Writing Basics 101: Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Writing Structures

Master the Essentials: Elevate Your Writing Skills!

Writing Basics 101: Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Writing Structures

Master the Essentials: Elevate Your Writing Skills!

Unlock your potential with "Writing Basics 101," a transformative journey into the power of effective communication. This isn't just a course--it's your gateway to writing with confidence and clarity. Rediscover the rules you once learned, now presented in an engaging, stress-free format designed to fit your life. Whether you're a student aiming for academic perfection, a professional refining work-related skills, or an aspiring writer crafting the next bestseller, this course will revolutionize your command of language. Our supportive community and expert guidance ensure you're never alone. Imagine embracing writing prowess, enhancing every email, report, or story you create. With "Writing Basics 101," elevate your skills, boost your career, and transform your voice into a powerful tool. Enroll today--your future self will thank you.

Self Paced • Online Class • Accredited CEUs

$120

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OVERVIEW

CURRICULUM

Lesson 1: Mastering the Art of Grammar and Punctuation: A Comprehensive Guide

Misplaced punctuation can dramatically distort sentence meaning, making grammar a key aspect of personal credibility and perceived intelligence in both academic and professional settings. Structuring the lesson into sections on spelling, grammar, punctuation, and writing strategies, the guide offers quizzes and resources to refine communication skills.

Lesson 2: Mastering Spelling: A Comprehensive Guide to Singular and Plural Forms

Many of us unconsciously apply spelling rules, but a review can help navigate challenging words and exceptions. Words are often pluralized by adding 's,' but specific endings require different treatments, highlighting the complexity of English spelling.

Lesson 3: Spell and Tell: Essential Words to Know

The lesson lists frequent spelling pitfalls in American English, offering a guide to mastering them with various hands-on strategies. Learners are tasked with recognizing challenging words and reinforcing their correct spellings through engaging activities.

Lesson 4: Plural Challenges: Names and Numbers Simplified

Lesson Summary 1

Lesson 5: Spelling Rules Unveiled: Deciphering 'ie' vs 'ei'

In learning the rules for 'ie' and 'ei,' the rhyme offers a notable tool, capturing the essence of most spelling patterns, though exceptions still require attention and memorization to avoid confusion with irregular cases. The straightforwardness of words ending in -cede, however, significantly reduces word-ending ambiguities.

Lesson 6: Unlocking the Mysteries of Prefixes and Suffixes: A Comprehensive Guide

While prefixes like 'auto-' and 'sub-' seamlessly attach to words without spelling alterations, suffixes demand attention to the root's ending, especially when faced with exceptions like 'truly' or 'judgment.' Proficiency in spelling with suffixes relies on carefully navigating numerous rules and understanding when to drop or keep letters.

Lesson 7: Prefix & Suffix Insight

Using prefixes such as 'im-' and 'sub-,' words can be changed to reflect negation or positioning, as in 'immobile' for not moving or 'subdivision' for positioning beneath. The suffixes '-ance' and '-ence' adjust words to signify states or acts, seen in 'independence' and 'persistence.'

Lesson 8: Sound-Alike Words to Watch: Don't Let Their Spelling Trick You

Homonyms such as 'complement' and 'compliment' share sounds but differ in usage and meaning, underscoring the need for attention to detail in writing. Regular practice with homonym definitions supports the development of precision and accuracy in conveying intended messages through text.

Lesson 9: Subject and Predicate: Sentence Structure Simplified

Subjects and predicates are foundational to sentence construction, with subjects answering 'who' or 'what' and predicates providing action or information about the subject. Using compound subjects and predicates introduces complexity and requires attention to grammar rules, such as maintaining proper subject-verb agreement.

Lesson 10: Navigating the Complexity of Verb Tenses: Present, Past, and Future

Writers must navigate the web of verb tenses to clearly describe actions across time--past, present, and future. Familiarity with both regular and irregular verbs is crucial for precision and credibility in communication.

