This class is for anyone who wants to feel more confident about their grammar. Maybe you missed out on grammar at school because it wasn’t part of the syllabus for several years. Maybe you studied grammar, but just want a refresher to clarify and consolidate your skills. Or perhaps you just like grammar!
This online class, written and facilitated by Mary Morel, covers practical business grammar, punctuation and usage issues.
Dates: TBA 2016
Length: Four weeks
Cost: $425 GST incl (This price includes five e-books and access to a new business grammar self-paced course.)
Each week, you’ll receive information and activities. You can engage with the tutor and other participants throughout the course by discussing topics, asking questions and posting samples of your writing for feedback.
Week one: Common grammar mistakes and questions
This week we brush up on grammar terms and then look at common grammar mistakes and frequently asked grammar, punctuation and usage questions. This is your first opportunity to ask those questions you’ve always wondered about.
Topics include:
- Agreement issues (e.g. should you use a singular or plural verb with words such as team and staff?)
- Difference between which and that – and does it matter?
- Some commonly confused words (affect and effect)
- When to use I, me and myself
Week two: Grammar rules you can break (most of the time)
This week covers grammar rules that may have outgrown their usefulness. Grammar changes and some rules no longer matter. Which rules do matter and which ones can you break?
Week three: Punctuation rules
Always wondered where an apostrophe goes and when to use a semicolon? This week we look at punctuation rules and the grey areas you need to be aware of (editors never agree about commas!).
Week four: Style and usage
This week we look at modern styles for business writing.
Topics include:
- List punctuation
- Styles for writing dates
- Spacing (e.g. one space between sentences)
Your tutor: Mary Morel
Mary studied grammar at university, but gained a more practical knowledge when she started answering people’s grammar questions in her monthly newsletter. She is the content creator of Online Writing Training’s grammar self-paced courses.
