Dave,
For the past two years, I've been teaching at a two-year regional Campus of
a major state university, a commuter campus, so I imagine our audiences are
similar. However, because I am not quite sure of your audience, experience
teaching the course, familiarity with various texts, or what you mean by
"linguistic approach" (I'm assuming you don't mean rote drills), I'll
offer a few suggestions.
I've been using Paul Anderson's TECHNICAL WRITING: A READER-CENTERED
APPROACH for my text, but it doesn't really have a strong, detailed grammar
section. Supplementing it with a text such as the one Reinhold mentions
(the Brusaw is a good one) is a good idea. Although Paul's text is seldom
used at two-year schools, my students have enjoyed its clear focus on the
reader, good examples, and they found the theory embedded in it useful.
Other possibilities: Markel's TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION (St. Martin's) and
Lannon's TECHNICAL WRITING (Longman) are good texts with appendices that
review grammar, punctuation, and some research skills (citations for MLA,
APA, etc.). Lannon offers what he calls "common sentence errors" and has a
section on "mechanics" and on "punctuation." Markel's is similar. Rebecca
Burnett's TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION (Wadsworth) is also a fine text with an
appendix on usage. I like her section because she offers good exercises,
even some with sentence combining.
All of these texts (Anderson's, Markel's, etc.) are complete texts covering
important rhetorical issues and formats.
I've also looked at some that are oriented toward two-year programs: Beth
Camp's EFFECTIVE WORKPLACE WRITING (Irwin) and Brenda Sims's text (it's at
work, so I don't have the title handy) are two such ones. Both are fine.
Camp's has a very long appendix on grammar issues.
If you want to send a note back to me directly ([log in to unmask]) with
more info, I'd be glad to talk and offer any advice I can.
Best wishes,
Jim
Jim Dubinsky l Miami University, Hamilton
[log in to unmask] l Hamilton, OH 45011
http://miavx1.muohio.edu/~jdubinsky
"The times are never so bad that a good man
cannot live in them."
--Thomas More
----------
> From: [log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Technical Writing
> Date: Friday, June 19, 1998 12:19 PM
>
> I find I'm going to be teaching technical writing Fall semester. Does
> anyone have a recommendation of a textbook?
>
> I am hoping to find one that,in its grammar section (if it has one) takes
> a modern, linguistic approach. The grammar appendix of "Twenty Questions
> for the Writer" exemplifies the sort of thing I'd like to see.
>
> Thanks.
>
> _______________________________________________________________
> Dave Sawyer, North Hennepin Community College
> [log in to unmask] __ [log in to unmask]
> Team OS/2, NCTE, CCCC, ATEG
|
