Unit 1: The Basics (Grammar & Academic Writing Conventions)

Lesson #1: My goal is to make you all comma masters! Arguably, the comma is one of the trickiest punctuation marks in our language. Often young writers fall into one of two categories with commas:

1. "You can never have enough commas, so I'm going to sprinkle them into my writing like salt and pepper on a steak!"

OR

2. "I have no idea how to use commas, so I won't use them at all... then I'll never be wrong!"

Unfortunately... using too many commas is just as confusing as not using them at all!! So, let's learn a few simple rules to help you become a master of commas!

Lesson #2: Sentences are made up of several key elements. This lesson is designed as a simple guide to some of those key elements. An understanding of these key elements and how sentences are structured can help you to improve your overall writing. The key elements we will discuss are:

• Subjects

• Predicates

• Objects (Direct & Indirect)

• Phrases

• Clauses (Independent & Dependent)