WRITING AND REWRITING

BY
GEORGE CARVER
WILLIAM S. MAULSBY
THOMAS A. KNOTT
THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

NEW YORK
HARCOURT, BRACE AND COMPANY

COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY
HARCOURT, BRACE AND COMPANY, INC.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

To
the memory of
J. SCOTT CLARK

CONTENTS

CHAPTERPAGE
Index to Admonitions[ix]
I.Why Learn to Write[1]
II.How to Write[7]
III.Ideas for Compositions[12]
IV.The Whole Composition[17]
V.The Paragraph[31]
VI.Grammar[42]
VII.Sentence Correctness[58]
VIII.Sentence Clearness[ 88]
IX.Sentence Vigor[100]
X.Words[114]
XI.Spelling[132]
XII.Punctuation[139]
XIII.Mechanics[151]

TO INSTRUCTORS

Writing and Rewriting is based on the conviction that college freshmen can be taught to see and to correct their own errors and faults.

Criticism by means of marginal numbers, referring to pieces of advice in a rhetoric or a manual, has long been utilized to economize the instructor’s time. It has not been generally realized, however, that this method, which requires the student to inspect and rewrite a faulty sentence in the light of an illustration in his book, is successful also in teaching him to rewrite faulty sentences before he submits his manuscript to his instructor.

The best device to encourage the student in self-correction is the preliminary copy or rough draft. This may be written rapidly in pencil on theme paper or on scratch paper, with lines far apart to leave room for modifications. After this is written the student should read it with his eyes open for the appearance of his pet blunders, and should do his own rewriting. If the rough draft is submitted with the finished copy, the instructor can discover whether the student is endeavoring to correct his own faults.

The best way to use Writing and Rewriting in class is to copy the faulty passages or to clip and paste them on cards. In class the student, using only the slip, may then be required to write the correct version on the blackboard, later reciting and specifying the fault, or the principle of style which is violated.

In colleges where the marginal numbering of errors and faults is supplemented by personal conferences, the swiftest improvement will be found to follow the practice of requiring the student, before the conference, to copy his faulty passages on a new sheet of theme paper, to copy also the admonition indicated by the marginal number, and to rewrite each passage in accordance with the admonition. A file of these sheets will reveal whether the student is improving or standing still.

Writing and Rewriting has several relatively novel features. Chapters IV and V make it possible to criticize by marginal numbers the most common violations of the principles of the whole composition and of the paragraph. Although the admonitions criticize faults, the book contains few “don’ts.” Instead, the advice given is positive, constructive, and concrete. Each number refers to only a single fault. Few admonitions fill more than two lines of type. It has thus been possible to insert a criticism of every fundamental fault found in freshman themes. Probably every number ought to be used at least once in every hundred themes. The division of sentence criticisms into chapters on Correctness, Clearness, and Vigor is logical and obvious. The numbering of admonitions is not consecutive, but a new hundred begins with each chapter as a help in more quickly locating the number desired. Additional copies of the index to the admonitions will be furnished free on request to instructors who wish to paste it on a sheet of cardboard to facilitate their work in criticizing themes. The list of suggestions for subjects is a compilation of the practices of many successful teachers.

