Take your grammar and language mechanics skills to the next level, and master the building blocks of effective writing.
This course reviews the foundational elements of grammar, including the parts of speech, and master the basics of punctuation and mechanics.
You will explore sentence structure, nouns and pronouns, and you will work with the different kinds of verb tenses. You will also explore adjective and adverb use and be introduced to some best practices for using these parts of speech effectively in your writing.
Then, learn phrases and clauses, as well as parallelism, coordination, and subordination. You will see how different phrases and clauses fit together in sentences so that your writing is clear, concise, and meaningful.
Finally, put your skills to work as you explore some different kinds of business writing, paragraph writing, and even formal essay writing. By the time you're done with the course, you will not only have the advanced grammar skills you need, you will also understand how to use those skills in practical ways.
Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
- This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
Software Requirements:
- PC: Windows 8 or later.
- Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
- Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Gain the advanced grammar skills you need and understand how to use them in practical ways. This course helps you take your grammar skills to the next level and put them to work as you explore different kinds of business, paragraph, and even formal essay writing.
Grammar Foundations
This first lesson reviews the foundations of grammar. You will explore the parts of speech, practice your skills, and see how the different parts of speech work together in English grammar.
Effectively Using Punctuation and Mechanics
In this lesson, you will review punctuation and mechanics. You will explore the different kinds of punctuation as well as capitalization and other mechanical issues. You will see how to use punctuation and mechanics effectively and correctly in a sentence.
Sentence Structure
This lesson focuses on what makes a good sentence and how sentences connect to each other to create cohesive thoughts in your writing. You will also explore common sentence construction errors and how to avoid them.
Using Nouns and Pronouns
In this lesson, you will practice using nouns and pronouns effectively in sentences. You will learn about the various types of nouns—including common nouns, proper nouns, concrete and abstract nouns, collective nouns, compound nouns, and countable and uncountable nouns. After, learn the various kinds of pronouns, such as personal, demonstrative, interrogative, possessive, indefinite, and more. Finally, wrap things up with a discussion of noun phrases and noun clauses.
Verb Forms and Verb Tense
In this lesson, you will practice using verbs effectively in your sentences. You will explore the different kinds of verb forms, and then take a look at the different kinds of verb tenses, which help to communicate action in relation to time. Finally, you will explore subject-verb agreement with some foundational rules that will help you avoid common errors.
Using Adjectives and Adverbs
Adverbs are descriptive words that modify other words in a sentence. Using these parts of speech, the English language clearly and effectively communicates descriptions and provides limitations for the words they modify.
Using Clauses and Phrases
In this lesson, you will explore clauses and phrases. You will learn about the different kinds of clauses and phrases, how they are used in sentences, and how to tell them apart. Then, you will practice writing these different kinds of clauses and phrases and put all of your skills together.
Coordination, Subordination, and Parallelism
In this lesson, you will explore the issues of coordination, subordination, and parallelism in your writing. You will see how these principles help you construct more effective sentences and avoid common mistakes.
Communicating Clearly in the Workplace
In this lesson, you will practice what you have learned so far. You will learn how to communicate clearly and effectively in the workplace. You will take a look at email communications, memos, and business letters, and you will learn how to effective write these "short works." Then, you will explore how to write effective instructions and summaries. Finally, you will see how to manage conflict in writing in your workplace.
Writing Paragraphs
This lesson explores paragraph writing. First, take a look at the function and purpose of the paragraph, explore a formal paragraph model, and see how to write effective topic sentences. Then, you will bring your skills together and see how the pieces of a paragraph fit together. You will also have plenty of opportunities to practice your writing skills.
Organizing Paragraphs
In this lesson, you will explore organizing and writing multiple paragraphs into one cohesive essay. You will consider the different kinds of essays, writing introduction and conclusion paragraphs, thesis statements, and how to link different paragraphs together. By the end of this lesson, you will develop a complete, five-paragraph essay.
Effective Editing
In your final lesson, you will explore some tips and tactics for making your writing as good as it can be though editing. You will see how to improve the overall impact of your writing through content editing, as well as how to find your mistakes and improve your sentences through line editing. Then, you will finish up by practicing your copyediting skills, so you can put that final polish on your writing.
What you will learn
- Effectively identify the parts of speech and use them correctly in a variety of sentences
- Use punctuation and mechanics correctly in sentences
- Write effective sentences, and identify common sentence structure errors
- Write sentences using effective verb forms and verb tenses
- Effectively identify and use adjectives and adverbs
- Use coordination, subordination, and parallelism in sentence writing
- Write effective workplace communications, instructions, and summaries
- Effectively edit your writing to produce a polished, professional piece of work
How you will benefit
- Gain confidence in your ability to express yourself through writing with proper grammar
- Become more valuable to any organization as you employer will be able to trust you to write important documents
- Open the door to more career opportunities as you learn to communication more effectively and properly
Curt Simmons
Curt Simmons, B.A., M.Ed, is a best-selling author, trainer, and multi-media expert. He holds degrees in English and communication studies and has more than 10 years of experience teaching English and writing in the classroom. Additionally, Simmons has authored numerous books on a wide variety of technology topics and has been a technical editor for numerous other titles.