Once Upon a Pen

About the Course

One of the worst mistakes American schools have made since the 1970 is to  purge systematic grammar from the typical English curriculum.  Over the years I have seen the fruit of this neglect with my students, most of whom struggle to write polished papers because they have not been taught the necessary skills to do so.  This two-level course provides systematic, traditional grammar instruction using the classic, out-of-print textbook series Warriner’s English Grammar & Composition.  I also incorporate my own methodology to help students achieve mastery of the material.  Students may choose from a live class and an independent study. Students will learn grammar in progressive stages:  basic grammar first in order to provide the language and concepts necessary for a true mastery of English, and then mechanics, usage, and style conventions.  In some circumstances I may also be able to offer an advanced level. 

Registration: For the ’25-26 school year, this class is offered via correspondence only. Please contact me to register here.

* fall and/or spring semester
* textbook: Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition (book level TBD based on students’ skill level); 12 weekly self-graded practice exercises provided following conclusion of course 
*  $250/semester +$30 non-refundable registration fee 

Questions? Contact me here.

How it works:

Grammar Matters progresses in the following sequence.  The pace will be set by the class’s ability. I will not go faster than the students can handle, so I cannot promise that a certain amount of material will be covered by the end of the course.
*  basic grammar — the internal structure of English
*  usage — the rules for constructing sentences correctly
*  mechanics — punctuation and capitalization
*  style — conventions for smooth, natural sentences

Each class follows the same pattern:
* warm-up
* homework check/questions
* textbook lesson w/ in-class practice
* assignment (posted in Google Classroom)
* assignment submission before next class (via Classroom)

Methodology:
Although I use the Warriner’s textbook as a spine, I also make use of six-line analysis practice*, occasional diagramming, and practical editing exercises that are drawn from classic works.

*Six-line analysis is an application exercise based on Michael Clay Thompson’s teaching methodology. In each exercise, students examine all six aspects of a sentence: parts of speech, predicate/subject/complement, phrases, clauses, sentence structure, and sentence type

Scope-and-Sequence

Each level will cover all the following concepts.  They may slow or accelerate depending on student ability.  If class accelerates, level 2 concepts may be introduced.

GRAMMAR MATTERS I:
* sentence vs. fragment
* comma splices and run-ons
* the eight parts of speech 
* subject and predicate
* noun, verb, infinitive, prepositional, and appositive phrases
* the four types of complements
* the four types of sentences
* independent and dependent clauses
* three sentence structures — simple, compound, and complex sentences
* basic mechanics
* if time, simple diagramming

GRAMMAR MATTERS II:
* review of beginning concepts
* participial and gerund phrases
* essential and non-essential dependent clauses
* compound-complex sentence structure
* sentence combining
* more diagramming (however, this is not a heavy focus of the course)
* more fundamentals of mechanics
* usage concepts
* style conventions as time allows

Why bother with a separate grammar course?

During most of the 20th century, grammar was typically taught as a formal, systematic subject within general English courses. It was logical and coherent–the “math” of language study.  Over the past few decades, however, traditional grammar instruction has been dismissed by most schools as a time-waster, useless for improving student writing.  Grammar became integrated with the general English curriculum, often taught in bits and pieces in the context of writing projects.  This, in fact, was how I was instructed to teach grammar in my methodology courses in college, for it was the popular teaching approach of the ’90s.  

Unfortunately, that trend has continued.  Over the years, I’ve graded many student papers, and I have seen the fruit of this neglect.  I can always tell when a student has received minimal instruction in grammar, mechanics, usage, and style, because it shows up in their final drafts.  No one needs to master grammar for the development of ideas or for self-expression, but everyone does for completing clean, correct, stylish manuscripts.  With Grammar Matters I hope to fill another gap in the academic community by joining the few schools who are still plodding through old-fashioned grammar studies.  For most students, it is the only way to fully grasp the complexities and power of the English language–and to learn how to use it to best effect.