Writing: punctuation and grammar

Overview

This workshop provides participants with a refresher course in modern punctuation and grammar. The workshop uses the public sector workplace as a context for discussing these principles, answers writing questions and gives tips and strategies to use back at the workplace.

Course content

This workshop covers the basic labels of English: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, tenses and how they have to work together to make sense. It gives participants a basic structure of a sentence, explains how to punctuate correctly and provides a simple explanation of passive and active voice and when to use them. It explains the differences between written and spoken English and gives an interesting outline of modern English. Participants embark on a discussion of who sets the rules about what is right and wrong and discover what is wrong with 'between you and I', 'it’s' and many other common errors.

Course outcomes

By the end of this course attendees should be able to:

• know the difference between good modern English and nit-picking
• notice mistakes in writing samples and correct them
• make their sentences internally consistent
• punctuate sensibly and confidently
• avoid common errors in their own writing
• manage apostrophes and dot points.

Benefits to your organisation

• staff will write more quickly and confidently and get more of their writing right the first time
• less editing and re-editing of documents
• staff will be able to resolve their own writing problems

Benefits to you

• clearer understanding of modern English and a grounding in basic grammar and punctuation
• ability to edit your own work more professionally
• knowledge of what matters and what doesn’t