Learn English: Writing Effectively with Complex Sentences

Write with Greater Sentence Complexity. Master the Use of Complex Sentences in Writing

Instructor: Meg Parker

Intermediate Level • 1 month at 10 hours a week • Flexible Schedule

Skills You'll Gain

Grammar
Writing and Editing
Writing
English Language
Peer Review
Proofreading

Shareable Certificate

Earn a shareable certificate to add to your LinkedIn profile

Outcomes

  • Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
  • Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
  • Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
  • Earn a career certificate from University of California, Irvine

3 courses series

If you struggle to express complex ideas in English, don’t worry! This course will lead you step-by-step on your journey to more advanced writing. In the first part of the course, you’ll learn some basic information about adverb clauses. Then, we’ll dive into the categories of ideas that adverb clauses express, and you’ll practice using subordinating conjunctions--the many grammar words that start adverb clauses. At the end of the course, you’ll learn how to use varied types of sentences in your writing, and you’ll show off all that you’ve learned by writing a paragraph. We’ll compare this final paragraph with one that you’ll write at the beginning of the course, and you’ll see the difference that adverb clauses can make.

Do you have a hard time describing things, people, and places in English? This course will show you how to be more descriptive in your writing by incorporating adjective clauses in complex sentences. You will begin each course learning some basic information about adjective clauses. Then, we’ll get into the specifics of how to identify and use adjective clauses and the pronouns that begin them. In the last part of the course, you’ll demonstrate what you’ve learned by writing a paragraph. We’ll compare this final paragraph with one that you’ll wrote in week 1, and you’ll see just how much adjective clauses can improve your writing.

This course is designed to hold your hand step-by-step through the most basic concepts of noun clauses all the way to the end goal of writing a paragraph with varied noun clauses. With each individual lesson, you’ll watch both introductory and guided practice videos which will give you tips on writing noun clauses, you’ll complete independent practice exercises and check your answers, and you’ll do short quizzes. For several assignments throughout the course, you’ll practice writing noun clauses, first as individual sentences and then within a paragraph. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to see exactly how much your writing has improved when you compare Week 1’s with Week 4’s writing. No matter how you use English in your daily life, this course will inspire you to use noun clauses more in your writing and speaking.

Learner Testimonials

Felipe M.
Felipe M. • Learner since 2018

To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood.

Jennifer J.
Jennifer J. • Learner since 2020

I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work.

Larry W.
Larry W. • Learner since 2021

When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go.

Chaitanya A.
Chaitanya A. • Learner since 2727

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