Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

This is the one guide that anyone who writes--whether student, business person, or professional writer--should put on the desk beside pencil, pen, typewriter, or word processor. Filled with professional tips and a wealth of instructive examples, this valuable, easy-to-use handbook can help you solve any and all writing problems.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Introduction(p. xiii)
• I. Nine Ways to Improve Your Writing When You're Not Writing(p. 1)
• 1. Get Some Reference Books(p. 3)
• 2. Expand Your Vocabulary(p. 5)
• 3. Improve Your Spelling(p. 6)
• 4. Read(p. 8)
• 5. Take a Class(p. 9)
• 6. Eavesdrop(p. 11)
• 7. Research(p. 12)
• 8. Write in Your Head(p. 14)
• 9. Choose a Time and Place(p. 15)
• II. Nine Ways to Overcome Writer's Block(p. 17)
• 1. Copy Something(p. 19)
• 2. Keep a Journal(p. 20)
• 3. Talk About What You're Writing(p. 21)
• 4. Touch Your Toes(p. 22)
• 5. Do Writing Exercises(p. 22)
• 6. Organize Your Material(p. 23)
• 7. Make a List(p. 24)
• 8. Picture a Reader(p. 25)
• 9. Ask Yourself Why You Are Writing(p. 26)
• III. Five Ways to Write a Strong Beginning(p. 29)
• 1. Find a Slant(p. 31)
• 2. Write a Strong Lead(p. 32)
• 3. Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep(p. 36)
• 4. Set a Tone and Maintain It(p. 36)
• 5. Begin at the Beginning(p. 38)
• IV. Nine Ways to Save Time and Energy(p. 41)
• 1. Use Pyramid Construction(p. 43)
• 2. Use Topic Sentences(p. 44)
• 3. Write Short Paragraphs(p. 46)
• 4. Use Transitional Phrases(p. 46)
• 5. Don't Explain When You Don't Have To(p. 48)
• 6. Use Bridge Words(p. 49)
• 7. Avoid Wordiness(p. 50)
• 8. Steal(p. 51)
• 9. Stop Writing When You Get to the End(p. 52)
• V. Ten Ways to Develop Style(p. 55)
• 1. Think About Style(p. 57)
• 2. Listen to What You Write(p. 58)
• 3. Mimic Spoken Language(p. 59)
• 4. Vary Sentence Length(p. 60)
• 5. Vary Sentence Construction(p. 61)
• 6. Write Complete Sentences(p. 63)
• 7. Show, Don't Tell(p. 65)
• 8. Keep Related Words Together(p. 66)
• 9. Use Parallel Construction(p. 67)
• 10. Don't Force a Personal Style(p. 68)
• VI. Twelve Ways to Give Your Words Power(p. 71)
• 1. Use Short Words(p. 73)
• 2. Use Dense Words(p. 74)
• 3. Use Familiar Words(p. 74)
• 4. Use Active Verbs(p. 75)
• 5. Use Strong Verbs(p. 76)
• 6. Use Specific Nouns(p. 78)
• 7. Use the Active Voice...Most of the Time(p. 80)
• 8. Say Things in a Positive Way ... Most of the Time(p. 82)
• 9. Be Specific(p. 83)
• 10. Use Statistics(p. 85)
• 11. Provide Facts(p. 86)
• 12. Put Emphatic Words at the End(p. 87)
• VII. Eleven Ways to Make People Like What You Write(p. 89)
• 1. Make Yourself Likable(p. 91)
• 2. Write About People(p. 92)
• 3. Show Your Opinion(p. 93)
• 4. Obey Your Own Rules(p. 95)
• 5. Use Anecdotes(p. 96)
• 6. Use Examples(p. 97)
• 7. Name Your Sources(p. 98)
• 8. Provide Useful Information(p. 100)
• 9. Use Quotations(p. 100)
• 10. Use Quotes(p. 102)
• 11. Create a Strong Title(p. 104)
• VIII. Ten Ways to Avoid Grammatical Errors(p. 105)
• 1. Respect the Rules of Grammar(p. 107)
• 2. Do Not Change Tenses(p. 108)
• 3. Know How to Use the Possessive Case(p. 109)
• 4. Make Verbs Agree With Their Subjects(p. 110)
• 5. Avoid Dangling Modifiers(p. 112)
• 6. Avoid Shifts in Pronoun Forms(p. 112)
• 7. Avoid Splitting Infinitives(p. 113)
• 8. Avoid These Common Mistakes(p. 114)
• 9. Be Sensitive to Changes in the Language(p. 115)
• 10. Prefer Good Writing to Good Grammar(p. 116)
• IX. Six Ways to Avoid Punctuation Errors(p. 119)
• 1. Use Orthodox Punctuation(p. 121)
• 2. Know When to Use a Comma(p. 122)
• 3. Know When to Use a Semicolon(p. 126)
• 4. Know When to Use a Colon(p. 127)
• 5. Use Exclamation Points Only When Exclaiming and Question Marks Only When Asking Questions(p. 127)
• 6. Know How to Use Quotation Marks(p. 128)
• X. Twelve Ways to Avoid Making Your Reader Hate You(p. 133)
• 1. Avoid Jargon(p. 135)
• 2. Avoid Cliches(p. 136)
• 3. Avoid Parentheses(p. 137)
• 4. Avoid Footnotes(p. 138)
• 5. Don't Use Transitions to Conceal Information(p. 138)
• 6. Don't Acknowledge When You Should Explain(p. 139)
• 7. Don't Hide Behind Your Words(p. 140)
• 8. Don't Intrude(p. 142)
• 9. Don't Play Words Games(p. 143)
• 10. Don't Play the Tom Wolfe Game(p. 143)
• 11. Don't Play the Mystery Game(p. 144)
• 12. Don't Cheat(p. 145)
• XI. Seven Ways to Edit Yourself(p. 149)
• 1. Read Your Work Out Loud(p. 151)
• 2. Cut Unnecessary Words(p. 152)
• 3. Think About What You Have Written(p. 153)
• 4. Ask Yourself These Questions(p. 154)
• 5. Follow These Rules of Form for Titles(p. 155)
• 6. Prepare a Perfect Manuscript(p. 156)
• 7. Use Common Sense(p. 156)

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