Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I: SENTENCE STRUCTURE
What Makes a Sentence a Sentence?
The Secret of Clear Sentences
PART II: PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
How to Build a Paragraph
Using Topic Sentences to Define your Paragraphs
PART III: PUNCTUATION
Full Stop or Comma?
The Comma
The Colon
The Semicolon
The Apostrophe
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.

A must have for anyone who needs help improving their academic writing.
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. The second edition has been restructured for easier navigation and includes updated examples and new illustrations.
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.

Julia Copus is an Advisory Fellow for the Royal Literary Fund, UK, an Honorary Fellow of Exeter University, UK and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, UK. She has published four collections of poetry, including The World's Two Smallest Humans (2012), shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Costa Poetry Award, and Girlhood (2019).