Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Genre-specific editing and proofreading advice is given in two sections in each Guide to Writing in the Part One chapters: “Sentence Strategies” and “Editing and Proofreading.” The hardcover version of The Guide also includes a concise yet remarkably comprehensive handbook with coverage of syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
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We have written this book with you, the student reading and using it, always in the forefront of our minds. Although it is a long book that covers many different topics, at its heart is a simple message: The best way to become a good writer is to study ex- amples of good writing, then to apply what you have learned from those examples to your own work. Accordingly, we have provided numerous carefully selected examples of the kinds of writing you are likely to do both in and out of college, and we have ac- companied them with detailed advice on writing your own essays. In this Preface, we explain how the various parts of the book work together to achieve this goal.
The Organization of the Book Following Chapter 1 — an introduction to writing that gives general advice about how to approach different parts of a writing assignment — The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing is divided into six major parts:
Part One: Writing Activities (Chapters 2–10)
Part Two: Critical Thinking Strategies (Chapters 11 and 12)
Part Three: Writing Strategies (Chapters 13–21)
Part Four: Research Strategies (Chapters 22–25)
Part Five: Writing for Assessment (Chapters 26 and 27)
Part Six: Writing and Speaking to Wider Audiences (Chapters 28–30)
This hardcover version of the book also includes a Handbook that you can refer to for help with grammar, punctuation, word choice, common ESL problems, and similar issues.
The Part One Chapters
For now, to understand how to use the book effectively to improve your writing, you first need to know that the most important part — the part that all of the rest depends on — is Part One, Chapters 2 through 10. Each of these chapters is orga- nized to teach you about one important specific genre, or type of writing:
autobiography
profile of a person, activity, or place
Preface for Students: How to Use The St. Martin’s Guide