A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage by Larry Beason; Mark Lester - Seventh Edition, 2015 from Macmillan Student Store
VALUE

A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage

Seventh Edition ©2015 Larry Beason; Mark Lester

PACKAGE THIS TITLE WITH OUR 2016 MLA SUPPLEMENT,

Documenting Sources in MLA Style

(package ISBN-13: 9781319088620). Get the most recent updates on M...

Read more
Students - Buy or Rent

ISBN:9781319111595

ISBN:9781457668098

ISBN:9781319023195

A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage by Larry Beason; Mark Lester - Seventh Edition, 2015 from Macmillan Student Store

Students need the basics—it’s common sense

PACKAGE THIS TITLE WITH OUR 2016 MLA SUPPLEMENT,

Documenting Sources in MLA Style

(package ISBN-13: 9781319088620). Get the most recent updates on MLA citation in a convenient, 40-page resource based on The MLA Handbook, 8th Edition, with plenty of models. Browse our catalog or contact your representative for a full listing of updated titles and packages, or to request a custom ISBN.

A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage has one goal: to help students “get it” when it comes to grammar. This student-friendly, easy-to-use reference teaches students how to recognize, correct, and avoid common errors so they can continue to improve their writing throughout college—and life. Whether your students need a refresher on the basics or are learning them for the first time, A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage is designed to be used in the classroom or as a tool for self-study. The seventh edition includes an expanded section on parts of speech and additional grammar considerations for ESL writers as well as a writing guide that discusses reading, planning drafting, and revising and how to avoid errors in documentation.

This text can also be packaged with LearningCurve for Readers and Writers, which offers game-like, adaptive grammar quizzes and provides students with even more opportunities for practice and mastery. Now that’s common sense.

Features

No-nonsense language helps students “get it.” This text’s plain-language instruction avoids confusing grammar terminology, making explanations easy for students to follow.

The text shows students how to avoid the most serious errors in their writing. Each lesson features numerous visual examples that help students learn what errors look like so they can more easily identify and avoid them on their own.

Modular approach to grammar breaks complex topics into manageable lessons. Each lesson focuses on a single concept and follows a consistent organization, allowing instructors to efficiently cover topics with the entire class or assign lessons to individual students for self-study.

New to This Edition

The text is now divided into three parts, each of which focuses on a different area of grammar and writing

  • PART ONE: BASIC GRAMMAR AND PARTS OF SPEECH includes an expanded overview of the parts of speech and basic grammatical concepts—the building blocks for clear writing. A new section Grammar Considerations for ESL Writers gives extra advice for second-language learners.
  • PART TWO: COMMON ERRORS IN GRAMMAR AND USAGE covers the 27 most common grammatical errors that students tend to make
  • PART THREE: COMMONSENSE ADVICE FOR WRITING gives students guidance on planning, drafting, and revising a paper as well as advice for citing sources correctly and avoiding plagiarism.  

Commonsense tips in the margins simplify grammar and usage. Each lesson includes at least one handy tip that relies on intuitive, practical strategies that experienced writers actually use, giving students even more ways to master the basics. These tips are now placed in the margins of the text, making them even easier for students to spot and remember.

Streamlined instruction makes explanations even clearer and simpler for students to follow. Without sacrificing essential information, the authors have revised the instruction in each lesson to be as short and sweet possible, making the text more concise, more compact, and even more student-friendly.

Available with LearningCurve for Readers and Writers. A Commonsense Guide can be packaged with access to LearningCurve, adaptive, game-like practice that helps students focus on the topics where they need the most help.

“I have used this book since it was called Now I Get It, and that is what I like about the text: it helps students to understand grammar concepts that have simply never been explained to them.” –Teresa Roberts, University of Maine at Farmington

“A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage provides a fresh, new approach to grammar instruction. With all the competition from online resources, it is great a text like this that brings new life to an essential aspect of writing.” –Carol Dunn, Olive-Harvey College

“A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage is one of the best developmental grammar texts around because it’s so easy for students to understand and use.” –Susan Johnson, Mt. San Antonio College

“Rather than an intimidating textbook, A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage has the look and feel of a handy reference manual or workbook that can be picked up at any time.” –Lexy Durand, Alamance Community College

Digital Options

EPUB3_EBOOK icon

E-book

Read online (or offline) with all the highlighting and notetaking tools you need to be successful in this course.

