From Using this book: This book is set up to help you throughout the writing process. It will permit both the leisurely browsing helpful when you are trying to get started on a writing project and the quick reference necessary when you are hurrying to finish the project. It should help to resolve the problems that you recognize and lead you to recognize others that you may have overlooked. The first part, Organizing the Writing Process, explains the importance of conventions to the writer's work. It offers advice on selecting evidence and on determining when and how to form paragraphs. The second part, Syntax and Structure, discusses matters ranging from the construction of sentences to the function of pronouns. The third part, Diction and Usage, begins with an essay that explores historical changes in the meaning of words and describes the appropriate and inappropriate uses of some familiar phrases. The alphabetical glossary following the essay calls attention to words and phrases often misused and either suggests better uses for these words or better words for these uses. The fourth part deals with manuscript preparation. It examines common punctuation marks, some fundamental matters of typography such as the use of capital letters and italics, and the formation of possessives. It concludes with examples and guidelines for documentation of sources.--page vi.