Essentials of Writing

Picture of Essentials of Writing
Quick Facts
  • Delivery Method Online
  • Professional Certificate
  • 24hrs Suggested Study Time
  • 3 Months Access
  • Tutor Support
  • Study On Any Device
  • 6768 Students

Master the essentials of writing so you can excel at business communications, express yourself clearly online, and take your creative literary talents to a new level.

Master the essentials of writing, and become the stellar wordsmith you always wanted to be! In this course, you'll develop the skills you need to excel at business communications, express yourself clearly online, and take your creative literary talents to a new level.

Whether you're hoping to get a better job, write for a blog, or publish your short story, this course will give you the writing tools you need for success. It's also a perfect choice for students who speak English as a second language.

You'll gain confidence right away as you practice free writing and discover how to create solid drafts. You'll improve your writing skills by learning to select strong and persuasive words, spell correctly, and choose the right punctuation. Then you'll find out how to put it all together by crafting well-written sentences, building effective paragraphs, and organising your material logically. And finally, you'll explore ways to make the most of e-mails and other forms of electronic communication.

With the knowledge and hands-on practice you gain from this course, you'll be able to express yourself clearly and persuasively in writing—both in your personal life and in the business world.

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

Welcome to Lesson 1, where you’ll learn important concepts to help you write better today!  You’ll learn a strategy that will free up every bit of your existing writing skills and help you gain confidence when you write. Practice begins now with a new technique that will help you get your thoughts out onto the page so you can work with them.  It’s a great way to start on your goal of becoming a confident, accomplished writer.  Whether you need to write on the job or you’re eager to write for publication, this lesson will help!

Prepare yourself for some major upgrades on your ability to choose effective words!  In this lesson you'll learn to recognize what kinds of word choices work and why.  You’ll come away with an understanding about word choices that cause your readers to feel confused or uninterested.  You'll have the pleasure of discovering how to find the word you want and also how to goof around with words so you enjoy writing more.  Finally, you'll practice, practice, practice.  It’s fun, so feel free to dive in and splash around!

It’s time for spelling practice. Not only will you review problem words, but you’ll get acquainted with 10 helpful rules and five helpful tips to make you a better speller so you can spell better from now on. You’ll identify your own particular spelling demons and learn a strategy to cope with them once and for all.  This lesson is filled with the kinds of resources and spelling practice you’ve been looking for.

Here’s your chance to get acquainted with common word usage difficulties and master them. You’re about to learn to pick the right word at the right time and put it in the right place in your sentence.  You’ll practice choosing between similar sounding words that have different meanings.  You’ll get helpful explanations—at last!—about tricky usages that may trip you up daily.  Feel free to delve into an information-packed lesson that will add to your knowledge of correct word usage.

Your writing ability is building after the first four lessons!  In Lesson 5 you’ll integrate all you’ve learned so far—how how to capture your thoughts, choose effective words, spell correctly, and master word usage—by mastering techniques that will help you write effective sentences.  Here you’ll practice constructing sentences that have energy and precision by learning four simple tips, deciding which words to take out, and communicating your ideas logically.

Whisk through a handy review of the three main punctuation marks used to end sentences: the period, the question mark, and the exclamation point.  But that’s not all.  You’ll benefit from practicing how to identify and fix run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and the overuse of dashes and ellipses.  Round out your exploration with the challenge of combining quotation marks with the ending marks.  You’ll get a fine update on what works and what doesn’t with this first of three full lessons on punctuation.

Commas!  Yes, you can master their use.  Lesson 7 is designed to give you confidence in your comma placement.  You’ll learn how to use commas to create energy and precision in your writing.  Instead of memorizing an intimidating list of rules, you’ll learn by listening, clarifying, and practicing.  You’ll realize that you’re in charge of your commas rather than being a passive victim.  You’ll get answers to all your lingering doubts about using commas here. 

