Good Grammar is the foundation of excellent writing; Books and websites covering a plethora of topics abound on the web. Here are some grammar lessons I use in my ESL college classes. Read More
Author Archives: Catherine Coleman
Relevant Reading
As part of college writing, students read a variety of literary stories. Here are some of the lessons that have accompanied such stories in my classes. Read More
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New Year’s Resolution
Happy New Year! According to my quick internet search over 45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions every year. Unfortunately, most don’t fulfil them very long! Perhaps this occurs because we don’t really understand what the word resolution means? I’m going to take a deeper look at resolution and its other derivatives in today’s post. […]
Start Anew Idioms
5 Useful Idioms for 2017 Wipe the slate clean (or start with a clean slate) History: Back in the days before tablets and the internet, in the 14th century students wrote in class on slate boards (preview to the chalk board, preview to the white board, preview to today’s technology!) with chalk. At the end […]
Mini-Blog About Advice
Mini-Blog About Advice Mrs. C, can you help me…? Advice is something I’m often asked to give. Let’s be clear that I am only an expert in college writing and ESL language usage. I’ve studied the topic and taught others for many years. I’ve learned effective techniques and I know my grammar rules. I am […]
Academic Edits for College Writing
Academic Edits for College Writing Book 1: Verb Form, my latest project , is coming along nicely. The picture you see here is a possible cover. I have just finished updating the 65 practice edits and am now working on the appendixes. I’ll be doing a final polishing edit soon! It will be out in […]
IVC Students
Meet Mrs. C
I love learning, and I have been fortunate to earn a M. A. in Linguistics, Certificate in TESL, Certificate in Reading, and B. A. in English. I am planning to start a Technical Writing Certificate at UC Berkley in the future. I love teaching, and since 1999, I have had the opportunity to tutor and […]
An ESL Student’s Guide
An ESL Student’s Guide to Good Communication with Classmates is available for $10 at amazon.com. It provides cultural and communication tips for college success. Also included is vocabulary development, conversation topics, and writing prompts. This guide is at a beginning to intermediate language level. You can look inside the book here!