Working with Words: A Handbook for Media Writers and Editors » (7th Edition)

BRIAN S. BROOKS is a professor and chairman of the editorial department at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He is coauthor ofNews Reporting and Writing, Eighth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005), Telling the Story, Second Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004), and The Art of Editing, Eighth Edition (2005).

JAMES L. PINSON has taught journalism for more than 15 years -- at the Missouri School of Journalism and at Eastern Michigan University -- and has addressed various press groups on the subjects of grammar and other editing skills. He has also worked for newspapers in Colorado, Missouri and Michigan, and has a doctorate in journalism and a master's in creative writing.

JEAN GADDY WILSON is managing partner for media with Weiner, Edrich, Brown, Inc., a strategic trends analysis firm in New York City which pioneered futures planning using its trademarked STEP (Strategic Trends Evaluation Process). As an adjunct faculty member at the Missouri School of Journalism, she founded three national journalism organizations: New Directions for News; Journalism and Women's Symposium; and the National Women and Media Collection. She was a founding member of the Council of Presidents, whose members lead the editorial organizations in newspapers, and of the International Women's Media Foundation. She has served as a Pulitzer Prize Nominating Juror for Journalism, and currently serves on the IBM Advisory Board and IBM Mobile Human-Centric Computing Advisory Board.

Written for journalists by journalists, Working with Words provides the examples, exercises, and rhetorical advice the Associated Press Stylebook does not. The ideal reference for journalism students, the sixth edition focuses on improving grammar and style by offering more grammar help, more on ethics, and more on writing for online media.

PART I. GRAMMAR AND USAGE

1. Grammar Basics
Using Standard English Talking Shop Key Principles of Grammar Web Resources: Grammar Help

2. Phrases, Clauses andSentences
Phrases Clauses Restrictive Versus Nonrestrictive Sentences Sentence Errors

3. Subjects and Objects
Kinds of Subjects Kinds of Objects Common Nouns Versus Proper Nouns The Forms Nouns Take Pronoun Person, Number and Gender Pronoun Cases Relative Pronouns Pronouns Ending in Self or Selves Verbal Nouns: Gerunds and Infinitives

4. Verbs
Helping Verbs Versus Main Verbs Transitive Verbs Versus Intransitive Verbs Tenses Sequence of Tenses Making Verb Tenses Agree Active Voice Versus Passive Voice Mood Nouns Used as Verbs Verbals

5. Making the Parts Agree
Subject-Verb Agreement Conjunctions Collective and Uncountable Nouns Other Confusing Nouns Indefinite Pronouns Intervening Nouns and Pronouns Subject and Predicate Nominative in Disagreement Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Making Sentences Parallel

6. Modifiers and Connecting Words
Modifiers Comparative Forms of Adjectives and Adverbs Adjectives Versus Adverbs Coordinate Adjectives Versus Compound Modifiers Articles Sentence Adverbs Participles Double Negatives Interjections Connecting Words Prepositions Conjunctions Conjunctive Adverbs

7. Getting Words in the Right Order
Misplaced Modifiers Adverb Placement Less Confusing Jumbled Words Orders

8. Usage: Finding the Right Word
Misused Words and Mistaken Phrases Confused Words

PART II. MECHANICS

9. Punctuation
Commas Quotation Marks and Other Problems of Quoting Semicolons Colons Dashes Parentheses Hyphens Apostrophes Slashes Periods, Exclamation Points and Question Marks

10. Spelling Relief
Spelling Rules Words Often Misspelled Hyphenation as a Spelling Problem American vs. British Spelling

PART III. STYLE

11. Writing as a Journalist
Keys to Good Journalistic Writing Clarity Correctness Web Resources: Writing Help

12. Conciseness
Tightening What to Tighten, A to Z Web Resources: Concise Writing

13. Sexism Racism and Other "Isms"
Don't Be Ridiculous Language Turns to the Future New Players in the New Millennium A Brief History of "isms"
Future Realities: More Language Transformation Coming Dealing with Reality The Nonbias Rule Symbolic Annihilation Dumping Today's Stereotypes Web Resources: Sensitive Language

PART IV. WRITING
METHODS FOR DIFFERENT MEDIA

14. Writing News That's Fit for Print
News Leads Pick the Best Angle Hard-News Leads Problems with Hard-News Leads Soft-News Leads Soft-News Clichés What Comes After the Lead?
Web Resources: JournalismReviews

15. Writing News for Broadcast
Print vs. Broadcast News Do Broadcasters Have to Know Grammar?
Broadcast Hard-News Leads Broadcast Story Structure Broadcast Style Summary Web Resources: Broadcasting

16. Writing for the Online Media
Online Media are Unique Writing and Presenting Online News Online Media vs. Traditional Media Web Resources: Online Media

Appendix: Wire-Service Style Summary
Abbreviations and Acronyms Capitalization Numbers Web Resources: Associated Press Style

Bibliography

Index