Business Grammar for Those Who Believe They Can't Write 

Instructor:  Rick Demers
rwdemers@charter.net

2.0 CEUs

COURSE INFORMATION Description This course is predicated on the belief that the predominant difference between the competent writer and those with less competence is confidence.  If English is your primary language and you read well, you already know many of the rhythms and patterns of writing.  Along with building confidence, this course will remind the business writer of the most useable business punctuation and the most common errors in business writing; it will introduce them to a formula for understanding sentence construction, make them aware of proof reading tips and strategies, and instruct them on the most common word usage errors.  Finally, this course will acquaint the business writer with the print and on-line resources available, and it will introduce them to the concept of ?reading for grammar,? making them a lifelong learner. ?If you understand the science of grammar, the art of writing is much easier.?      

Objectives Students will: 

• Recognize the knowledge and skills they already possess
• Understand and use sentence construction as a formula (ct. -   ct,BOYSFANct. - ct;ct. - ct;adv conj,ct. - pt,ct. - c(pt)t. - ct, pt.)
• Understand and avoid the most common errors in subject and verb agreement.
• Be able to accurately use the apostrophe in its most common applications.
• Be able to accurately use who and whom.
• Be able to accurately use commas, semi-colons, and colons in their most common applications.
• Be able to accurately use quotation marks, parenthesis, ellipsis, and dashes in their most common applications.
• Be familiar with proofreading tips and strategies.
• Be aware of the most common word usage errors. 
• Be familiar with the published and on line resources available to the business writer.
• Understand the concept and be able to ?read for grammar.? 
• Have the skills and confidence necessary to continue to develop one?s business writing abilities after the class ends by the skills taught and the resources given.          

Online Learning at BSU

The Center for Research and Innovation and Bemidji State University, as well as the entire Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, use Desire2Learn (D2L) as their course management system.  According to the D2L website at http://www.desire2learn.com, D2L is a "user-centric, web-based platform for the delivery of online teaching and learning[.]" Thus, D2L allows BSU to deliver quality interactive courses and programs over the Internet. Visit the Center for Extended Learning website at http://distance.bemidjistate.edu/ for more information about online learning at BSU. Please note that the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Higher Learning Commission accredit BSU?s online courses and programs.

Outline

This class is predicated on certain beliefs:  
Writing is 15% knowledge and 85% confidence.  English born speakers already know the writing rhythms; English readers have all the writing patterns already in their head.
If you understand the science of writing (grammar), the art of writing is much easier.     
If a writer understands sentence construction, many of his/her punctuation issues go away.
 Not all punctuation is created equal (some punctuation functions are more useable in business writing than others). 
In business writing and in most jobs, one need not be a great writer, but one needs to be able to ?write with no pain.?   The business writer needs to be comfortable enough to produce what is necessary with little emotional angst, turn it over to be proofread, send it out, and move on to the next task?efficiently.
In most businesses/ jobs, writing is necessary, but it is not most important activity. 
In many business/job writing activities, a single paragraph will do the job (e-mails should be 25 words or less).
If a business writer is going to retain the knowledge gained in this class and continuously add new knowledge, he/she must do one of two things:

• write and/or        
• read for Grammar (a skill taught in this training)