Grammar & Punctuation Help

Grammar Is the Skill Every Other Piece of Writing Depends On

Grammar and punctuation rarely get taught as their own subject for long. A rule gets introduced, practiced briefly, and then the class moves on, with the expectation that students will just apply it correctly from then on in every piece of writing they do.

For a lot of students, that's exactly where things start to slip. A gap in subject-verb agreement, comma use, or sentence structure doesn't just cost points on a grammar quiz. It shows up in every essay, every text response, every piece of writing from that point forward.

Grammar also builds cumulatively in a way that's easy to underestimate. Basic sentence structure in the early grades supports punctuation rules later, which support clause structure and sentence variety in middle and high school, which support the clarity and precision that essay writing depends on. A gap anywhere along that chain tends to resurface later, usually in a piece of writing where it's harder to fix.

What We Cover in Grammar and Punctuation

Our grammar curriculum is fully aligned to Common Core Standards and covers every stage from a child's first sentences through to advanced sentence-level accuracy in high school.

Grades K-2

The building blocks: forming full sentences, using capital letters, and basic punctuation. Topics covered include:

• Common and proper nouns, pronouns, and adjectives
• Capital letters, question marks, exclamation marks, and commas in lists
• Using verbs like "to be" and "to have" correctly

Grades 3-6

Grammar gets more precise, and punctuation covers more ground. Topics covered include:

• Quotation marks and speech rules
• Commas in lists and clauses, apostrophes for contraction
• Subjects and predicates, and avoiding run-on sentences and comma splices
• Pronouns, conjunctions, and adverbs

Grades 7-8

Sentence-level accuracy becomes tied to essay writing. Topics covered include:

• Correctly identifying subjects and predicates in more complex sentences
• Verb tenses, participles, and narrative roles
• Hyphens, homonyms, and commas in clauses

High School

Grammar becomes about precision and control in longer, more analytical writing. Topics covered include:

• Independent and dependent clauses, comma splices, and sentence fragments
• Colons, semicolons, and transition words that link ideas clearly
• Common mistakes like tense inconsistency, and subject-verb agreement in complex sentences

Why This Approach Works Well for Grammar

Grammar rules only really stick when a student sees them used correctly, often, and in context. That's why our lessons pair every rule with real examples and plenty of practice, rather than treating grammar as something to memorize once and move on from.

From there, your child gets a personalized learning plan that targets the specific rules they need, at their own pace, with tutor feedback available on their actual writing when they need it.

Pricing

Grammar and punctuation are included in the full APLUS America English curriculum. There is no separate grammar package. English tutoring starts from $24 per week, which covers the full K-12 curriculum, a personalized weekly lesson plan, tutor support, and weekly progress reports. New families get the first two weeks free.