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The Broadview Guide to Writing is a concise yet uncommonly thorough text with a fresh approach to the craft of essay writing. The first part of the book discusses the style and structure of essay writing, and includes a useful discussion of the intangibles involved in the writing process—such as confidence, perseverance, and a willingness to deal with criticism constructively. The second part of the book provides thorough coverage of grammar and usage in a comprehensive reference guide, ranging from the simplest mechanical issues (such as subject verb agreement) to subtle distinctions between words that have similar meanings. A wide range of examples is included throughout the book.

The fourth edition has been extensively updated and now incorporates the 2008 changes to MLA Style guidelines for documentation. Particular attention is paid throughout to the needs of Canadian students.

Comments on this and the previous editions:

"By far the most readable writing guide available—at any price." – Jacky Bolding, University of the Fraser Valley

"The Broadview Guide to Writing (4/e) registers the seriousness of academic writing yet reads like an amiable conversation with writers. … Seldom have I encountered a handbook that demonstrates so concretely the connection between how we think and what we write…. The new section on sentence combining is welcome. Other features I value include the emphasis on writing-across-the-curriculum and the up-to-date MLA documentation guide. I don’t think it's possible to include more in a handbook than this reasonably priced volume contains." – Robyn Fowler, University of Alberta

"The time is right for an inexpensive, no-frills, composition text, and The Broadview Guide (4/e) is exactly that. It encourages simplicity and clarity of expression while acknowledging and explaining the complexities of writing within different academic disciplines. Illustrative material is well chosen, and the examples of points of grammar and usage are natural and unforced. Also notable is the comprehensive and very useful section on 'Putting Ideas Together,' and the accurate and up-to-date treatment of a range of academic reference formats." – Richard Spacek, University of New Brunswick

"The Broadview Guide is an economical and impressive writing reference, especially when compared to more costly yet comparable texts. Its wide coverage of the writing process, writing style and conventions, and documentation format make it a very useful and sensible text for any writer in the academic community." – Anne Maxham, Antioch University

"I am impressed by the simple readable style of The Broadview Guide to Writing." – Sandra Orser, Saint Mary's University

"… Offers solid advice on matters of style and usage without being repetitive or overly elaborate." – Richard Collier, Mount Royal College

"Clear, concise, well laid out and affordable!" – Erika Rothwell, University of Alberta

"I use The Broadview Guide to Writing with my students and I plan to continue using it; it's very good—clear without being condescending. I especially appreciate its comprehensive discussion of writing styles in multiple academic disciplines, which I haven't seen in any similar guidebook. And one more thing—my students can actually afford to buy it." – Jonathan Sadow, State University of New York at Oneonta

"The overall structure of this book is similar to [that of Andrea] Lunsford. The prose is highly readable and the authors address questions such as 'correctness' very well." – University of Michigan English 229 Textbook Committee

Doug Babington is Director of the Writing Centre at Queen's University, and the author of articles both on writing and on literature; Don LePan is the author of The Cognitive Revolution in Western Culture (Macmillan, 1989) and of The Broadview Book of Common Errors in English (5th edition 2003); Maureen Okun is a professor in both the Liberal Studies Department and the English Department at Vancouver Island University.

Supplementary Materials: [Back to Top]

Please note: This textbook has a companion website for students containing sample essays, exercises and links. An access code for this website is included with all new copies.

If you purchased a used copy or you are missing your passcode for this site, please click here to purchase a code online for $5.00.

Table of Contents: [Back to Top]

How to Use this Book

Preface

Introduction

THE WRITING PROCESS

Voice Work: Attitude, Audience, Purpose

Attitude

Audience

Purpose

Thesis Statement

Essential Activities: Reading, Mapping, Dialogue

Reading and Note-Taking

Mapping

Writer's Block

Dialogue

Double Fluency: Logical and Stylistic

Logical Fluency

Elaboration

Modes of Thought/Modes of Writing

Narration

Classification

Generalization and Abstraction

Cause and Effect

Modes Combined for Logical Fluency

Outlining

Reasoning

Subordination and Paragraphing

Connectives

Repetition

Stylistic Fluency

Diction

Figures Of Speech

Syntax

Rhythm

Voice

Tone

Revision

Examinations

Collaboration and Research

Using The Library

Plagiarism

Citation

Proofreading

Computers And Proofreading

Criticism

SAMPLE ESSAY

"The Sensation Show: Issues of Freedom in a Democratic Society"

WRITING GRAMMATICALLY

Right and Wrong in Writing

Verbs

Verbs and Verb Tense Difficulties

Dangling Constructions

Sequence of Tenses

Irregular or Difficult Verbs

Infinitives, Gerunds, Objects: "To Be or Not to Be?"

Preposition Problems "Up with which I will not put"

Nouns: Singular Difficulties

Pronouns: Who Cares About Whom?

Part of Speech Confusion: A Question of Principle?

WORDS

Words: Word Order

Words: One Word or Two?

Words: A Glossary of Usage

PUTTING IDEAS TOGETHER

Paragraphing

Argument

Joining Words

Words to Connect Ideas That Are Opposed to Each Other

Words to Join Linked or Supporting Ideas

Words Used to Introduce Causes or Reasons

Words Used to Introduce Results or Conclusions

Words Used to Express Purpose

Words Used to Introduce Examples

Words Used to Introduce Alternatives

Words Used to Show Degree or Extent

"That" and "Which"

Words Used to Make Comparisons

Words: A Glossary of Usage

SENTENCE COMBINING

Combining

Joining Kernels

Embedding Kernels

Combining Several Kernels into a Single Sentence

Combining and Recombining

"De-Combining" and Recombining

Help with Grammatical Errors: Two Examples

Help with Reading Challenging Texts

Gaining Awareness of Writing Style

STYLE

Style: Slang and Informal English

Style: Wordiness

Style: Writing By Computer

Computers and the Writing Process

A Note on Spell-Check

The Internet

Observing Netiquette

Point-form Netiquette

Plagiarism, Copyright, and the Web

Style: Business Writing

Tone

Memos

Business Letters

Resumes and Application Letters

Style: Writing Across the Disciplines

Anthropology

Art

Biology

Chemistry

Economics

English

History

Philosophy

Physics

Political Science

Psychology

Sociology

BIAS-FREE LANGUAGE

Bias-free Language

Bias-free Vocabulary: A Short List

PUNCTUATION, FORMAT, AND SPELLING

Punctuation

Period

Run-On Sentences/Comma Splices

Comma

Question Mark

Exclamation Mark

Semi-colon

Colon

Hyphen

Dash

Parentheses

Square Brackets

Apostrophe

Quotation Marks

Single Quotation Marks

Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

Format and Spelling

Capitalization

Abbreviations

Numbers

Italics

Spelling

Spelling and Sound

British / American / Canadian Spelling

Other Commonly Misspelled Words

DOCUMENTATION: MLA STYLE

DOCUMENTATION: ALTERNATIVE STYLES

APA Style

Chicago Style

CBE Style

Appendix 1: A Reference Guide to Basic Grammar

Parts of Speech

Nouns

Pronouns

Articles

Adjectives

Verbs

Adverbs

Prepositions

Conjunctions

Parts of Sentences

Subject

Object

Predicate

Clause

Phrase

Types of Clauses

Types of Subordinate Clauses

Type of Phrases

Appendix 2: Some National Variations

Appendix 3: Correction Key

Appendix 4: Essay Checklist

Index