Lesson 11: The Role of Nouns and Pronouns in Constructing Sentences

Nouns, the essential components of language, may be single or compound and can name tangible or conceptual items. Pronouns streamline communication, but writers must navigate challenges such as pronoun-antecedent agreement and avoiding unclear references.

Lesson 12: Adjectives & Adverbs Demystified

How you define things depends heavily on adjectives, which describe nouns with greater precision, and participles can double as such descriptors. Adverbs fine-tune meanings by modifying verbs, adjectives, or even other adverbs, and they play a crucial role in comparative forms.

Lesson 13: Mastering the Art of Prepositional Modifiers

Prepositional phrases, common in language, describe relationships using a preposition and a noun or pronoun and can function as adjectives or adverbs. Words like 'behind' can toggle between acting as prepositions or adverbs based on their grammatical context.

Lesson 14: The Essential Guide to Understanding Which vs. That

A clause includes both a subject and a verb, distinguishing it from a phrase, and forms part of a sentence, providing specific details or clarifications. Independent clauses can stand alone as sentences, while subordinate clauses add supplementary information but cannot function independently.

Lesson 15: Sentence Stoppers: Crafting Meaning with Punctuation

Punctuation marks serve as the intonation and pauses in written language, crucially guiding the reader's understanding and interpretation of the text. Examples demonstrate how varying punctuation can morph the entirety of a message, from loving sentiments to harsh rejections.

Lesson 16: Comma Usage 101

Commas may seem inconspicuous, but they're indispensable for conveying clear written meaning, particularly in five major contexts: separating sentence components, offsetting dialogue, marking parentheticals, listing items, and indicating omissions. While proper comma usage enhances clarity and flow, overuse can disrupt readability, making it crucial to apply commas with purpose and precision.

Lesson 17: Proper Apostrophe Use: Ownership, Contractions, and More

Mastering apostrophes involves knowing when they show possession, form contractions, or define unusual plurals, though mistakes abound. Add 's to singular possessive nouns, an apostrophe to plural possessive nouns ending in s, and remember tricky pronouns don't use apostrophes for possession.

Lesson 18: An Exploration of Colons: From Lists to Annunciatory Usage

Colons can precede elaborative details or lists, amplifying sentence clarity and impact, whereas semicolons adeptly unify complete but related sentences. This understanding fosters more effective communication in writing.

Lesson 19: Understanding Hyphen Use in Everyday Writing

Hyphens are essential for dividing words at the end of lines and creating compound words, enabling clarity and readability in writing. Pay attention to syllables when splitting words and consult dictionaries as compound word forms frequently evolve.

Lesson 20: 'Mastering Quotation Marks: A Guide to Dialogue and Citations'

Quotes aren't just for dialogue--they underscore segment text for emphasis, introduce titles, and enclose contextual or ironic phrases, enhancing both reader understanding and engaging content delivery. They further convey the nuances of textual elements such as magazine passages or literary works.

Lesson 21: Unlocking the Power of Effective Sentences

Well-crafted sentences serve as the foundation for engaging paragraphs, and without them, readers lose interest regardless of content quality. By blending short, simple sentences into intricate structures, writers guide their audience smoothly through the narrative.

Lesson 22: Essentials of Paragraph Composition

Effective paragraph structure involves presenting a main idea upfront and supporting it with additional details. By concluding with a strong statement, the impact of the narrative is strengthened, enhancing comprehension and retention.

Lesson 23: Exploring the Art of Paragraph Writing: Narrative, Descriptive, and Expository

Stories unfold through narrative paragraphs, brought to life by chronological order and rich detail. Descriptive paragraphs focus on sensory experiences to bring scenes to life, while expository ones provide clear and factual information.

Lesson 24: Dialogue Dynamics: Enlivening Your Story

Effective dialogue is crucial for storytelling as it brings the text to life and offers insight into characters' traits. The lesson outlines how to avoid monotony in dialogue by varying word choices and observing dialogue in well-crafted narratives.

