These free online writing courses are designed to fill some of the knowledge gaps some writers may. They cover some basic ideas about English grammar and constructing text. Being able to write a properly formed sentence lays the foundation for writing in plain English.
The free online writing courses are by no means comprehensive. If you want to learn more about grammar, usage and punctuation, please look for more specialised resources such as the Australian Government Style Manual.
These free courses focus on grammar. Expect to be informed more than entertained!
The building blocks of language
This course briefly explains the types of words we use when we speak and write. It discusses how we put these words together to create meaning – meaning that we can transmit to another person.
… more details and course outline
Avoiding errors in writing
Grammatical mistakes and sentence errors unsettle readers and can slow down reading. These errors may even change your intended meaning. This course highlights some common errors and how to correct them.
… more details and course outline
From the introduction to Manual of Commercial English by W.Shawcross.
Our experience has lead us to believe that most students of English for commercial purposes lookup on grammar as a dry subject, having no practical bearing upon their day-to-day work. They are often impatient of lessons on formal grammar and regard them as a waste of time. They wish “to cut to the cackle and get to the ‘osses.” Such students make a great mistake. Many, perhaps most, of the errors in the writing of English are caused by ignorance of or neglect of the rules of grammar, and to avoid the careful study of them in the belief that more rapid progress will be made, will result only in more haste and less speed. We have therefore taken the rules of grammar as the starting point for our consideration of English for commercial purposes.