Introduction

This lesson focuses on the basics of writing a complete sentence and a paragraph. You will master basic grammar, sentence types, and paragraph format in preparation for writing larger pieces of text. You may already know some of these concepts, but fully understanding them is important because sentences and paragraphs are the basis of all writing. You will do a lot of writing in this course, so it's a good idea to refresh your memory.

Lesson Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

• understand vocabulary words in Lesson One;
• identify parts of speech and verbals in sentences;
• use the reciprocal pronouns each other and one another correctly;
• build simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences in writing; and
• produce correct conventions in simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

How to Proceed

1. Make sure you have read the Introduction and Objectives for this lesson.
   
   
2. Complete Checkpoint 1 in the Lesson One Assignments folder.
   
   
3. Print the Lesson One Vocabulary list for easy reference.
4. Complete the Section 1.1: Discussion activity in the Lesson One Assignments folder.
5. Go through each section of the lesson and read the assigned material. Remember to refer to the vocabulary list as you encounter the terms in the lesson.
6. Complete the Practice Exercises and Lesson One Assignments as they occur, according to the directions given in each assignment. All assignments are in the Lesson One Assignments folder.
7. Review your notes briefly every day until you complete the course. After you have finished this lesson, you may proceed to Lesson Two.

Vocabulary

It is essential that the Lesson One vocabulary words become part of your knowledge of the English language, as the words found in this unit are continually used throughout the entire semester. Review the list of vocabulary words and their definitions associated with this lesson. Please use this list as a reference as you work through this lesson.

Resources

This lesson is designed to help you review and master some basic concepts that will help you succeed in your writing assignments throughout the course. Below are a few links to help you avoid mistakes in spelling. You may want to bookmark or print the pages to keep them handy as a reference.

Irregular verbs

Confusing spelling (common words that sound alike)

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is an excellent resource that you can use for tips on grammar, research, and citation formatting. Take advantage of this resource if you need extra help with improving your writing skills.