LEL #1-2

I've just finished doing my first two Learning Express Library courses. I decided to do one of the Grammar Skills for Writing courses, and one of the Fundamentals of Writing.

The first one I did was Grammar Skills for Writing 1: Punctuation in Sentences. I chose because I wanted to learn the specific rules of punctuation. At first, I thought it was nice, but it quickly became boring and redundant. I found it quite easy; I knew pretty much all the stuff in the course, which be another reason why I did not really like it. I still learned a few rules :
- When the first word of a sentence is a number, you have to write it as a word;
- You have to put a comma before a conjunction when you link two independent clauses.
- You also can't join two independent clauses with a comma without a conjunction; you have to put a semicolon instead of the comma.

I'd rate this course 6/10, because punctuation is very important when writing. Although it was a bit boring, it can't be a bad thing to review the rules of punctuation.


The second LEL course I did was Fundamentals of Writing 2: Drafting. It was more interesting than the first one. I especially liked the lesson about writing an introduction, since the introduction is always the hardest part of an essay to write. The course was also more difficult than the course about punctuation. I learned four interesting tips on how to grab the attention of the reader : using a definition, or a quotation, asking a question, and stating a surprising fact. The course also had a part about writing a conclusion, which is also a difficult when writing an essay. I learned that a great way to start the conclusion is to return to your thesis statement without rewriting it in the same words.

I rate this course 8/10. It was really well made, and it could be a valuable tool when writting essays, since it features checklists of things to do and things to avoid.