Why am I developing this guide for my students?There are countless resources already available for you to learn about grammar. Grammar guides, ESL reference materials, websites with practice exercises--ready and waiting for you to find and use. Similar resources are also available for punctuation and mechanics: lists of tips, lists of rules, lists of teacher pet peeves, and countless pages of exercises.
So why don't I just link you to a good resource and leave the instruction at that? It would be easier. (See the links to the right.) The answer is simple. I want to share my ideas about grammar and mechanics as they affect college students. Do you need to know the 8 parts of speech? Of course. But, the way(s) you, as students in college composition classes, need to think about grammar and punctuation differs from how grammar is presented at the K-12 level. We're shifting from remembering grammar rules (again, see the links to the right.) to understanding why you use the rules and then applying your knowledge of grammar and mechanics to your assigned writing tasks. When you have peer review assignments, you move even further in practicing proper grammar and mechanics by analyzing classmates' grammar choices and evaluating the effectiveness of those choices. (Anyone notice I'm using Bloom's Taxonomy here?) To distinguish this grammar and mechanics guide from others, and to focus on what I see are the concerns of my students, I've compiled a list of skills for you. Which do you already practice when writing? Which haven't you considered before in your college classes? Which items do you need a bit of a reminder about? The below list is in no particular order and is intended to be helpful and specific. |
Where can you learn about the 8 parts of speech? You can find books in your library and many, many college and university webpages devoted to explaining the eight parts of speech. I suggest you use your English instructor's textbook as a start. Then move on to our college's tutoring center if needed:
GSU Learning and Tutoring Center's Grammar and Writing Handouts (What are the 8 parts of speech, you ask? Nouns, Verbs, Pronouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Prepositions, Interjections--but who's counting?) Where can you learn about punctuation and mechanics? Just like with grammar, you can find punctuation and sentence construction guides in your textbooks, library, and many college and university websites. Start with the punctuation handout here:
GSU Learning and Tutoring Center's "Handy Punctuation Reference" Do you know when you could or would use these marks? If not, find a handout! Apostrophe Brackets Colon Comma Dash Ellipses Exclamation Point Hyphen Parentheses Period Question Mark Quotation Mark Semicolon |
What skills should college composition students practice? (a growing list)
Composition I and II students should practice the following when writing.
Coming Soon!
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