Difficulty: Foundational to Intermediate | Prerequisites: None (refer to these notes throughout the course)
This course covers a specific set of grammar and mechanics topics, one per week, alongside the major writing assignments. It also requires MLA documentation for all formal papers. These notes collect every grammar topic and the MLA essentials in one place so you can review them for quizzes and apply them when editing your papers.
Subject-verb agreement
The grammatical rule that a verb must match its subject in number: singular subjects take singular verbs, plural subjects take plural verbs. "The student writes" (singular); "The students write" (plural).
Pronoun
A word that takes the place of a noun (he, she, they, it, one). Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number and person.
Point of view
The perspective from which a text is written. First person uses "I/we"; second person uses "you"; third person uses "he/she/they/one." This course requires third person for all formal papers.
Sentence fragment
A group of words punctuated as a sentence but lacking a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. "Because the experiment failed." is a fragment; it is a dependent clause with no independent clause attached.
Run-on sentence
Two independent clauses joined without any punctuation or conjunction. "The results were clear the experiment succeeded" needs a period, a semicolon, or a comma with a conjunction between the two clauses.
Comma splice
Two independent clauses joined only by a comma, without a coordinating conjunction. "The results were clear, the experiment succeeded" is a comma splice. Fix it with a period, a semicolon, or by adding a conjunction after the comma.
Semicolon
A punctuation mark (;) that joins two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction, or separates items in a list when those items already contain commas.
Colon
A punctuation mark (:) that introduces a list, an explanation, or a quotation after a complete independent clause.
MLA format
The documentation style published by the Modern Language Association, commonly used in English and the humanities. It specifies how to format papers (margins, spacing, headers) and how to cite sources (in-text citations and a Works Cited page).
In-text citation (MLA)
A brief reference within the body of the essay, typically the author's last name and page number in parentheses, that directs the reader to the full entry on the Works Cited page. Example: (Smith 42).
Works Cited page
The final page of an MLA paper, listing every source referenced in the essay, in alphabetical order by author's last name.
Plagiarism
Presenting someone else's words, ideas, or work as your own. This includes copying text without quotation marks and a citation, paraphrasing too closely, submitting work written by another person, and using AI tools to generate text.
Each grammar topic below is introduced during a specific week and tested on that week's quiz. They also apply to every formal paper you submit.
Subject-verb agreement (Week 4)
Match the verb to the true subject, not to a word that sits between them: "The list of items is long" (subject = list, singular)
Compound subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb: "The cat and the dog are outside"
Compound subjects joined by "or" or "nor" match the verb to the nearer subject: "Neither the students nor the instructor was available"
Indefinite pronouns: "everyone," "each," "nobody" are singular; "few," "many," "several" are plural
Pronouns and point of view (Week 3)
Use third person throughout formal papers: avoid "I," "me," "my," "you," "your"
Ensure every pronoun has a clear antecedent: "When a student submits their paper" (not "When they submit it" with no antecedent)
Avoid vague pronoun references: "This shows that..." (What does "this" refer to?)
Sentence fragments (Week 5)
A sentence needs a subject, a verb, and a complete thought
Common fragment types: dependent clauses standing alone ("Because the study was flawed."), phrases without a main verb ("Running through the park on a Tuesday afternoon."), and afterthoughts tacked on as separate sentences ("Such as increased funding.")
Fix by attaching the fragment to a neighbouring sentence or by adding the missing element
Commas (Week 6)
After introductory elements: "After the experiment, the researchers analysed the data"
Between items in a series: "apples, oranges, and bananas" (use the Oxford comma)
Before coordinating conjunctions joining independent clauses: "The results were clear, and the team published the findings"
Around non-essential (parenthetical) information: "The study, which was conducted in 2024, confirmed the hypothesis"
Do not use a comma to join two independent clauses without a conjunction (that is a comma splice)
Run-ons and comma splices (Week 8)
A run-on fuses two independent clauses with no punctuation at all
A comma splice uses only a comma between two independent clauses
Four fixes: (1) period and new sentence, (2) semicolon, (3) comma plus coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), (4) subordination (make one clause dependent)
Semicolons and colons (Week 9)
Semicolon between closely related independent clauses: "The experiment failed; the sample size was too small"
Semicolon with conjunctive adverbs: "The results were promising; however, further research is needed"
Colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list, explanation, or quotation: "The study examined three variables: temperature, pressure, and humidity"
Do not use a colon after an incomplete sentence: wrong: "The variables were: temperature, pressure, and humidity"
Capitalisation (Week 10)
Capitalise proper nouns (names of specific people, places, organisations)
Capitalise the first word of a sentence and the first word of a direct quotation that is a complete sentence
Do not capitalise common nouns unless they begin a sentence: "the university" (general) vs. "Oakland Community College" (specific)
Commonly confused words (Week 12)
their / there / they're
its / it's
affect (verb, to influence) / effect (noun, a result; verb, to bring about)
then (time) / than (comparison)
to / too / two
your / you're
accept (to receive) / except (excluding)
principal (main; head of a school) / principle (a rule or belief)
All formal papers in this course use MLA format. The evaluation paper requires library sources cited in MLA style.
