Grammar and punctuation

Here is a more detailed look at the course.

Introduction

This includes a short self-test which takes around ten minutes. The questions are either ‘multiple choice' or delegates are asked to spot and underline mistakes in the examples. The answers delegates give are completely private, and no one is put on the spot or made to feel foolish.

Our tutor then gives the correct answers to the questions, briefly explaining the reasons why.

We then explore the two main topics, beginning with . . . .

Grammar

Parts of speech

These are the 'building blocks' of written and spoken sentences. There are seven common parts of speech, and we deal with each in turn.

Common grammatical errors

Delegates who have been on our plain English courses will understand why short, simple sentences are effective. They also help writers avoid some of the more common grammatical pitfalls. We look at these in detail.

Grammatical ‘rules' or grammatical ‘myths'?

A look at ‘split infinitives' and some other thorny issues. Is it wrong to start a sentence with ‘And', ‘But' or ‘Because'? And so on . . .

Commonly confused words

What’s the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’, ‘fewer’ and ‘less’, and ‘principle’ and ‘principal’? We highlight these and another dozen or so problem words and explain their meanings.

Punctuation

We look at why it is important to punctuate properly. Poor or inadequate punctuation can confuse readers and give a bad impression of the writer's organisation. Good punctuation guides the reader through a piece of writing and helps make the meaning clearer.

Punctuating properly

Using commas, full stops, semi-colons, colons and apostrophes effectively. The apostrophe causes more confusion than all the other punctuation marks put together. We see them in the wrong places, where they don't belong at all, and they are left out when they shouldn't be. We therefore give them the time they deserve.

Putting it all together

This is where delegates get the chance to put everything they have learned into practice. Our tutor will help each delegate get the most from the exercises, giving help and advice where needed.

Action planning

Delegates will have covered a number of new topics during the half-day. Here we look ahead at the next few weeks, and delegates decide which topics they may need to spend more time on. We also give delegates a ‘suggested reading' list.

© The Word Centre 2010

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