The Grammar Skills Course is for anyone who needs to gain confidence in their English writing - by going back to the basics

This course will teach you how to construct sentences in the right way, pinpoint typical errors in your writing, use perfect grammar and punctuation and produce effective letters, reports and essays. Perfect for those with English as a second language.

Course Details:
Modules:          10 Modules
Duration:          5 Months
Course Fee:      R2995
Start date:        At any time; applications all year round
Student produces: Theoretical modules, Practical Writing exercises that are submitted for assessment and feedback, and a final exam to assess writing skills.

Admission Requirements:

• E-mail and Internet access required
• No previous tertiary qualification required

Tutors:

  Nichola Meyer taught English and Cambridge O-Level English to High School pupils between 1998 and 2002, and has a degree in English from the University of Stellenbosch. She currently writes articles for magazines

 Alex Smith has a first class CELTA, Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. She taught English to first, second and third year students at the Hubei University of Technology in Wuhan, China.  In Taiwan, she worked for a private English school teaching conversation and grammar to upper-management executives.  She has written two novels, both published by Random House/Umuzi, and her third novel is coming out in 2010.

Course Curriculum 

Module One - Highlighting Verbs - the Heart of the Sentence

• What is a verb?
• Action Verbs
• Being verbs
• Having verbs

Module Two - Understanding Tenses

• Talking about NOW
• Talking about YESTERDAY
• Talking about TOMORROW

Module Three - Starting From Scratch - The Simple Sentence

• Three components of the simple sentence
• Subjects rule
• Hard-working verbs
• Obsolete objects

Module Four - The Mechanics of a Sentence in Action

• Little nouns that were
• Pronouns and amateurs
• What adjectives tell
• What adverbs help you do
• Perfect Prepositions
• Fix it with conjunctions

Module Five - Subjects and Verbs Unite

• How verbs and subjects change each other
• The 12 rules of engagement

Module Six - Perfect Punctuation

• Where what goes and why
• Full stops, commas, semicolons and colons
• Brackets, dashes and hyphens
• Exclamation marks and Question marks
• Apostrophes and abbreviations

Module Seven - Branching out - More Complex Sentences

• Confounding compounds
• Flex your complex
• Ruling Subordinate clauses

Module Eight - Producing Paragraphs That Work

• How to write a paragraph
• Organizing ideas
• Expressing opinions
• Giving reasons

Module Nine - How to write...

• Memorable memos
• Leisurely letters
• Readable reports

Module Ten - Wrapping it up

• 20 Writing Tips to keep in mind
• Mistakes to look out for when you write
• Sending you on your way with words

How does this work ?

Detailed class notes covering the content of each module are e-mailed to students, or students can download modules directly from the Student Centre online

At the end of each module, students will be required to complete several writing exercises. Once the writing assignment has been completed, and e-mailed to the lecturer, an assessment and feedback will be sent to the student, and the module will be considered

Conditions For Certification
Students will receive an SA Writers College Certificate upon successful completion of the course, provided they meet the following conditions: 

• Students must have completed all module assignments
• Students must have attained a minimum of 50% for an exam following completion of the modules
• The course must have been completed within five months of registration.
• Students are expected to attain a minimum average of 50% for the course

Minimum Estimated Time Estimate

• Reading time: 4 hours
• Writing time: up to 20 hours