Using a Handbook

The only shared textbook we use in ENG 101, ENG 102, or other writing courses is the handbook.  At BC, we use Rules for Writers, 6th ed., by Diana Hacker.  Your handbook is a reference book, like a dictionary or a thesaurus.  Don't tell me--I'll bet you're going to say you use Word's Spelling and Grammar feature and its built-in thesaurus, and you go to dictionary.reference.com if you're really forced to look something up!

Still, these old-fashioned English professors keep requiring their students to buy handbooks, even though there's a world of information out there on the Web as well as what's built right into Microsoft Office.  Why is that?

The so-called rules in English classes--those "rules" for writers!--are basically a set of conventions that a certain group of people has agreed on. You know what it means to "be conventional":  to act in ways that other people accept as normal and usual.  In this case, the group is English professors, and the conventions chosen for inclusion in the handbook are the ways that college professors expect to see in your writing. 

You know that you can write "c u later" or "brb" when you're IMing, and no one will tell you you're breaking the rules.  That's because the conventions of Internet chat are different from the conventions of writing for classroom writing.  In a History paper, using "c" for "see" or "u" for "you" will be marked as a spelling error.

So what you can expect to find in your handbook is a classroom guide to grammar, punctuation, style, and correctly documenting research.  Some handbooks, like Rules for Writers, also contain advice on the writing process, like "Make global revisions; then revise sentences," information on formats for business letters and resumes as well as for essays for English class, and strategies for developing logical arguments.

To get acquainted with your handbook, look over the Brief Menu inside the front cover.  Then skip the Preface for Instructors and go to the section titled "How to Use This Book and Its Web Site," on pages xv through xxii.  Any time that you have a specific question look through the detailed table of contents or the index to see what the handbook can tell you about the topic.  For instance, if you are never sure when you should use whom instead of who, you'll find it in the Grammar section of your handbook, listed on page xxvii of the Contents and indexed under "who" and the subheading "vs. whom" on page 578.  Both of these tools can help you find the information you need on pages 193-197.  Note that the explanation of the rules is followed by an exercise on page 197, and the "On the Web" headings on those pages refer you to more information on the subject as well as to another exercise, available on the Web.

The companion Website to Rules for Writers is at www.dianahacker.com/rules.  See if you can find the exercise on using who and whom.  Try your hand at doing the exercise and have results emailed to me.

The best way to use this handbook is for your own development as a writer.  This is why I want you to analyze your own writing and figure out what you most need to work on.  I'll probably suggest individual work on those topics that I think you would benefit from studying more.