It’s likely been a long time since your school days, and your knowledge of the correct use of all the punctuation marks may be a bit vague now.  Lesson 8 to the rescue!  The emphasis here will be on how to use punctuation marks like semicolons, colons, dashes, parentheses, ellipses, apostrophes, quotation marks, italics, and hyphens.  You’ll acquire a new understanding of the way these marks help you.  You’ll gain this understanding by discovering, through practice, how to punctuate for clarity and how to help your readers hear the way you want your words to sound.

You’re building your knowledge brick by brick, and now it’s time to tackle the most powerful organizing tool of all writing—the paragraph.  Here you’ll find tips on how to organize a paragraph, where to break one paragraph and start another, and how to sequence paragraphs for optimum understanding.  As always, you’ll get to practice these skills as you go, solidifying your knowledge and gaining new confidence.  Dive in!

Now it’s time to find out how to put all your good writing into the right format so you can communicate with power and precision.  Formatting appeals to the eye of your readers and draws them into your content.  It’s a powerful tool and one that involves some creative choices on your part.  Get ready to learn about your choices for overall form, as well as how to use basic and specific formatting tools to make your writing highly readable.

Learn how to write effectively in today’s electronic world. Explore how the techniques of writing various types of electronic media such as e-mail, instant messages, and text messages, for example, differ from the techniques used to prepare messages that will be read on paper. It’s a new world, and new rules are necessary to help you communicate well. This lesson will help you discover what works and what doesn’t in these exciting and evolving media.  You’ll gain a new understanding of how to write powerful e-mail, since it’s the most common of all electronic message systems.

Time to wrap up all you’ve learned!  Lesson 12 will help you practice using your new skills, working from freewriting to a finished document.  You’ll practice how to use both your creative and your critical skills while writing.  You’ll find out what kind of attitude will help you use your new skills and what good habits will help you continue to improve each time you write.  You’ll focus on revision, work with a revision checklist, and review good tips on proofreading.  You’ll put together all you’ve learned so your writing continues to improve from this point forward. 

Ann Linquist

Ann Linquist

Ann Linquist is a popular continuing education tutor, at corporations, and with non-profit organisations. She has helped thousands of adults learn to tackle their writing tasks with enthusiasm. Having written everything from novels to newsletters,... Read more

 Read Ann Linquist's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

I have been taking writing courses for the past two years and I just want to say that I found your course to be nothing short of excellent. The lessons from this course will be placed in the top drawer of my writer's toolbox.  Thank you.
Verified Student
Thank you! This course is fabulous. I feel competent and with some practice and my resource materials have confidence I will only improve.  Again, thanks!
Verified Student
Excellent instructor--teaches on many levels. I appreciate that the material offered allows students to go deeper and further into their studies, if they wish.
Verified Student
See More Reviews

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Essentials of Writing you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

Our Values

Learn At Your Own Pace

We believe in personalised learning. That's why we provide all the tools and support you need to succeed at your own pace. With flexible learning, you'll stay motivated and retain more information. Plus, you can balance your studies with work and family commitments to make your dreams a reality.

We Won't Break The Bank

Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

Industry-Led Courses

There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

Get The Personal Support You Deserve

At Vibe Learning, we're real people who are dedicated to providing you with personal support every step of the way. Our industry experts are not only professional and knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about sharing their expertise with you. With their guidance, you'll gain invaluable insights and practical knowledge to help you succeed.

Still looking?

Check out the following courses related to Essentials of Writing:

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Essentials of Writing

$599
$389AUD
Save 35%
Writing for ESL Student Online Course | Vibe Learning
 

Writing for ESL Student

Picture of Writing for ESL Student
Now Only
$389
AUD
35% off
$599 AUD
Quick Facts
  • Delivery Method Online
  • Professional Certificate
  • 24hrs Suggested Study Time
  • 3 Months Access
  • Tutor Support
  • Study On Any Device
  • 4242 Students

Learn how to write in English more effectively to succeed in college and at work.