Paper formatting (MLA 9th edition)
1-inch margins on all sides
Double-spaced throughout, including the Works Cited page
12-point Times New Roman font
Header in the upper-right corner with your last name and page number
First page: your name, instructor's name, course name, and date on separate lines in the upper-left corner, followed by a centred title (no bold, no underline, no extra font size)
In-text citations
Parenthetical: author's last name and page number, no comma: (Smith 42)
If you name the author in the sentence, only the page number goes in parentheses: Smith argues that "direct quote" (42)
No page number available (common with web sources): use just the author's name: (Smith)
No author available: use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks: ("Water Crisis" 3)
Works Cited page
Begins on a new page after the essay
Centred heading: "Works Cited" (no bold, no underline)
Entries in alphabetical order by the first word of each entry (usually author's last name)
Each entry uses a hanging indent: first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches
Core elements in order: Author. Title of source. Title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location (page numbers or URL)
Quoting, paraphrasing, and avoiding plagiarism
Use direct quotes sparingly; most of your evidence should be paraphrased
A quote of four or more lines is formatted as a block quote: indented 0.5 inches, no quotation marks
Paraphrasing requires completely new sentence structure, not just synonym substitution
Both quotes and paraphrases require in-text citations
Failing to cite is plagiarism, regardless of intent
This course uses Turnitin to check all formal submissions
What counts as plagiarism in this course
Copying from another student
Submitting work written by another person, including AI-generated text
Copying passages without quotation marks and a citation
Paraphrasing without an in-text citation
Having someone else (parent, tutor, AI tool) write substantial portions of your paper
The Purdue OWL is a recommended resource for MLA formatting questions
"Grammar rules are just picky preferences." In academic writing, grammar errors change meaning and undermine your credibility. A comma splice or a subject-verb disagreement can confuse the reader and signal a lack of care.
"A semicolon is just a fancy comma." A semicolon joins two independent clauses. A comma cannot do this job alone (that produces a comma splice). They are different tools with different uses.
"If I paraphrase, I do not need to cite." Paraphrasing still requires a citation. The words are yours, but the idea belongs to the original author. Only common knowledge (facts no one would dispute, like "water boils at 100 degrees Celsius") is exempt.
"MLA format is just about the Works Cited page." MLA also governs in-text citations, paper formatting (margins, spacing, headers), and how you integrate quotations. The Works Cited page is one component.
⚠️ Each grammar topic aligns with a weekly quiz. The quizzes cannot be made up if missed, and late quizzes are not accepted.
⚠️ Grammar and mechanics are part of the grading criteria on every formal paper, not just the quizzes.
⚠️ MLA documentation errors (missing citations, incorrect formatting) will lower your grade on the evaluation paper and the summary-analysis paper.
⚠️ Plagiarism results in failing the assignment and potentially the course. Turnitin checks all submissions. AI-generated text is explicitly listed as plagiarism in this course.
Fix this sentence: "The group of students were late to class."
True or false: A colon can follow an incomplete sentence to introduce a list.
Identify the error: "The experiment failed, the researchers tried again."
Fill in the blank: In MLA in-text citation, you include the author's last name and the ______ in parentheses.
True or false: "It's" is the possessive form of "it."
Answers: 1. "The group of students was late to class" (subject = group, singular). 2. False (the clause before a colon must be a complete sentence). 3. Comma splice; fix with a period, semicolon, or comma plus conjunction. 4. Page number. 5. False ("it's" = "it is"; "its" is the possessive).
Q: Name four ways to fix a comma splice or run-on sentence.
A: (1) Separate into two sentences with a period. (2) Join with a semicolon. (3) Add a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). (4) Make one clause dependent by adding a subordinating conjunction (because, although, when, etc.).
Q: When do you use a semicolon versus a comma before a conjunction?
A: Use a semicolon between two independent clauses when there is no coordinating conjunction. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, etc.) when it joins two independent clauses.
Q: What are the core elements of an MLA Works Cited entry, in order?
A: Author. Title of source. Title of container. Other contributors. Version. Number. Publisher. Publication date. Location (page numbers or URL).
Q: What is the difference between "affect" and "effect"?
A: "Affect" is usually a verb meaning to influence ("The weather affects mood"). "Effect" is usually a noun meaning a result ("The effect was immediate"). Less commonly, "effect" can be a verb meaning to bring about ("to effect change").
Q: Why does this course treat AI-generated text as plagiarism?
A: Because the text was not written by the student. The course defines plagiarism as submitting work "written entirely or in part by another person," and explicitly includes AI technologies such as ChatGPT.
Grammar and mechanics apply to every formal paper in the course. Subject-verb agreement and fragments come up during the causal analysis and comparison units. Run-ons and comma splices are covered during the summary-analysis unit. Semicolons, colons, capitalisation, and commonly confused words align with the evaluation paper weeks. MLA documentation is most heavily tested in the evaluation paper, which requires library research and cited sources.
subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, pronoun antecedent, point of view, first person, second person, third person, sentence fragment, dependent clause, independent clause, run-on sentence, fused sentence, comma splice, comma rules, Oxford comma, semicolon, colon, capitalisation, commonly confused words, their/there/they're, its/it's, affect/effect, MLA format, MLA 9th edition, in-text citation, parenthetical citation, Works Cited, block quote, paraphrasing, quoting, plagiarism, Turnitin, Purdue OWL, ENG 1510, Composition I