INDEX TO ADMONITIONS

The Whole Composition
[100.] Opening devices
[101.] Point of view
[102.] What to include
[103.] Distraction
[104.] Serious tone
[105.] Light tone
[106.] Sequence
[107.] Chronological order
[108.] Position
[109.] Abstract to concrete
[110.] Summary to detail
[111.] Important to less so
[112.] Familiar to unfamiliar
[113.] Climax
[114.] Welding
[115.] Connectives
[116.] Repetition
[117.] Recapitulation
[118.] Division
[119.] Space emphasis
[120.] Place emphasis
[121.] Conclusion
[122.] Title
[123.] Plan
[124.] Revision by plan
[125.] Practice
The Paragraph
[200.] Indention
[201.] Partly blank line
[202.] No indention
[203.] Conversation
[204.] Combination
[205.] Separation
[206.] Violent break
[207.] Irrelevant ideas
[208.] Topic sentence
[209.] Arrangement
[210.] Connectives
[211.] Linking
[212.] Shift in number
[213.] Shift in person
[214.] Shift in tense
[215.] Shift in voice
[216.] Shift in mood
[217.] Place emphasis
[218.] Space emphasis
[219.] Practice
Sentence Correctness Case
[300.] Subject in nominative
[301.] Who as subject
[302.] Who as subject after verb
[303.] Predicate nominative
[304.] Pronoun in apposition
[305.] Pronoun after as, than
[306.] Possessive with gerund
[307.] “Neuter” nouns not in possessive
[308.] Objective case
[309.] Objective with infinitive
[310.] Objective after infinitive
Agreement
[311.] This kind
[312.] Pronoun with antecedent
[313.] Verb with subject
[314.] Verb with each, none
[315.] Compound subject
[316.] Nouns with or
[317.] Collective nouns
[318.] Incorrect attraction
[319.] There is, there are
[320.] Besides, with
[321.] Nearer of two nouns
[322.] Who, which
[323.] Not with predicated noun
[324.] Don’t
[325.] Past and past participle
[326.] Correct principal parts
[327.] Lie-lay, sit-set, rise-raise
Shall and Will
[328.] Shall and will
[329.] Should and would
[330.] Questions
[331.] Determination
[332.] Parallel tenses
[333.] Universal present
[334.] Subordinate clause
[335.] Infinitive
[336.] Adverb of time
[337.] Contrary to fact subjunctive
[338.] Have, not of
[339.] Had ought
Fragments
[340.] Fragments
[341.] Phrases
[342.] Participial phrases
[343.] Clauses
[344.] Part of compound subject
[345.] Part of compound predicate
Incomplete Constructions
[346.] Unfinished construction
[347.] Give verb subject
[348.] Insert word
[349.] Insert material
[350.] Elements without construction
[351.] Insert that after say, feel
[352.] Insert that of
[353.] Insert as after positive adjective
[354.] Insert much after very
[355.] Repeat verb
[356.] Repeat auxiliary
[357.] Repeat is, was
[358.] Repeat verb after auxiliaries
Inaccurate Constructions
[359.] Correct conjunction
[360.] Insert transitional element
[361.] Shifted construction
[362.] One of the most
[363.] Exact predication
[364.] Idiomatic verb
[365.] Idiomatic preposition
[366.] Different preposition
[367.] Idiom
[368.] Awkwardness
[369.] Is where, is when
[370.] Is because
[371.] The fact that
[372.] Due to, owing to
[373.] Because of, on account of
[374.] Omit and
[375.] Omit irrelevancy
[376.] Redundant that
[377.] Change participial phrase
[378.] Of-phrase with verbal noun
[379.] Of-phrase with abstract verbal noun
[380.] Separate main clauses
[381.] Join elements with and
[382.] Join clauses with and
[383.] Modifiers together
[384.] Double negative
[385.] Or, not nor
[386.] Not hardly
[387.] Adverb, not adjective
[388.] Predicated adjectives
[389.] Who, which, that
Sentence Clearness
[400.] Obvious antecedent
[401.] Position of pronoun
[402.] Ambiguous antecedent in indirect discourse
[403.] Antecedent in parentheses
[404.] Repeat distant noun
[405.] Unemphatic antecedent
[406.] Place of only, etc.
[407.] Place of negative
[408.] Use of correlatives
[409.] Place of correlatives
[410.] Place of subordinate clause
[411.] Place of relative clause
[412.] Confused verbs
[413.] Place of modifiers
[414.] Co-ordinate modifiers
[415.] Participial phrases
[416.] Participle with thus
[417.] Participle with conjunction
[418.] Adjective due
[419.] Gerund prepositional phrase
[420.] Repeat subordinating conjunction
[421.] Repeat auxiliary verbs
[422.] Repeat to with the infinitive
[423.] Repeat preposition with object
[424.] Repeat article with noun
[425.] Repeat possessive with noun
[426.] Parallel structure
[427.] Summarizing word
[428.] Use of and
[429.] Use of but
[430.] Comparative degree
[431.] Superlative degree
[432.] Shift in person
[433.] Shift in number
[434.] Shift in tense
[435.] Shift in mood
[436.] Shift in voice
Sentence Vigor
[500.] Isolate
[501.] Separate
[502.] Condense
[503.] Combine
[504.] Vary structure
[505.] Vary beginning
[506.] Vary length
[507.] Loose to periodic
[508.] Striking ending
[509.] Climax
[510.] Emphatic position
[511.] Group related elements
[512.] Main ideas
[513.] Subordinate ideas
[514.] Simplicity
