Description
Book SynopsisJournalists even those working simultaneously in print, on air and on the Web trade in words. Using language well across platforms is a vital skill; the cleaner and clearer the text, the more effective the result. Watch Your Words, now in its fourth edition, is a brief and accessible handbook for mastering baseline knowledge of punctuation, grammar, usage and Associated Press style.This new edition features a new quality-control guide to writing and editing. The guide covers accuracy and fact-checking; brevity and tightening; clarity; use of quotes and attribution; and basic editing principles. The new edition also incorporates current AP style and continues to offer language-skills self-tests with answer keys, as well as sections on spelling and copy-editing symbols. It is an excellent resource for use in both the classroom and the newsroom.
Trade ReviewWatch Your Words is an affordably priced reference that succinctly covers the basics without a lot of extraneous nonsense. The self-tests and exercises are particularly useful. -- William Huntzicker, St. Cloud State University
The brevity, layout and ease of use make Watch Your Words an ideal reference guide. It presents important information in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner that will help students solve their issues quickly. -- Brad Schultz, University of Mississippi
Table of ContentsGetting Text Right Punctuation Rules and Guidelines Conjunction Junction: Comma Rules for and, but and or Nonessential vs. Essential: That vs. Which Punctuation Self-Test Grammar Basic Terms and Concepts Grammar Terms and Concepts Exercise Mapping Who vs. Whom Making the Right Choice Practice Sentences: Who vs. Whom Other Rules and Guidelines Grammar Self-Tests Usage Rules and Guidelines Usage Self-Test RECAP: Comprehensive Self-Test AP Stylebook Study Guide AP Style Self-Tests Spelling Homonyms and Other Sound-Alikes Exercise Spelltraps Copy-Editing Symbols Copy-Editing Symbols Self-Test Basic Symbolism Quality-Control Guide to Writing and Editing Supplementary Self-Tests Punctuation/AP Style Test Grammar/AP Style Test Usage/AP Style Test Final Language-Skills Test Answer Key Punctuation Self-Test Grammar Terms and Concepts Exercise Grammar Self-Test I Grammar Self-Test II Usage Self-Test RECAP: Comprehensive Self-Test7 AP Style Self-Test I AP Style Self-Test II AP Style Self-Test III Homonyms and Other Sound-Alikes Copy-Editing Symbols Self-Test Punctuation/AP Style Test Grammar/AP Style Test Usage/AP Style Test Final Language-Skills Test Exercise: Fact-Checking Exercise: Tightening Exercise: Clarity Exercise: Quotes and Attribution Index About the Author