Lesson 25: Refining Your Writing Draft

Effective writing requires accepting that mistakes happen and focusing on proofreading and revising beyond surface-level checks like spelling programs. By meticulously refining grammar, structure, and vocabulary, writers can ensure their work is polished and resonates with readers.

In This Course

29 Hours average completion time
2.9 CEUs
26 Lessons
68 Exams & Assignments
1288 Discussions
25 Videos
288 Reference Files
34 Articles
Mobile Friendly
Last Updated September 2021

Description

Most of us learned spelling and grammar in elementary school and brushed up on the rules occasionally in junior high or middle school. Once we entered high school, it was assumed we knew and remembered all of the essentials -- and slowly we discovered that although there were some rules we just had to look up, we simply stopped worrying about "the minor details." It's time to relearn those "minor details" that can help you write and read more effectively. But it's hard to fix something unless you know how it works.

This self-paced, stress-free course is designed for students wanting to improve their basic writing skills as well as for business writers, creative writers and office staff wanting to improve poor work-related writing (and avoid embarrassing their bosses and themselves).

Our innovative course is designed as a refresher course for those who need to brush up on their skills and as a reference for anyone who wants to be able to look up the rules for confusing grammatical questions quickly and easily. After you've reviewed the basic rules of grammar and spelling, you can move on to the lessons on writing style for tips on improving your sentence and paragraph structure, how to polish your writing and how to avoid common errors.

Although this course is completely online, it doesn't mean that you'll be left on your own. The instructor will be grading assignments and tests and is available through email to answer any questions and provide guidance. Why not join us, learn at your own pace and your own schedule and reap the benefits?

Skills You'll Develop

Increased confidence in writing tasks
Analytical understanding of writing components
Strategic punctuation use for impact
Enhanced writing clarity and precision
Improved grammar application skills
Effective error correction strategies
Proficient spelling techniques
Mastery of sentence and paragraph structures

More About This Course

Strengthen Writing Foundation: Improve basic writing skills efficiently
Refine Writing Drafts: Focus on proofreading for polished writing
Effective Self-Paced Learning: Learn at your own pace, schedule
Simplify Verb Tenses: Navigate verb tenses with confidence
Craft Engaging Paragraphs: Learn to structure compelling sentences
Gain Professional Confidence: Avoid embarrassing writing missteps
Master Spelling Challenges: Overcome frequent spelling pitfalls effectively
Unlock Punctuation Mastery: Learn punctuation to clarify intentions
Understand Complex Grammar: Tackle tricky grammar easily
Enhance Communication Skills: Master grammar for effective communication

What You'll Achieve

Define the eight parts of speech in English, providing examples for each part to illustrate their function within a sentence.
Demonstrate correct application of noun pluralization rules by converting singular nouns to plural, highlighting exceptions to standard rules.
Identify and apply the correct rules for converting singular nouns to plural forms, including handling different word endings such as 'y,' 'f,' and 'o.'
Distinguish between regular plural noun spelling patterns and exceptions, and apply these rules accurately to improve spelling proficiency.
Identify and circle words from the provided list that you find challenging to spell, demonstrating awareness of your individual spelling weaknesses.
Accurately spell aloud at least 10 difficult words from the list without referring to the original material, showcasing improved spelling proficiency.#
Recognize and apply the correct rules for forming plural personal names ending in s, y, or z.
Identify the main noun in a compound word or phrase and apply the correct pluralization rule.
Demonstrate the correct usage of 'ie' and 'ei' in words by applying memorized rules and identifying exceptions.
Identify and spell words correctly with endings '-cede,' '-sede,' and '-ceed' by memorizing specific exceptions and applying general rules.
Define and identify common prefixes and suffixes and apply them to root words to correctly alter their meanings.
Analyze the spelling rules for adding suffixes to root words and accurately apply changes to maintain correct spelling conventions.
Recognize and define common prefixes and suffixes to determine word meanings.