[515.] Far-fetched synonyms
[516.] Concreteness
[517.] Parallel structure
[518.] Repeat for emphasis
[519.] Monotonous repetition
[520.] Tautology
[521.] Pleonasm
[522.] Word in double sense
[523.] Consistent metaphors
[524.] Incongruous metaphors
[525.] Rhythm
[526.] Balanced sentence
[527.] Vivid predicate
[528.] Unemphatic passive voice
[529.] Awkward absolute phrase
[530.] Successive subordinations
[531.] Successive but and for clauses
Words
[600.] See dictionary
[601.] Words almost alike
[602.] Exactness
[603.] New words
[604.] Verbs as nouns
[605.] Slang
[606.] Harmony
[607.] Poetical words
[608.] Hackneyed expressions
[609.] Pretentious expressions
[610.] Contractions
[611.] Editorial we
[612.] Simple pronouns
[613.] Speaking of husband or wife
[614.] Illiterate usage
[615.] Reputable words
[616.] Present words
[617.] National words
[618.] Plural abstract nouns
Spelling
[700.] Doubling consonants
[701.] Single consonants
[702.] Final silent -e
[703.] -ce and -ge
[704.] Single consonant after double vowel
[705.] CEI
[706.] EI as ī and as ā
[707.] IE
[708.] Plurals in vowel and -y
[709.] Verbs in vowel and -y
[710.] Plurals in consonants and -y
[711.] Plurals in -ves
[712.] Foreign plurals
[713.] Don’t, won’t, can’t
[714.] It’s
[715.] Its, yours, hers
[716.] Spelling list
Punctuation
Use period after:
[800.] Declarative and imperative sentences
[801.] Abbreviations
No period after:
[802.] Incomplete sentence elements
Use question mark after:
[803.] Direct questions
[804.] Doubtful expressions
No question mark after:
[805.] Indirect questions
Use exclamation point after:
[806.] Exclamatory expressions
Use commas with:
[807.] Co-ordinate clauses with and or but
[808.] Conjunction for
[809.] Parallel clauses
[810.] Dependent clause preceding
[811.] Descriptive clauses
[812.] Interchangeable adjectives
[813.] Words, phrases, clauses in series
[814.] And in a series
[815.] Confused elements
[816.] Names in direct address
[817.] Appositives
[818.] Geographical names
[819.] Dates
[820.] Absolute phrases
[821.] Interjections and parenthetical expressions
[822.] Direct quotations
Never use a comma:
[823.] Between noun and its adjective
[824.] Around limiting clauses or phrases
[825.] With series of non-interchangeable adjectives
[826.] To indicate a pause
[827.] Before that in indirect discourse
[828.] Between unjoined main clauses
Use a semicolon between:
[829.] Unjoined main clauses
[830.] Clauses joined by however, etc.
[831.] Long or complicated clauses
Never use a semicolon:
[832.] Between clauses not co-ordinate
[833.] After salutation in a letter
Use a colon to introduce:
[834.] Formal list of words, etc.
Use a hyphen with:
[835.] Fractions or numbers less than 100
[836.] Titles of two or more words
[837.] Divided words
[838.] Compound adjectives
[839.] Prefixes like co- etc.
Use a dash with:
[840.] Broken thought
[841.] Informal parenthetical material
[842.] Summarizing expressions
Never use a dash:
[843.] Instead of a period
[844.] Instead of a comma
Use quotation marks with:
[845.] Direct discourse
[846.] Borrowed material
[847.] Quotation of more than one paragraph
[848.] Quotation within quotation
[849.] Quotation within second quotation
[850.] Quotation ending with comma or period
Never use quotation marks with:
[851.] Names of books, etc.
Use an apostrophe:
[852.] In contractions
[853.] With singular possessives
[854.] With plural possessives
Never use an apostrophe:
[855.] With possessive pronouns
Use parentheses to inclose:
[856.] Material foreign to unit of composition
[857.] Confirmatory figures
Never use parentheses to inclose:
[858.] Cancelled words
Use brackets to inclose:
[859.] Explanatory material in quotation
[860.] Practice
Mechanics
[900.] One side of paper
[901.] Place of title
[902.] Blank second line
[903.] Write legibly
[904.] Number pages
[905.] Spacing
[906.] Divided words
[907.] Place of hyphen
[908.] Margins
[909.] Indention
[910.] Below last line
[911.] Underscoring
[912.] Underscoring for emphasis
[913.] To indicate footnote
[914.] Place of footnote
[915.] No abbreviation
Capitalization
[916.] Proper nouns and pronouns
[917.] First word in sentence
[918.] First word in line of verse
[919.] Direct quotation
[920.] Names of social bodies, etc.
[921.] Reference to Deity
[922.] I and O
[923.] Titles of books, etc.
[924.] Titles with names
[925.] Names of months, etc.
Figures
[926.] Word double numbers
[927.] Word sums in double numbers
[928.] Number sums in dollars and cents
[929.] Word sums less than one dollar
[930.] Word numbers as names
[931.] Beginning with figures
[932.] Sums as adjectives
Letters
[933.] Letter heading
[934.] Business letter salutation
[935.] Personal letter salutation
[936.] Close of business letter
[937.] Close of personal letter
[938.] Envelope address
[939.] Punctuation of address
[940.] Formal note
[941.] Signature