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University of California, Irvine

Grammar and Punctuation

University of California, Irvine via Coursera

Overview

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Course 1: Grammar and Punctuation

Do you need to review English grammar? Have you forgotten the grammar you once studied? If so, this course is perfect for you.

The first course in this specialization is a refresher on some tools needed for good writing. It will help prepare you for the other courses. You will need about 10 hours to complete this first course. Writing is a skill and to learn a skill well, you need to practice. In this course, you will watch short video lectures and then practice and discuss what you have learned. Make sure you take good notes and use the peer discussions to ask questions. Then you'll be able to remember the rules you learn in this course when you start writing essays in the next course.

After completing this course, you will be able to:
- identify the correct verb tenses to use
- use commas effectively
- utilize several different sentence types
- write more effectively in English

Please note that the free version of this class gives you access to all of the instructional videos and handouts. The peer feedback and quizzes are only available in the paid version.

Syllabus

  • Course Introduction
    • This is the first course in the Academic English: Writing specialization, which will help prepare you for studying in an American college or university. This first course will go over some of the basics of grammar and punctuation that you'll need to do good writing. It is not intended to review all aspects of English grammar, only the few topics chosen for this class. In this short module, to get started, introduce yourself and get to know the other learners a little bit. In the following lessons, you will watch video lectures, do readings, do practice exercises, and take quizzes. To pass the course, just pass all three quizzes. When you finish one activity, then go on to the next one. Enjoy the class!
  • Verb Tenses and Conjunctions
    • In this module, you will watch video lectures, do readings, do practice exercises, and take quizzes. You can re-watch the videos or redo the exercises as many times as you need to to help you understand the material. This module will help you review verb tenses and how to use them correctly. You probably already studied these in your other English classes, so this will just be a quick reminder. Then you'll begin learning about how to use conjunctions in your sentences. This will help you write different kinds of sentences and make your writing more interesting.
  • Compound and Complex Sentences
    • Now that you've learned about conjunctions, you're ready to learn about different types of sentences. In English, there are four types of sentences that you can use--and should use--to make your writing more interesting to read. In this module, you'll learn about two of the advanced sentence types.
  • More Commas, Parallel Structure, and Sentence Variety
    • In this module, you'll learn some other uses for commas. After studying this module, you'll know about 95% of the ways commas can be used. That means you'll be able to write confidently, knowing that you are using commas correctly and not just guessing. In addition to learning about commas, you'll learn about creating parallel structure and sentence variety. When you add these to your writing tools, your writing will be even more effective.

Taught by

Tamy Chapman

Reviews

4.2 rating, based on 33 Class Central reviews

4.7 rating at Coursera based on 19036 ratings

Start your review of Grammar and Punctuation

  • Profile image for Audrey Hamilton
    Audrey Hamilton
  • Svenja Noaree
    First a note: The description both here and on Coursera is not actually accurate: you can do the peer-reviewed assignments in audit mode. It's only the module quizzes that require purchase. The course content itself is perfectly good, if not amazi…
  • Olga Thistleton
    Grading introductions for 2 hours is the most stupid assignment I have ever seen because you are stuck reviewing profiles of people who can barely write. I would understand it if we were to produce an essay on something interesting but it is a waste of time moving through a ton of info on people you never actually met and have no interest in. How many hellos can you type in two hours?
  • The instructor explained the course clearly with sample so it is easy for beginner student to understand. I did the sub course once in a week and did all the tasks. I really recommend this course to take, especially for student who wants to write a research paper
  • Profile image for Max Chau
    Max Chau
    This is quite a clearly structured and useful course to attend. The grammar knowledge taught is greatly useful for our future writing, and the explanation is quite concise. It's quite good as an introductory course on academic writings.
  • Nayane Nazare Borges Rocha
    Very happy for start learning english free. This is my first course english. Now i think and write in english. Its possible for my new job and saving money. Congratulations
  • Julia De Faveri
    This was a very good course, and I'm finally 100% confident with my punctuation. I was a little surprised, that the majority of the learners barley knew basic English. I don't think this course is that great for beginners because you need to know basic English to understand everything. In summary, this course does not teach you English, but it helps you improve an intermediate level English.
  • Kirsten Abigail Heilbut
    I did the course for a week, every day a bit. I wasn´t aware of a lot of the punctuation rules and thus, it was a good summary. I am mixed up a bit, especially with "because"....
    The feedback was not so clear from the tutors. Meaning, there was none, because I did not pay....
    I enjoyed most of the peer-graded assignments, because it was the only feedback one got and with most of them a very nice exchange.
  • Anonymous
    The explanations make it easier for learners to understand the lessons. I recommend this course to my fellow Filipinos who would like to refresh or improve their English writing skills.
  • Pramod Kumar Chauhan
    I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR TO TEACH STUDENT WITH SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS. As ENGLISH PUNCTUATION Too STRONG FOR USES .
  • Profile image for Espandza Martinez
    Espandza Martinez
    Even though i just joined today, i enjoy doing grammar and punctuation. I am very good at grammar but i am doing this class just in case. it gets in handy.
  • Anonymous
    It was meh. Some concepts were oversimplified to the point of being wrong. All throughout it felt as though the instructor was just reading a script and not teaching.
  • Kosheleva Irina
  • Profile image for Ivo3185
    Ivo3185

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