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.


A delightful romp through the foundations of grammar.
Sarah Stevens
communications assistant
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
More Covid details
Price
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
2-Day
-
Zoom
Real-time videoconference
Tuition: $165
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One-on-One
Tuition: $350
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
Teachers
Lara Ewen
Lara Ewen is senior editor of Fashion Dive. She's the author of The Girlshop Guide to NYC Shopping (Shecky’s Media), and her articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Insider, the Kansas City Star, Newsday, NYC&G, NPR, PBS, Retail Dive, Slate, and Zagat, and she's a regular contributor to American Libraries Magazine. She has served as the U.S. market report columnist for Rapaport Magazine, editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of Sportswear International magazine, a freelance digital editorial consultant for Rolling Stone, and a consulting editor at Women’s Wear Daily. She is also the talent booker for the Free Music Fridays series at the American Folk Art Museum. She has taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She holds a BA from Boston University.
Read moreSteph Spector
Steph Spector is an editor at Apple. She has provided editorial services for Grammarly, Indeed, Forbes Councils, and many others. She is the creative nonfiction editor of The Razor. She holds a BA from Roanoke College.
Read moreis senior editor of Fashion Dive. She's the author of The Girlshop Guide to NYC Shopping (Shecky’s Media), and her articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Insider, the Kansas City Star, Newsday, NYC&G, NPR, PBS, Retail Dive, Slate, and Zagat, and she's a regular contributor to American Libraries Magazine. She has served as the U.S. market report columnist for Rapaport Magazine, editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of Sportswear International magazine, a freelance digital editorial consultant for Rolling Stone, and a consulting editor at Women’s Wear Daily. She is also the talent booker for the Free Music Fridays series at the American Folk Art Museum. She has taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She holds a BA from Boston University.
is an editor at Apple. She has provided editorial services for Grammarly, Indeed, Forbes Councils, and many others. She is the creative nonfiction editor of The Razor. She holds a BA from Roanoke College.