Many college instructors today are “Baby Boomers” or from “Generation X.” These generations are generally characterized as having a strong work ethic, self-assured, independent learners, goal-centered, and mentally focused. In contrast, most college students today are “Millennials” or from “Generation Z.” These generations are tech-savvy and prefer pictures to text. Many don’t readily read books or write (instead text), and they like more personal attention.
Let’s face it, learning grammar is boring, and it is hard work. In the classroom, students often say they understand what was said; however, they seem to have trouble applying the lesson. For example, after a lecture on fragments, students still have difficulty identifying the fragments in a paragraph. This inability to apply the skills has led to the premise of Coaching Grammar and Composition. They need practice and coaching.
Consequently, this book incorporates three important processes that today’s students want: pictures and colors, the practice and coaching needed to apply grammatical and composition lessons, and a little humor to make grammar fun.
Preface
It’s Not Talent; It’s Just Work by Annie Dillard
About the Author
PART ONE INTRODUCTION
Academic Coaching
PART TWO GRAMMAR
CHAPTER 1 Run-On Sentences
CHAPTER 2 Fragment Sentences
CHAPTER 3 Commas
CHAPTER 4 Subject–Verb Agreement
CHAPTER 5 Verbs
CHAPTER 6 Pronouns
CHAPTER 7 Adjectives & Adverbs
CHAPTER 8 Dangling & Misplaced Modifiers
CHAPTER 9 Parallelism
CHAPTER 10 Punctuation
CHAPTER 11 Homonyms/Homophones
PART THREE COMPOSITION
CHAPTER 12 The Sentence (simple, complex, compound)
CHAPTER 13 The Paragraph
CHAPTER 14 The Essay
CHAPTER 15 Answer Key
J.C.
Alonso Jr.
J. C. Alonso, Jr. has been teaching composition, grammar, and psychology at the undergraduate level for 20 years. He received BAs from Florida State University in psychology and English. He taught at Miami Dade Community College for 14 years and earned an MS in counseling from Nova Southeastern University. He received his MA and MFA in creative writing from Wilkes University. His poetry has been published in Poetry Quarterly and Haiku Journal, and a short story received mention in The Atlantic Monthly. He presently tutors at Broward College and is a CRLA nationally certified tutor, teaches online at Nova Southeastern University, and is full-time faculty at Keiser University. In addition, he is the program director for General Studies at Keiser University Pembroke Pines. He published his first novel, Murderer’s Wake, with Northampton House Press (December 2017); Coaching Grammar & Composition is his first textbook.