WHEN Wednesday, June 11, 6:45-9:45 pm WHERE University Settlement, 273 Bowery (at Houston), New York, NY 10002 PRICE $65 ($50 for ) more info

Course Details

Have you ever heard that your writing contains a dangling participle but then wondered what that really means? Do you spend minutes determining where to put a comma only to end up guessing? Do you use em-dashes and ellipsis and parentheses randomly, not knowing when or where to use them? Do you know what an en-dash is? Do you know what a comma splice is? Do you think the term parallel construction refers to construction sites?

Good writing is based on rules. In this seminar, we'll be looking meticulously at grammar and punctuation, paying close attention to the proverbial blind spots in writing. We'll have a lengthy discussion on the use of commas, focusing on essential and nonessential clauses. We'll be discussing the use of semicolons, em-dashes, and parentheses. Compound adjectives and coordinate adjectives will be discussed as they pertain to hyphen and comma usage. We'll examine possessives, parallel construction, and antecedents. Then we'll talk about proper usage of whom/who, lie/lay, him/his, among others. By the end of the seminar, you'll have an understanding of all these terms and an awareness of how to use grammar/punctuation to support meaning in your writing.

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Instructor Bio

Magdalena Alagna's Courses

Magdalena Alagna has worked as a copy editor for Infobase Publishing, a copy chief and copy editor for Rosen Publishing, and a proofreader for The National Law Journal. She has edited hundreds of books on subjects that range from the life and times of Abigail Adams to the dangers of cosmetic surgery. She holds strong opinions about split infinitives and serial commas.

Testimonial

Magdalena is the high priestess of grammar. She will teach you how to make dangling participles, misplaced modifiers, and poorly formed sentences disappear from your life. --Peter Messina

"Magdalena's class was fun and easy to follow. I really felt like she cared about us and our future as copy-editors. She was very encouraging and approachable. She has been working in the industry for years and she really knows what she's talking about."-- Ivonne Salazar

"It is really nice to be taught by someone who is an expert in her field. Magdalena is a wordsmith and she is very enthusiastic about teaching and making sure everyone "gets it." This class has allowed me to at least walk away with the tools and guides I need to find the answers to my grammar questions." -- Grace Cavallo

"Grammar, Punctuation, and Meaning immensely. Magdalena was an excellent teacher who cleared up many of my questions about grammar and punctuation." -Lauren Hunter