Discusses five "rules" of language use that can be broken: (1) don't use contractions in formal writing, (2) every paragraph should have a topic/clincher sentence, (3) never end a sentence with a preposition, (4) Avoid "I" and "you" in formal writing, and (5) never begin a sentence with "and" or "but." (EL)

This self-paced text/workbook is designed for the adult learner who needs a review of grammar and writing skills in order to write clearly and concisely on the job. It offers career-minded students 14 individualized instructional modules on grammar, paragraph writing, report writing, letter writing, and spelling. It is designed for both self-paced…

Outlines methods for presenting grammar and punctuation in a one-semester community college classroom. Discusses misconceptions often held by students and misconceptions occasionally held by instructors. (RS)

Notes that, although linguistics has had little influence on composition pedagogy, the study of functional grammar or linguistic performance (how language is actually used) is of direct value to composition theory. Offers an extended discussion of a functional approach to punctuation instruction, and proposes a functional approach in other areas…

Argues that grammar instruction is important and should begin early. Lists rules for using the comma, colon, and semi-colon. Notes 10 tips for top-notch writing. Notes grammatical areas often troublesome to students. Includes a short quiz. (SR)

Business communication faculty (n=187) identified the top grammatical errors made by undergraduates as follows: subject-verb agreement, sentence fragments, subject-pronoun agreement, nonparallel series, and wrong word choice. Top punctuation errors included run-on sentences, comma splice, missing commas, and misuse of the possessive apostrophe.…

Argues that the prohibition against the comma splice has no logical basis whatsoever, and offers numerous examples. Maintains that English teachers should relax prohibitions against comma splices, accept that usage is flexible, and allow students a freedom which more confident writers take for granted. (SR)

This paper considers evidence from an intervention designed to raise standards in spelling and independent writing. "The Complete Spelling Programme" (McMurray and Fleming, 1998) is designed to ensure that all processes involved in learning to spell are activated and that the interaction between them is facilitated. In addition, a number…

Intended to be a guide, this book can serve as a handy reference to grammar, usage, and style for the person who needs an easy-to-use, reliable source to answer specific questions about the English language. In clear, concise terms, with lively examples, the new edition of the book provides general usage rules for parts of speech, punctuation,…

Intended for students in upper-division technical communication courses and professionals in business and government who want to learn how to edit technical writing, this book describes what technical editors do and how they do it. Throughout the book are exercises that students can use as self-tests; answer keys are provided for checking work.…

Pointing out that the style of the Associated Press (AP) defines clear writing, this revised edition of the practical and much-used AP stylebook is designed to be an essential handbook for all writers, editors, and students. The stylebook contains over 5000 entries laying out the AP's rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage. It gives…

A fifth grader wanted to know what he had to do to get all his ideas the way he wanted them in his story writing "and" have the spelling, punctuation and quotation marks correctly styled. His teacher encouraged him to think about writing as a process and provided the student with three steps as guidelines for effective writing. (Author/RK)

Reports on approaches being used in journalism courses at colleges throughout the country to help students improve in grammar usage, spelling, and punctuation. (GW)

Describes an activity which successfully gets all students in a class (including those with reading disabilities) involved in constructing sentences and learning grammar and punctuation. (JM)