COM-BSN8300 - Grammar Refresher

Course Description

Develop your English grammar skills and take your writing and speaking to the next level of excellence in this course. This course explores the eight parts of speech, punctuation and mechanics, and foundational sentence construction. You will learn about phrases, clauses, problem words, common grammar mistakes, and much more through practical, hands-on exercises. You will also learn through short videos, examples, and even fun games. Take your writing and speaking to the next level of excellence!

Course Outline

Lesson 01 - Using Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

• The three most common parts of speech are nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. Learn how all types of pronouns are used in sentences, and explore how adjectives modify nouns and how to use them in your writing.

Lesson 02 - Using Verbs and Adverbs

• There are three types of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs. Each has a different use in a sentence. Take a look at action and linking verbs and review the basic types of verb tenses. Then, explore adverbs, and learn how to use both effectively in your writing.

Lesson 03 - Using Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections

• This lesson focuses on the last three parts of speech: prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Prepositions show relationships between nouns and pronouns. Conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, and clauses within a sentence. Finally, interjections are used to show feeling and emotion.

Lesson 04 - Capitalization and Punctuation

• Learn to use some of the most common types of punctuation correctly and effectively. Understand use of end punctuation and explore the rules for colons, semicolons, quotations, apostrophes, and parenthesis.

Lesson 05 - Commas

• More often than not, commas are used to indicate a brief pause. However, there are many different uses for the comma. Explore the various rules that govern comma usage in the English language while also learning how to use commas correctly and effectively in your writing.

Lesson 06 - Sentences

• There are many different kinds of sentences in the English language: Declarative (makes a statement), Interrogative (asks a question), Imperative (issues a command), and Exclamatory (shows strong emotion). Finally, you will explore some common problems and pitfalls to avoid when writing sentences.

Lesson 07 - Plural and Possessive Words

• Plural words refer to more than one; while, possessive words refer to nouns and pronouns and show ownership. Explore plural and possessive words and the rules you must follow to form them. You will also have plenty of opportunities to practice your new grammar skills.

Lesson 08 - Difficult and Confusing Words

• There are many words that spell or sound similar yet have very different meanings. Explore these words and practice your new skills as you learn to avoid common pitfalls in your writing.

Lesson 09 - Phrases

• Phrases are groups of words that have distinct meanings and perform certain functions within a sentence. There are different types of phrases, including prepositional phrases, appositive phrases, gerund phrases, adverb phrases, adjective phrases, infinitive phrases, participle phrases, and absolute phrases.

Lesson 10 - Agreement

• Within the English language, parts of a sentence must agree in different ways. Explore subject / verb agreement, and see how using the correct conjunctions can correctly connect words or sentence parts together.

Lesson 11 - Common Sentence Problems

• A sentence is a unit of thought, and each sentence must contain a subject and a verb to be complete. However, the three common sentence errors that writers often make: the run-on, the comma splice, and the fragment.

Lesson 12 - Becoming a Better Writer

• The purpose of studying grammar is to improve your English speaking and writing skills. Put your grammar skills to work as you gain writing tips and opportunities to practice your writing skills.

Notes

This is an asynchronous online course offered through the third party vendor ed2go. This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook. The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online. There are twelve lessons in the course, and two lessons are released each week on Wednesdays and Fridays. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your coursework, including the final exam.