Learn About E-book

LAUNCHPAD_SOLO icon

LaunchPad Solo

Do assignments, take quizzes, prepare for exams and more, to help you achieve success in class.

Learn About LaunchPad Solo Schedule LaunchPad Solo Demo

Table of Contents

*=new/revised content

PART ONE: BASIC GRAMMAR AND PARTS OF SPEECH

*Grammar without Tears
*Grammar Considerations for ESL Writers

PART TWO: COMMON ERRORS IN GRAMMAR AND USAGE

Unit One  Understanding the Basic Sentence  
Lesson 1      Fragments
Lesson 2      Run-ons: Fused Sentences and Comma Splices

Unit Two  Making Subjects and Verbs Agree  
Lesson 3      Nearest-Noun Agreement Errors
Lesson 4      Agreement with There is and There was
Lesson 5      Agreement with Compound Subjects 

Unit Three  Using Correct Verb Tenses 
Lesson 6      Present, Past, and Tense Shifting
Lesson 7      The Past and the Perfect Tenses

Unit Four  Understanding Pronouns 
Lesson 8      Pronoun Agreement
Lesson 9      Vague Pronouns: This, That, and It
Lesson 10    Choosing the Correct Pronoun Form
Lesson 11    Who, Whom, and That

Unit Five  Using Commas Correctly 
Lesson 12    Commas with And, But, Or, and Other Coordinating Conjunctions
*Lesson 13  Commas with Introductory Elements
Lesson 14    Commas with Adverb Clauses
Lesson 15    Commas with Adjective Clauses
Lesson 16    Commas with Appositives
Lesson 17    Unnecessary Commas

Unit Six Using Apostrophes Correctly 
Lesson 18    Apostrophes in Contractions
Lesson 19    Apostrophes Showing Possession
Lesson 20    Unnecessary Apostrophes

Unit Seven Using Other Punctuation and Capitalizing Words 
Lesson 21   Quotation Marks with Other Punctuation
Lesson 22   Semicolons
Lesson 23   Colons
Lesson 24   Capitalization

Unit Eight  Writing Clear Sentences 
Lesson 25   Parallelism
Lesson 26   Passive Voice
Lesson 27   Dangling Modifiers

PART THREE: COMMONSENSE ADVICE FOR WRITING

Unit Nine  Documenting Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
Lesson 28   Using Direct Quotations and Paraphrases
Lesson 29   Citing Sources Correctly

Unit Ten  A Commonsense Writing Guide
Lesson 30   Reading
Lesson 31   Planning
Lesson 32   Drafting
Lesson 33   Revising

Appendix A: Brief Documentation Guide for MLA 
Appendix B: Brief Documentation Guide for APA 
Appendix C: Guide to Grammar Terminology 
Appendix D: Glossary of Commonly Confused Words 
Appendix E: Glossary of Commonly Misspelled Words 
Appendix E: Glossary of Common Two-Word Verbs 
Index 
ESL Index
Correction Symbols

Larry Beason

Larry Beason is associate professor of English and director of composition at the University of South Alabama. His teaching interests include composition, grammar, and the teaching of writing. He has published in journals such as Research in the Teaching of English and Journal of Business Communication.

Mark Lester

Mark Lester, former professor of English at Eastern Washington University, is the author of over a dozen books on grammar and linguistics. He has served as the chair of the department of English as a Second Language at the University of Hawaii and chair of the department of English at Eastern Washington University.

Instructor Resources

Need instructor resources for your course?

Unlock Your Resources

Instructor Resources

Download Resources

You need to sign in to unlock your resources.

request locked icon

Instructor's Resource Manual for A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage (Online Only)

Larry Beason; Mark Lester | Seventh Edition | ©2015 | ISBN:9781457695933