Grammar, Punctuation and Proofreading Boot Camp

Commas, semi-colons, split infinitives, and typos. Atten-hut! Grammatical and punctuation errors call into question your ability and your organization's credibility. Getting it right builds confidence – for you and your reader. Grammar, Punctuation and Proofreading Boot Camp will help you understand modern English usage. The course also explores the difference between American and British usage and what is accepted as the gold standard in Canada. Tips and techniques are covered to enhance your use and understanding of the rules of grammar and punctuation. Participants are encouraged to bring their grammar and punctuation gripes and peeves to class.

The first part of the course will delve into common grammar problems and questions including the use of hyphens, dashes, and the controversial Oxford comma. Participants will complete writing exercises individually, then the answers will be discussed as a group. In the next half, participants will test their grammar knowledge and see if they can spot any grammatical errors. There will also be a friendly competition to end the day.

Grammar, Punctuation and Proofreading Boot Camp is an elective seminar for the Certificate in Business Communications.

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Program Content

Grammar

• Common mistakes
• Tips for remembering what's right and what's not
• Pronoun use
• Plurals and possessives
• Subject/verb agreement

Is this correct: I believe in the power of you and I?

Style versus Usage

• What is grammatically correct?
• Acceptable workplace usage
• Current trends in organizational and email writing

Can you start a sentence with “And”?

Punctuation

• The dreaded comma
• Using the semi-colon, colon, and dash
• Hyphen hype
• Acceptable usage
• Readers' expectations
• Using the US or UK model

Should you put a comma before “and” in a list?

Finding the Right Word

• Commonly misused words
• The process by which word definitions change
• How this affects their use, or effects it?

We want to wet your appetite. Or do we?

What You Will Learn

• Common grammatical mistakes and how to avoid them
• Accurate use of punctuation
• Style versus rules
• Why readers really care about spelling, quotation marks, and misplaced modifiers
• Proofreading tips and techniques

Who Should Attend?

You will benefit from this seminar if you:

• writing is significant part of your job
• you routinely distribute and/or send information internally or externally
• you want to enhance your reputation for professionalism and accuracy