Names of Nationalities and Organizations 27g Names of Institutions and Sections of Government, Historical Events, and Buildings 27h Academic Courses and Languages 27i Derivatives of Proper Nouns 27j Abbreviations of Proper Nouns 27k Titles of Written and Other Works 27-l First Words 27m Personification or Emphasis 28. Titles 28a Quotation Marks for Short Works and Parts of Longer Works 28b Italics for Whole or Major Works 28c Titles Within Titles 29. Italics 29a Names of Ships and Planes 29b Non-English Words and Phrases 29c Words Referred to as Words 29d For Emphasis 30. Numerals 30a Time of Day 30b Dates 30c Addresses 30d Technical and Mathematical Numbers 30e Parts of a Written Work 30f Fractions 30g Numbers of More Than Two Words 30h Commas with Numerals 31. Spelling Rules and Common Causes of Error 31a ie or ei 31b Final e Before a Suffix 31c Final y After a Consonant and Before a Suffix 31d Doubling of a Final Consonant Before a Suffix 31e The Suffix ly 31f Troublesome Word Endings 31g Changes in Spelling of Roots 31h Faulty Pronunciation 31i Confusion with Other Words 31j Homophones and Other Words Sometimes Confused 31k Hyphenation 31-l Plurals 31m Apostrophes to Indicate Omission 31n Possessives PART VI: Essentials of Research: Planning, Writing, and Documenting Sources 32. The Research Plan 32a Formulating Research Questions 32b Designing a Timeline 32c Identifying and Evaluating Sources 32d Producing a Preliminary Bibliography 32e Notetaking 33. Writing the Essay 34. Acknowledging Sources 35. Quotation, Paraphrase, Summary, and Academic Integrity 35a Legitimate Paraphrase 35b Illegitimate Paraphrase 35c Paraphrase and Quotation Mixed 35d Summary 35e Maintaining Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism 35f Integrating and Contextualizing Quotations 36. Documentation 36a The Name-Page Method (MLA Style) 36b The Name-Date Method (APA Style) 36c The Note Method (Chicago Style) 36d CSE Number Method 36e IEEE Method Index