Grammarcheck open course
English is a beautiful language. It has a great richness, variety and flexibility. But many people do not have a clear understanding of the 'nuts and bolts' of the language, which makes it difficult for them to use it accurately and confidently. Some people were not taught the basics at school. Others were, but have since forgotten most of what they learnt.
This lack of understanding can lead to a writing style that is weak, unsure of itself, and prone to mistakes. Many writers lack confidence because they feel they do not have a firm enough grasp of the basics of the language they use every day. This can lead to embarrassment, criticism from colleagues, and even complaints from customers.
We examine, in a straightforward, step-by-step way, basic grammar - punctuation, spelling, sentence construction and other related areas.
| Function and parts of speech | Sentence structure | Punctuation | Other topics |
| Verbs | Sentences | Full stops | Who and whom |
| Adverbs | Paragraphs | Exclamation marks | Will and shall |
| Nouns | Lists and bullet points | Question marks | I and we |
| Pronouns | Capital letters | Commas | 'They' as a singular pronoun |
| Adjectives | Subjects and objects | Colons | Between you and me |
| Conjunctions | Verbs: participles | Semi-colons | The split infinitive |
| Prepositions | Verbs: active and passive | Inverted commas | Beginning a sentence with 'And', 'But' or 'Because' |
| Articles | Apostrophes | Can we put a comma before 'and'? | |
| Brackets | Ending a sentence with a preposition | ||
| Dashes | Five or 5? | ||
| Hyphens | Singular and plural | ||
| Commonly confused words |
Our open courses are a mixture of theory and practical exercises. Throughout the day, delegates will be asked to work on a series of exercises to reinforce what they have learned.
At the end of the course, delegates often feel that they have learnt more in one day than they learnt over many years at school. Possibly for the first time, they have had an opportunity to ask questions, explore misunderstandings, and clear up areas of doubt or confusion.
Our trainers are English graduates who have a detailed understanding of the language.
Open courses are held at venues throughout the UK.
The course timings for open courses are:
Start 9.30am
Coffee 11am
Lunch 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Coffee 3pm
Finish 4.30pm
Ordering a place on the Grammarcheck course as an open course:
If you have any questions about this course, or if you want to make a booking, please phone Terri Schabel on 01663 744409 or email terri.schabel@plainenglish.co.uk. Open courses cost £300 + VAT.
If you book two or more places you will receive £50 off each place.
Please check our open course dates course dates for the next available course.
