Learn Grammar the Easy Way

Learn Grammar the Easy Way

Full Description

This course teaches the basics of English grammar, banishing dull explanations for lively examples and helpful tricks for remembering the rules. Taking a non-threatening, humorous approach, the four lessons get right to the point, targeting the most common real-life misunderstandings and mistakes that regularly surface in the workplace and at home. The fun, easy-to-understand lessons offer just the information you need -- you won’t find convoluted explanations that add to your confusion. Memory devices, examples, and multiple-choice quizzes help reinforce the material, combatting bad habits and ingrained mistakes. And you’re always encouraged to contact the instructor with any questions you may have. If you want to communicate with accuracy and confidence, it’s time to Learn Grammar the Easy Way! Required Book: The Classic Guide to Better Writing: Step-by-Step Techniques and Exercises to Write Simply, Clearly and Correctly By Rudolf Flesch & Abraham H. Lass 0062730487:Product Link on Barnes & Noble.com.

Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: A. Distinguish the parts of speech. B. Differentiate a complete sentence from a fragment. C. Identify direct and indirect objects. D. Determine which case to use in a given situation (“I” or “me,” “who” or “whom”). E. Identify and correct misplaced modifiers. F. Choose proper punctuation. G. Differentiate between the plural and the possessive. H. Choose correct words and express themselves more accurately. I. Use memory tricks and devices to remember what they have learned.

Assessment:

1. Each lesson features exercises and quizzes that assess the students' progress. 2. After the final lesson, students will take a multiple-choice exam.

Week 1 Week One: The fundamentals

Our goal of the first week is to revisit the fundamentals. You’ll review the basic parts of speech and learn how they relate to one another.

Then you’ll learn how these various parts combine to make a complete sentence. The lesson demystifies confusing terminology (phrase, clause, etc.) with some clear, simple definitions.
Week 2 Week Two: Sentence structure

Using what you’ve learned from lesson one, you’ll continue to delve into the parts of a sentence and their functions. This time we’ll hash out pronoun problems (“I” vs. “me”; “who” vs. “whom”) and learn how to keep modifiers from dangling. Week 3 Week Three: Punctuation

In week three, we’ll review the proper usage of periods, commas, apostrophes, semicolons, colons, dashes, hyphens, and parentheses. You’ll understand the functions of these marks, and when (and when not) to use them.

Then we’ll target three common problems: plural vs. possessive, comma splices, and improper use of the semicolon.
Week 4 Week Four: Words

Week four is about diction -- the word choices we make. We’ll pinpoint troublesome words and expressions that have weaseled their way into common usage. We’ll also review some traditionally confusing words (such as affect/effect and fewer/less).

Focused explicitly on today’s most common misuses and mistakes, this lesson will help you leave muddy language behind and communicate with greater accuracy.

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SAMPLE LESSON WEEK 1
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Clauses and Phrases

Now that we can spot complete sentences, let's break them down a little further to clear up some confusing terminology.

"Clause" is a word that you have probably heard before. Like other grammatical words that get bantered around—"dangling participle" and "split infinitive," to name a few—it sounds intimidating.

But the great news is that it's really not. And the even greater news is that you already understand the first type of clause: the independent clause.

I do? you're wondering. Yes, you do, because you identify an independent clause the same way you identify a complete sentence.

So what's the difference then? The only difference is that a complete sentence looks like one; it starts with a capital letter and ends with a period:

I will always hate rigatoni.

All complete sentences contain at least one independent clause. However, an independent clause can also be one part of a larger sentence:

Because the lunch lady poisoned my pasta, I will always hate rigatoni.

"I will always hate rigatoni" could stand as its own sentence, but in this case it's not doing that. There's another part of the sentence stuck on the front:

Because the lunch lady poisoned my pasta

So if the other part is an independent clause, what is this? Let's analyze it.

Contact Hours: 7