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Grammar and Punctuation – the Basics 

How to book

Please contact us at to request an in-company quote

Course format

  • Virtual, 2 x 1½-hour sessions inc. break 
  • In-person, ½ working day, including breaks

People hold widely divergent views on grammar and punctuation. Some believe in time-honoured ‘rules’, and feel that they should be observed in all circumstances. Others question the legitimacy of these rules, believing that language changes and that what was ‘right’ for one generation isn’t necessarily right for the next.

As an editor or a writer, how do you find your own position on this contentious subject? How do you gain confidence in your ability to argue the case for your editorial decisions, particularly against people who might take a completely different position from you?

For many people working in the publishing and communications industries, this is even more challenging because they are unlikely to have been taught about these issues at school. This short course will look at some of the core issues relating to grammar and punctuation. It will give you an understanding of the various positions taken on them – and the confidence to make your own decisions, based on the kinds of text you’re working on and the readers you are trying to reach.

Who is it for?

Anyone working in the publishing or communications industries who wants to improve their grammar and punctuation, including:

  • in-house and freelance editors, copywriters and project managers
  • marketing and PR staff
  • people who feel they lack confidence in their judgements on these issues and in their ability to defend their editorial and stylistic decisions.

What will you achieve?

On completing this course you will gain:

  • a clearer understanding of the main issues surrounding grammar and punctuation
  • more confidence in your ability to make, and defend, decisions on grammar and punctuation
  • knowledge of where to go to get answers that work for you.

You will also receive a set of reference materials to consult in your day-to-day work.

Programme

Pre- and post-course material

You will be sent extensive pre-course and post-course material. The first will provide background terminology and basic concepts before the course. The second will give guidance and recommendations following the course.

Activities

Activities will cover most elements on the programme. These will be done individually, in breakout rooms, or as a group.

  • A brief introduction to grammar and punctuation
  • What is, and what is not, a sentence?
  • Why are verbs so important?
  • What’s the issue behind ‘that’ and ‘which’?
  • What do you do? How hard and fast are those hard and fast rules, and what other rules might there be?
  • With punctuation, which are rules and which are guidelines or discretionary choices, often enshrined in house styles?

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