Writing & Grammar Ladder · Middle school · Grade 5–9

Usage and Mechanics

The conventions of standard written English: agreement, pronoun case, verb tenses, modifiers, commas and every other mark, fragments and run-ons, parallel structure, capitals, tricky word pairs, and what to do where usage guides disagree.

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51 topics in 8 units. Builds on Grammar. Leads to Rhetoric and Advanced Writing. Not sure this is the right course? Find your rung.

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Unit 1 Agreement

8 topics

Subjects and verbs agree in number, and pronouns agree with the nouns they stand for, even when phrases get in the way.

  1. Subject–Verb Agreement
  2. Agreement Past a Phrase in Between
  3. Agreement with Compound Subjects
  4. Indefinite Pronouns and Collective Nouns
  5. Agreement When the Subject Comes Last
  6. Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement
  7. Singular They and Generic Pronouns
  8. Clear Pronoun Reference

Unit 2 Pronoun Case

4 topics

I or me, who or whom, and the -self words.

  1. Subject and Object Pronouns
  2. Pronouns in Pairs
  3. Who and Whom
  4. Myself and the Other -self Words

Unit 3 Verb Tenses, Voice and Mood

8 topics

The simple, progressive and perfect tenses, irregular verbs, keeping tenses steady, lie and lay, active and passive voice, and the subjunctive.

  1. The Simple Tenses
  2. Irregular Verbs
  3. Progressive Tenses
  4. Perfect Tenses
  5. Keeping Tenses Consistent
  6. Lie and Lay, Sit and Set, Rise and Raise
  7. Active and Passive Voice
  8. Verb Mood

Unit 4 Modifiers

5 topics

Comparing, good and well, one negative at a time, and modifiers that land on the wrong word.

  1. Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs
  2. Adjective or Adverb?
  3. Double Negatives
  4. Misplaced Modifiers
  5. Dangling Modifiers

Unit 5 Punctuation

14 topics

Commas by rule, semicolons and colons, apostrophes, quotation marks and titles, dashes, parentheses, ellipses and hyphens.

  1. Commas in a Series
  2. Commas in Dates, Places and Direct Address
  3. Commas in Compound Sentences
  4. Commas After Openers
  5. Commas Between Adjectives
  6. Commas Around Extra Information
  7. Semicolons
  8. Colons
  9. Apostrophes for Possession
  10. Apostrophes in Contractions
  11. Quotation Marks and Dialogue
  12. Titles: Italics or Quotation Marks
  13. Dashes, Parentheses and Ellipses
  14. Hyphens

Unit 6 Sentence Errors

4 topics

Fragments, run-ons and comma splices, and five ways to fix them.

  1. Sentence Fragments
  2. Run-On Sentences
  3. Comma Splices
  4. Five Ways to Fix a Run-On

Unit 7 Parallel Structure

2 topics

Items in a list, pairs and comparisons in matching forms.

  1. Parallel Lists
  2. Parallel Pairs and Comparisons

Unit 8 Capitals and Usage

6 topics

Capitalization, titles, sound-alike words, standard written forms, and the rules that aren’t rules.

  1. Capitalization Rules
  2. Capitalizing Titles
  3. Sound-Alike Words
  4. Affect, Effect and Other Tricky Pairs
  5. Standard Written Forms
  6. Rules That Aren’t Rules
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