Writer's Handbook, The, 6th edition

Published by Pearson (31 January 2019) © 2020

  • Lester Faigley University of Texas at Austin

Title overview

For courses in Writing.

Applying the fundamentals of good writing to a modern world

The Writer's Handbook (formerly The Brief Penguin Handbook) teaches the qualities of good writing that remain timeless even in the face of rapid digital change. Building on his experiences as a writing teacher, Faigley emphasizes clarity, brevity, readability, consistency and effective design. Accurate documentation, freedom from errors and the ability to capture a human voice are also emphasized as essential.

The 6th Edition is designed to help students find the right information at the right time, without overwhelming them with unnecessary detail. Complicated subjects are broken down into processes that empower students to develop and employ critical skills in their writing.

Hallmark features of this title

Designed to help students easily find the information they need

  • Faigley's strategic approach puts the knowledge students need at their fingertips without bogging them down in unnecessary details.
  • Key information stands out visually and verbally so students can easily browse the text for timely answers and advice.
  • Written for clarity and efficiency, the text breaks complicated processes down into clear, simple steps.
  • New ideas and terms are highlighted offering explanations and definitions in accessible language.
  • Comprehensive content on research includes thorough coverage of plagiarism and integrating sources.
  • Online research is appropriately emphasized with coverage on evaluating, incorporating, and citing database sources and electronic sources.
  • Free download: The Pearson Guide to the 2021 MLA Handbook.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: Critical thinking, critical reading, and academic writing discussions have been expanded and enriched with new content.
  • UPDATED: Writing in the disciplines content has been updated.
  • UPDATED: Digital and multimodal consumption coverage has been expanded.
  • UPDATED: Guidance on incorporating sources and avoiding plagiarism has been expanded to help students develop essential skills.
  • REVISED: MLA coverage is up-to-date with the major changes introduced in the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook.
  • NEW: A separate Instructor's resource manual is available. Offering resources that support exercises in the text, the manual has been designed to help new and experienced instructors use the handbook to their best advantage.

Table of contents

Part 1: Planning, Drafting, and Revising

  1. Think as a Writer
  2. Plan and Draft
  3. Compose Paragraphs
  4. Rewrite, Edit, and Proofread

Part 2: Analyzing, Informing, Arguing

  1. Read with a Critical Eye
  2. View with a Critical Eye
  3. Write an Analysis
  4. Write an Informative Essay
  5. Write a Position Argument
  6. Write a Proposal Argument

Part 3: Writing in the Disciplines

  1. Write About Literature and the Humanities
  2. Write in the Sciences and Social Sciences
  3. Compose for the Workplace

Part 4: Multimedia And Online Composing

  1. Communicate in Multimedia
  2. Design Presentations
  3. Compose in Online Genres

Part 5: Planning Research and Finding Sources

  1. Plan Your Research
  2. Find Sources
  3. Evaluate Sources
  4. Plan Field Research

Part 6: Incorporating and Documenting Sources

  1. Use Sources Effectively and Avoid Plagiarism
  2. Write and Revise the Research Project

Part 7: Effective Style and Language

  1. Write with Power
  2. Write Concisely
  3. Write with Emphasis
  4. Find the Right Words
  5. Write to Be Inclusive

Part 8: Understanding Grammar

  1. Grammar Basics
  2. Fragments, Run-ons, and Comma Splices
  3. Subject-Verb Agreement
  4. Verbs
  5. Pronouns
  6. Modifiers

Part 9: Understanding Punctuation And Mechanics

  1. Commas
  2. Semicolons and Colons
  3. Hyphens
  4. Dashes and Parentheses
  5. Apostrophes
  6. Quotation Marks
  7. Other Punctuation Marks
  8. Write with Accurate Spelling
  9. Capitalization and Italics
  10. Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Numbers

Part 10: If English Is Not Your First Language

  1. Writing in a Second Language
  2. Nouns, Articles, and Prepositions
  3. Verbs
  4. English Sentence Structure

Author bios

About our author

Lester Faigley holds the Robert Adger Law and Thos. H. Law Professorship in Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin. He was the founding director of the Division (now Department) of Rhetoric and Writing at Texas in 1993, and he later served as Director of the University Writing Center. He was the 1996 Chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication. Faigley has published over thirty books and editions, including Fragments of Rationality (Pittsburgh, 1992), which received the MLA Mina P. Shaughnessy Prize.

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