Julia Copus is an Advisory Fellow for the Royal Literary Fund, UK, an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter, UK and a British poet, biographer and children's writer.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I: PUNCTUATION
Full Stop or Comma?
The Comma
The Colon
The Semicolon
The Apostrophe
PART II: SENTENCE STRUCTURE
What Makes a Sentence a Sentence?
The Secret of Clear Sentences
PART III: PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
How to Build a Paragraph
Using Topic Sentences to Define your Paragraphs
PART IV: STYLE
Maintaining Clarity in Longer Sentences
Parallel Sentence Structure
Placing Key Concepts at the End of a Sentence
Beware of Overusing Abstract Nouns
Can I Use the First Person ('I')?
PART V: AT A GLANCE
How to Improve your Writing Style - a Checklist
Useful Phrases for Essay Writing
Index.

Packed with top tips on grammar, structure and style, this handy guide provides succinct and practical guidance on students' most common writing concerns. Each tip is accompanied by authentic examples of student writing, suggested rewrites and useful exercises. Lively illustrations help students to understand and remember essential principles of grammar and punctuation, and end-of-chapter checklists help them to develop effective proofreading skills.
This compact and concise book is a must-have for students of all levels, and a valuable resource for teachers needing no-nonsense explanations of key punctuation and grammar points.