This two-day Writing Tune-up: Grammar series provides grammar instruction for all levels of writers. It is open to graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, faculty, and staff at the University of Guelph, as well as Guelph community members. The workshop is useful for participants wanting to improve their own writing skills as well as to provide more effective feedback on students' writing as TAs or faculty. Although you can attend either day, it is recommended that you start with Day 1. (Visit the Day 1 description to register for that session on January 11.)

During this day-long workshop, a half-hour meal break (at 2:00pm) and snack breaks will be on your own.

Topics

Correcting Grammar Errors

Avoid some of the common pitfalls of grammar. The session includes discussion and examples of these guidelines:

• Make subjects and verbs agree
• Don't use myself as a replacement for I and me
• Use who and whom correctly
• Make comparisons clear

Avoiding Errors of Misuse

Learn some of the common errors of misuse of words and expressions. The session includes discussion and examples of these guidelines:

• Use apostrophes for possessive nouns
• Don't use it's for possessives

Going Beyond Basic Grammar

Learn about some of the writing errors that affect clarity, meaning, and tone. Session includes discussion and examples of these guidelines:

• Maintain parallelism
• Use active instead of passive voice
• Punctuate that and which clauses correctly
• Recognize when to use the three types of hyphens and dashes