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When we speak aloud, we don’t worry much about punctuation or grammar—but in written language, these details make a big difference.

✅ Essentials:

📢 Clear Communication – Readers can understand your message more easily when grammar is correct.

🚫 Avoid Distraction – Poor grammar slows readers down and may make them lose interest in your text.

⭐ Credibility – Good grammar shows professionalism. Poor grammar, however, can make your work appear sloppy or careless, even if your ideas are strong.

💬 Effective Arguments – Correct grammar helps you present your arguments clearly, making your writing more persuasive and enjoyable to read.

💡 Final Tip: Think of grammar as the “presentation” of your ideas. Even brilliant thoughts can lose impact if the grammar is distracting.

❓ Question: Which aspect of grammar—clarity, avoiding distraction, credibility, or communication—feels most important for your writing right now?

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🚀 Turbo Charge Your Grammar - 4 Quick Wins

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🚀 Turbo Charge Your Grammar - 4 Quick Wins

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✍️ Write in Sentences

Always use complete sentences.

Avoid fragments.

Example (fragment): “Because she signed as a teen with no help.”

Example (correct): “She had a hard time because she signed as a teen with no help.”
➡️ Tip: Keep sentences short if it helps clarity.

🔑 Verbs – The Heart of Sentences

If there’s no verb, it’s not a sentence.

Passive form (common in essays): “The group were nominated for 3 awards.”

Active form (common in reflection): “I produced a 3-minute recording for a video game.”
💡 Use a mix of verbs to expand your vocabulary. Do an internet search for action verbs for music production and performance.

👤 Ambiguous Pronouns

Pronouns (he, she, it, they, this, that) should clearly refer to a noun.

Ambiguity confuses the reader.
✅ Always check: Does “it” or “they” clearly link back to one thing?

🔠 When to Capitalise a Noun

Proper nouns = specific names, places, or titles. → Ancient Greece, World Cup

Common nouns = general groups or concepts. → the ancient world, a trophy
💡 Ask yourself:

Does this name identify a specific person/thing? If the answer is yes, then capitalise.

Is it part of a general group? If the answer is yes, then keep lowercase.

Adapted from (University of Reading, 2019)

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📝 Use tools to proofread rather than rewrite your work. Grammar checkers can catch mistakes you may overlook.

✂️ Use them for short phrases, not whole sections of your writing.

🔍 Check and make each correction yourself. Don’t just accept automatic corrections. The process needs your input and you need to decide if it fits your meaning.

🎓 Ensure the tone is academic

Automated tools don’t always capture formal or academic style.

💡 A prompt like “check punctuation and grammar” is more useful than simply “make this sound academic.” It will also encourage you to learn.

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Predictive text, autocorrect, and speech to text input mean we rarely need to spell words, but spelling is still important even in a digital age.  You don’t need to ditch these tools; instead, try to raise your awareness.

🚫 Do not rely completely on the spell-checker
It won’t always pick up on a word used incorrectly.

🔤 Recognise prefixes and suffixes
Understanding word parts makes spelling easier and helps you break down unfamiliar words.

👂 Watch out for homophones and confusable words
Many English words sound the same (or nearly the same) but have different spellings and meanings.
E.g., accept/except or affect/effect.
These are among the most common spelling pitfalls for all writers.

📚 Read as often as you can
It’s easier to spell words you already recognise from regular reading.

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Overview

Contrary to popular belief, English spelling does often follow patterns. If you are familiar with some of them, you can avoid common errors. Many relate to prefixes and suffixes and whether letters are added or dropped; naturally there are exceptions.

🔤 Prefixes

When adding a prefix, we usually do not add or remove letters:

dis + satisfied → dissatisfied

over + hear → overhear

mis + spell → misspell

The prefix in- changes form depending on the letter that follows:

in → il → illegible, illiterate, illogical

in → im → immoral, immature, impossible

in → ir → irregular, irrelevant, irreplaceable

📦 Plurals

General rule: add -s.

If the word ends in a consonant + -y, change -y → -ies:

baby → babies

Some words ending in -o take -es:

tomato → tomatoes

But others just take -s:

videos

✂️ Dropping and Adding Letters

Drop final -e when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel:

approve + -al → approval

hope + -ing → hoping

Keep the final -e when the suffix begins with a consonant:

definitely, excitement, forceful, hopeless, lately, widely

Sometimes -e is dropped:

argue → argument

🔠 ie or ei?

If the sound is /i:/ (like brief), use ie:

achieve, belief

After c, use ei:

ceiling, conceit

🌍 British vs. American English

British English: analyse, aeroplane, centre, criticise, defence

American English: analyze, airplane, center, criticize, defense

Adapted from: Cambridge University Press & Assessment (2025)

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

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📅  Got questions or need help?  Book an Appointment

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📅  Got questions or need help?  Book an Appointment

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✅ Scan the QR code to go directly to the booking system.

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