Grammar Lab
WCWP-40234
This ten-week online Grammar Lab course is skillfully designed to meet the needs of all students. It is beneficial for those with little grammar experience and advantageous for those with a strong grammar background seeking expert status. Whether you are looking to gain a solid foundation in grammar or hoping to refresh your knowledge with today’s most recent rules of grammar and English usage, this course will provide you with the opportunity to discover and focus more on those areas that you specifically need to review, and less on those that you have already mastered. In this class, there are weekly lessons consisting of reading assignments that accompany PowerPoint lectures with audio recordings by the instructor. Each lesson is followed by “Check your Knowledge” exercises to help you determine which topics you need to improve on to become more proficient. Small class sizes foster a community where you will be able to interact with both your classmates and instructor through weekly Discussion topics. There are several quizzes throughout the course where immediate feedback is given and there is a final exam in the last week.
In this class you will learn to:
- Identify all parts of speech.
- Identify independent clauses and dependent/subordinate clauses: adverb, adjective and noun clauses.
- Identify prepositional, appositive, participial, gerund, and infinitive phrases.
- Identify verb tenses, forms, mood, and voice.
- Identify and correct errors in grammar and usage relating to word forms, word choice, verb tense, verb form, agreement, pronoun case, sentence structure, modifiers, and parallelism.
- Identify and correct errors in punctuation and mechanics.
This is the first course in the Copyediting Certificate Program. Grammar Lab, Copyediting I, II, and III are offered every quarter and must be taken in order.
Quarters Offered: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall | 10 weeks | Online
Requirements: Native-like fluency of English. Microsoft Word 2016/Office 365 (PC or Mac) or higher required.
Next class: To continue progress in the Copyediting Certificate, the next class is Copyediting I.
PLEASE NOTE THIS CLASS FILLS UP QUICKLY, EARLY ENROLLMENT IS ADVISED.
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
The McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage 3rd
by Mark Lester and Larry Beason
ISBN / ASIN: 9781260121674
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 7/10/2026
- 1st no meeting date: 9/7/2026
- Early enrollment advised
Note:
Schedule:
Instructor: John Adams, A.B. (Classical Languages & Theology)
Teacher-Consultant for the San Diego Area Writing Project and an Advanced Placement English and college preparatory instructor
Mentored by Carol Roper, an award-winning writer and recipient of the Office for Advanced Drama Research Rockefeller Honorarium, John wrote his first play "In the Shadow of a Dream," which was selected by the Midtown International Theatre Festival for production at the Workshop Theater Main Stage in New York City. In 2007, He was awarded the Ontario College Postgraduate Certificate in creative writing from the Humber School for Writers, under the guidance and direction of the Canadian novelist and short story writer Sandra Birdsell. John is a founding member of the Writers Studio in San Diego, California, and an active member of the Dramatists Guild of America. John sees his students as collaborators in the construction of knowledge and firmly believes that every student can master the course content in an environment that scaffolds learning and understanding.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
The McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage 3rd
by Mark Lester and Larry Beason
ISBN / ASIN: 9781260121674
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 7/10/2026
- 1st no meeting date: 9/7/2026
- Early enrollment advised
Note:
Schedule:
Instructor:
Eileen Parslow
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
The McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage 3rd
by Mark Lester and Larry Beason
ISBN / ASIN: 9781260121674
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 7/10/2026
- 1st no meeting date: 9/7/2026
- Early enrollment advised
Note:
Schedule:
Instructor:
Lauren Flenniken
Lauren is an English language and writing instructor with more than 15 years of experience teaching domestically and abroad. She holds a B.A. in English from UC Santa Barbara and an M.A. in English from California State University, Long Beach, and has furthered her expertise with a TEFL Certification from Oxford Seminars and a TESOL Certification from UC San Diego.
She currently teaches at California State University San Marcos, Palomar Community College, MiraCosta College, and UC San Diego Extended Studies, where she brings her expertise in grammar, English language, and academic writing to students at every level, from foundational coursework to advanced research writing.
Her teaching career has taken her around the world. Before returning to San Diego, Lauren served as a Level Coordinator and English Instructor at Salalah College of Technology in Oman and taught high school English in Jeju-do, South Korea, where she also wrote for the Jeju Weekly.
Beyond the classroom, Lauren is an active member of CATESOL and has presented at UC San Diego Extended Studies on preparing ESL students for college writing. She also served for six years on the board of Surf for CF, a cause close to her heart.
She has completed coursework in teaching adults online and is currently pursuing a professional certification in college counseling through UC San Diego’s Department of Extended Studies.
When she’s not in the classroom, Lauren enjoys surfing, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
The McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage 3rd
by Mark Lester and Larry Beason
ISBN / ASIN: 9781260121674
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 7/10/2026
- 1st no meeting date: 9/7/2026
- Early enrollment advised
Note:
Schedule:
Instructor:
Crystal Carothers
Crystal Carothers, M.Ed., teaches various writing courses for UC San Diego Extension's Copyediting Certificate and Creative Writing Certificate, as well as ESL at the English Language Institute. She is a California-born educator who has taught English as a second language around the world. Crystal graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the San Francisco State University in 2006. Following the completion of her Bachelor's degree, she earned her TEFL teaching certificate in Madrid, Spain. After years of living and teaching abroad, she moved back to San Diego to continue her education with a Master’s of Education in TESOL from Alliant International University. Currently, Crystal teaches various writing and English courses at both UC San Diego Extension and at Mira Costa College.
