Up next:
Grammar 2: Expertise and Finesse

Grammar 1: The Basics

Grammar 1: The Basics

Grammar 1: The Basics is an Intensive, meaning it happens in a short time span (1 day in NYC, or 2 days on Zoom). The course includes a mixture of lectures and exercises. It’s open to writers of any level. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.

If you feel you’re solid with the basics of grammar, you may go straight to Grammar 2. If you’re in doubt about this, start with Grammar 1; it will be valuable even if some of it is review.

For companies interested in our Grammar program, see our Grammar brochure or visit our Corporate Classes page.

We teach grammar in a way that is intuitive and fun, rather than relying on terminology and rigid rules.

Do you panic when you punctuate? Does grammar make you say, “grrr!”

Grammar 1 teaches the basics of grammar, just enough so you won’t make errors that show you in a bad light. You’ll be amazed at how quick quickly your competence and confidence will grow.

Do you aspire to be a grammar aficionado? The one everyone turns to for grammatical advice?

Grammar 2 teaches the picky (but important) details of grammar, and will show you how to manipulate your sentences and punctuation not just correctly, but artfully.

Both courses come with an invaluable reference guide, created exclusively for Gotham students.

About Grammar
Grammar 1: The Basics

This course gave me the confidence I needed to be comfortable with grammar, and cleared up a lot of small misconceptions that I had carried with me from grade school.

Jesse Mostipak

head of marketing

Notes

This is not an English-as-second-language course. It’s fine if English is not your first language, but you must speak and write it fluently.

Upcoming Classes

If you test positive for Covid – Don’t come to class until you test negative. But let your teacher know and we’ll work to give you access to your missed classes via Zoom.

If you show Covid symptoms OR If you have been exposed to someone with Covid – Don’t come to class for at least 5 days after showing symptoms or exposure, and then take a test to confirm that you are negative. Let your teacher know and we’ll work to give you access to your missed classes via Zoom.

If you have any questions about this, you may call (212-974-8377) or email us ([email protected]).
  • Saturday Sep. 14 & Saturday Sep. 21
    Zoom, 1pm – 4pm ET
    2-Day Intensive

Price

Registration fee $25, paid once per term

2-Day

Syllabus

This course gives an overview of the basics of good grammar. Course components:
     Brief lectures
     Writing exercises

Topics:
Nouns, Pronouns, and Verbs

  • Nouns
  • Pronouns
  • Pronoun Agreement
  • Verbs
  • Sentences
  • Subject/Verb Agreement

Parts of Speech

  • Parts of Speech
  • Adjectives
  • Adverbs
  • Modifier Problems
  • Prepositions
  • Conjunctions
  • Interjections
  • Subject and Predicate
  • Objects

Punctuation!

  • End Punctuation—period, exclamation, question mark
  • Pause Punctuation—comma, semicolon
  • More Pause Punctuation—parenthesis, dash, ellipsis
  • Apostrophes—possessives, contractions
  • Colons
  • Hyphens
  • Quotation Marks

Trouble Spots and Tricky Devils

  • Commonly Confused Words
  • Abbreviation, Capitalization
  • Titles, Numbers