Has your academic or career progress been slowed by the challenges of writing in English? Many ESL learners have excellent educations, training, and skills in their native countries. However, their dreams of success elude them in English-speaking countries because they cannot write effectively in their new language. This course will show you what English readers expect and how your writing can achieve your goals.

You will learn about the entire writing process and its five stages: prewriting, outlining, writing, revising, and editing. In the first two stages, you will see how to generate and then focus your ideas. In the writing and revising stages, you will discover how to write clearly focused topic sentences and thesis statements, which will guide you in writing logical, unified paragraphs and essays. In the final stage, you will refine and perfect your work, making it free of grammatical and punctuation errors.

Along the way, you will also gain important critical thinking skills and learn some techniques for writing concisely—something that is highly valued in English writing. When you finish this course, you will be able to write clearly, logically, and cohesively, and you will be able to apply what you have learned in any academic or work setting.

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

Knowing how to write well is one of the most important skills you can have, whether you're writing e-mails and letters at work or essays and research papers in school. In our first lesson, we'll explore the key differences between speaking and writing plus a few techniques for continually improving your writing throughout your life. But there's more! You'll also understand the whole process of writing, starting with the prewriting stage and going all the way through the editing stage. You'll see that you truly can master writing in English, and I'll show you how!

Do you ever struggle with not knowing what to write about? Many of us do. In today's lesson, you'll learn two effective methods for generating all the ideas you need: brainstorming and clustering. Then, once you have your ideas, you need to organize them. You'll do this in the outlining stage. An outline is like a detailed map of where you want to take readers in your writing. When your outline is finished, you're ready to begin writing. So, we'll also examine two crucial elements of any written piece: the topic sentence and paragraphs.

In this lesson, you'll learn all about how to write effective essays. Why should you learn about this particular form of writing? The essay form will hone your writing and thinking skills, helping you develop and connect your ideas in a clear, logical, focused way. You can certainly apply these skills in any setting! A vital component of all essays is the thesis statement, so we'll spend a lot of time exploring this. When you finish with this lesson, you'll be able to write strong thesis statements that will set a sure course for your essays.

Now it's time to try out what you've learned so far about essays! In this lesson, you'll learn about three different essay types: descriptive, narrative, and explanatory. Each type has its own distinct purpose. Descriptive essays have vivid details that help your readers get involved in what you're writing. Narrative essays tell stories, starting at the beginning and moving logically to the end. Explanatory essays allow you to explain something you know about to your readers. I've provided lots of examples to show you how to write each kind of essay. You'll have fun with these!

You'll be able to apply the essay styles you learned about in the previous lesson to many other kinds of essays, including the one you'll learn about today: the compare and contrast essay. These essays let you examine, describe, and explain the similarities and differences between at least two topics. Additionally, you'll get acquainted with the importance of transitions and see what they can do for your writing. Rest assured—I'll provide you with lots of examples to walk you through how to write these very interesting pieces.

Have you ever struggled to explain to your child what the effects of a certain course of action would be? Or have you ever tried to explain to your boss how one thing caused something else to happen? You may not have realized it, but you were engaging in the logical thinking required to understand cause and effect relationships. In today's lesson, you'll sharpen your logical skills by learning how to write cause and effect essays. Sometimes you'll analyze how one cause produced several different effects. At other times, you'll analyze how one effect had several causes. Once again, I'll provide you with sample essays that will point the way in your own writing.

Do you feel confident in presenting or defending your opinions? In this lesson, you'll acquire one of the most important skills in writing: how to argue your point of view convincingly. You'll learn how to develop a sound thesis, organize your supporting evidence, and explain your argument fairly and persuasively. Most important, you'll learn how to think critically, as well as recognize and avoid fallacies. This will be a most interesting lesson, and as always, I'll provide you with many examples to guide you along your way.

