Communicative Grammar and Writing for Professionals

To make a good impression on the job, business professionals must be able to communicate effectively in writing in today’s competitive environment. This course strengthens the writing skills of non-native English speaking professionals through the practice of various modes of writing found in academic and professional correspondence. Students learn to make effective language choices and produce correct grammatical structures as they work through the process of editing from a rough draft to a clear and polished final result.

Included in the course are:

Analyzing and producing common rhetorical forms such as comparison/contrast, cause/effect, and persuasion
Writing clear and effective letters, E-mails, reports, and business proposals
Perfecting your resume
Learning skills and strategies for editing your own writing
Applying the rules for proper punctuation
One-on-one conference time with the instructor to assess your personal grammar and writing goals and your progress throughout the semester

Required Text:

Success with Graduate and Scholarly Writing by Sheryl Holt

Text can be purchased at www.eslvideos.com for $29.95 (which includes shipping)

Send Me a Message by Daphne Mackey

Texts can be purchased online at www.amazon.com for $26.50 (shipping is free)

Other Required Materials:

Paper
Writing utensils
A pocket folder to hold your class writing
A collegiate American English dictionary

Course Requirements/Information:

1. Attendance: Regular attendance is appreciated as well as recorded as part of your grade. While I understand you are very busy, your attendance is critical to learning the course material. If you are going to miss a class, please contact me as soon as you know you will be absent.

2. Writing assignments: Each week, you will have a writing assignment. Assignments will be due in class the following week.

3. Grammar: Various grammar points will be covered, including simple sentences vs. compound/complex sentences, reported speech, passive vs. active voice, parallel structures, verb forms, articles and non-count nouns, prepositions, conditionals, and pronouns. Grammar will be worked on through focused grammar activities and self-editing exercises in class.

4. Writing Tests: Not only will you have an entrance/diagnostic writing test, which will tell me what your skill level is and what you need to work on, but you will have an exit test used to assess your progress throughout the semester and help me to make recommendations and guidance for further study.

5. Criterion: Criterion is a website through ETS, the creators of the TOEFL test. For a $20 fee, you can access the site, write directly into the site or download an essay on a listed topic and then be scored against a bank of other essays on the same topic. The site is a fabulous way for you to gauge your progress as well as your skill level. It also allows you to write the same essay many times to increase your score and, essentially, to teach you how to construct a stronger essay.

6. Grades: Class participation – 50%, Writing homework – 50%

7. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious offense and will NOT be tolerated in any form in this course. This includes cheating on tests, copying an author’s words, sentences, and/or paragraphs and putting them in your essays, claiming the words as your own. The first instance of plagiarism will result in 0% given to the assignment. A second offense will result in a grade of “F” for the course.

Grading Scale:

In order to pass this course you must have 73% or higher in attendance and completed homework and tests. A transcript of your course grade and my comments will be distributed at the end of the class; a certificate of completion will be issued to all who pass.

Communicative Grammar and Writing for Professionals

Tentative Schedule

Based on how fast or slowly we move in the class and, also, based on your writing needs discussed on the first day of class, this schedule may be altered. You will be told of any changes ahead of time.

SGSW= Success with Graduate and Scholarly Writing SMAM = Send Me a Message

Date	Lesson	Pages in SGSW	Pages in SMAM
Sept. 5	Diagnostic Writing/Grammar Tests Class Overview Rules for writing for an American audience. *Homework: Write a definition on a term from your profession*	Chapter 1
Sept. 12	Writing about a graphic or visual aid Grammar: Parallel structures, passive voice, transitions *Homework: Write about a graphic in your field*	Chapter 2
Sept. 19	Writing with formal language Grammar: Sentence variety, word choice *Homework: Report on an interview with a professional peer*	Chapter 3
Sept. 26	Writing Research Essays and Reports Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting Grammar: Singular-Plural Agreement *Homework: 1-2 page research essay outline*	· Chapter 4 Chapter 5 (pages 110-114) · Chapter 6 · Chapter 8 (pages 215-221)
Oct. 3	Writing Research Essays and Reports Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting Grammar: Count and Noncount nouns *Homework: 1-2 page research essay*	· Chapter 5 (pages 110-114) · Chapter 6 · Chapter 8 (pages 221-229) · Chap. 7 (pgs. 170-206)
Oct. 10	Writing: Writing Research Essays and Reports Grammar: Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting *Homework: 1-2 page business report*	· Handout · Chapter 5 · Chapter 6 · Chapter 8 (pages 229-243) · Chap. 7 (pgs. 170-206)
Date	Lesson	Pages in SGSW	Pages in SMAM
Oct. 17	Writing: Writing a critique of a professional article Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting Grammar: Articles *Homework: Critical analysis of a professional article*	· Handout · Chapter 5 · Chapter 6 · Chapter 8 (pages 229-243)
Oct. 24	Writing: Writing e-mails and business letters, Requests Grammar: Prepositions, Gerunds, Verb Forms *Homework: E-mail message (Exercise 5, SMAM page 19)*	Chapter 8 (Pages 243-256)	Pages ix-19
Oct. 31	Writing: Writing e-mails and business letters, Complaints and Responses Grammar: Uses of commas *Homework: Exercise 6, Pg. 39 SMAM (Letter of complaint) and Exercise 6, Pg. 47 SMAM (E-mail response to complaint)*	Chapter 9 (260-272)	Pages 21-47
Nov. 7	Writing: Effective E-mail messages, Making and Responding to Suggestions Grammar: Uses of colons, semicolons, apostrophes *Homework: Exercise 6, page 59 SMAM*	Chapter 9 (pages 272-276)	Pages 49-59
Nov. 14	Writing: Effective E-mail messages, Opinions and Disagreements Grammar: Uses of hyphens and other punctuation, Capitalization *Homework: Exercise 5, page 59 SMAM*	Chapter 9 (pages 276-283)	Pages 60-65
Nov. 21	Writing: Resumes Grammar: Misc. *Homework: Draft One of Resume*		Unit 4 + HHandouts
Nov. 28	Writing: Resumes and Cover Letters Grammar: Misc. *Homework: Second Draft of Resume and Cover Letter*		Unit 4 + Handouts
Dec. 5	Grammar: Misc. EXIT WRITING TEST
Dec. 12	Grades and Conferences

English Language Institute / Wayne State University