In the past seven lessons, you've explored the prewriting, outlining, writing, and revising stages of the overall writing process. In the balance of this course, you'll strengthen your grammar skills so that you can perform the final stage—editing—with a keen eye and a sure hand. In this lesson, you'll study the art of wording. You'll learn how to rephrase wordy, redundant, pretentious, and vague language. You'll also understand what homophones and homonyms are and safely discern the right word to use. Finally, you'll learn to guard against slang and clichés so you can communicate well in any setting. Most of all, you'll see how fun and useful grammar can really be!

Native English speakers and writers often struggle with verbs, so this tricky area will be something ESL learners will want to be extra careful about. Verbs can be the most powerful words in your sentences, but if you don't use them correctly, they become powerfully confusing. Today, we'll examine verb tenses and inflections, subject-verb agreement issues, and active vs. passive voice. When you finish this lesson, you'll use verbs with confidence!

Having spent the entire previous lesson looking at verbs, you now need to learn about the other parts of speech. So we'll review important features of nouns and pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions. Next we'll look at the three types of clauses: noun, adjective, and adverb clauses. Finally, you'll gain another important technique for trimming wordiness: reducing clauses to simple phrases.

The English language, though certainly not the most difficult, can present native and non-native speakers alike with challenging problems. In this lesson, you'll see how to avoid some common problems with subjects and objects so that your writing will always be clear. Next, you'll laugh as you learn about mistaken and dangling modifiers. These misplaced and unclear words and phrases often create as much unintentional humor as they do confusion! Finally, you'll discover how to tell possessives and contractions apart. This is sure to be an entertaining, as well as informative, lesson!

In our last lesson together, we'll focus on punctuation, paying special attention to the helpful but often misused comma. In addition, you'll learn how to skillfully use semicolons, colons, and dashes, along with the concluding punctuation marks. Next, you'll see how you can apply what you've learned about academic writing to your workplace. Finally, we'll wrap everything up with a review of the key points of the course. You should be very proud of all that you've learned!

Sabri Bebawi

Sabri Bebawi

Dr. Sabri Bebawi has been a college teacher for almost 20 years, educating students at many colleges and universities. His educational background includes law, journalism, and English education, with a Ph.D. in education and instructional technol... Read more

 Read Sabri Bebawi's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

Dear Dr. Bebawi, This course was an awakening for me.  Before I took this course, I had problems with writing and speaking in English.  Today, I have completed the course, I have discovered my weaknesses.  I will use all the information which I have learned from this course to improve my English skills.  I also realize that I have much work to do to move up to the next level.  I will not stop learning.  Thank you very much for your teaching, Dr. Bebawi.
Verified Student
Dr. Sabri: I want to tell you, "thanks" for this course. I am discovering my weaknesses, and I am trying to improve in my writing of English. This course is valuable for me because it put to me on the right track. See you in another course that I am thinking of taking.
Verified Student
Wow, I really enjoyed taking this course, I've learned a lot, I got the answers for a lot of doubts I had. I loved the way you explained everything, you made it all as clear as possible.  Thank You Sabri, because I completed my final exam and I reached my goal...100 % on my score, I was shocked!!! I would recommend this course to my friends, and I would like to take more in the future.  It was my first time taking an online course and I liked it.
Verified Student
See More Reviews

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Writing for ESL Student you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

Ready to get started?

Enrol Now

Our Values

Learn At Your Own Pace

We believe in personalised learning. That's why we provide all the tools and support you need to succeed at your own pace. With flexible learning, you'll stay motivated and retain more information. Plus, you can balance your studies with work and family commitments to make your dreams a reality.

We Won't Break The Bank

Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

Industry-Led Courses

There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

Get The Personal Support You Deserve

At Vibe Learning, we're real people who are dedicated to providing you with personal support every step of the way. Our industry experts are not only professional and knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about sharing their expertise with you. With their guidance, you'll gain invaluable insights and practical knowledge to help you succeed.

Still looking?

Check out the following courses related to Writing for ESL Student:

Discover more online courses

Recently viewed products

Picture of Writing for ESL Student

Writing for ESL Student

$599
$389AUD
Save 35%