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Course 224 · Life course 46

Edit Clear English Sentences

A sentence-editing portfolio with before/after examples, named repairs and a final paragraph checked for meaning, grammar and clarity. Six introductory lessons use supplied practice cases.

Before you start

Use paper or a free text document; every core input is supplied in the lessons.

Read, Write, and Study for Work and Training See everything you’ll need

Free download · Original practice data · No external account required. Download the starter pack

What you’ll leave with

A sentence-editing portfolio with before/after examples, named repairs and a final paragraph checked for meaning, grammar and clarity.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload practice filesSupplied practice cases, a blank working record, complete lesson instructions, and annotated worked examples.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Learners aged 14+ building subject foundations and practical independence. Adults can use the same supplied cases.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Use paper or a free text document; every core input is supplied in the lessons.
  • A basic calculator is optional; show the method, units and checks.
  • Suggested earlier course: Read, Write, and Study for Work and Training
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

A sentence-editing portfolio with before/after examples, named repairs and a final paragraph checked for meaning, grammar and clarity.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • Classify independent/dependent clauses and phrases.
  • Repair a fragment and a comma splice with preserved meaning.
  • Annotate agreement, tense and ambiguous pronouns.
  • Explain three structural punctuation choices.
  • Submit the full paragraph edit and cause-based revision log.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • Method: applies the course-specific rules to the supplied cases with visible intermediate work.
  • Accuracy: results agree with the stated facts, units, boundaries and independent checks.
  • Reasoning: explains why the result follows and identifies a limitation or unresolved question.
  • Transfer: completes changed cases and revises the final project when a relevant assumption changes.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Observe the actual evidence

A complete independent clause includes a subject, a finite verb and a complete thought. A dependent clause can have a subject and verb but leaves a relationship unfinished. These are conventions for the supplied formal written paragraph, not a judgment of a person’s intelligence or language variety.

02

Choose the method that fits the task

Subject–verb agreement follows the grammatical subject, not necessarily the nearest noun. Tense should fit the time being described; deliberate time changes are legitimate when clear. Check meaning before making every verb identical.

03

Retain the limit or revised meaning

Edit in separate passes: meaning and time, clause structure, agreement/reference, then punctuation. Keep a before/after record and explain the cause of a correction. Do not add facts or replace a writer’s legitimate voice merely to make prose sound more elaborate.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Independent clause
A clause that expresses a complete thought and can stand alone.
Dependent clause
A clause whose marker leaves a relationship dependent on another clause.
Agreement
Matching a verb’s grammatical number with its subject.
Referent
The person or thing a pronoun denotes.
Comma splice
Two independent clauses joined only by a comma in the stated formal convention.
Revision log
Before/after changes with an explanation of their cause.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Find subjects and complete clauses

    Identify a subject and finite verb and distinguish independent clauses from dependent clauses and phrases.

  2. 2
    9 min

    Repair fragments and run-ons

    Repair dependent fragments and comma splices while preserving intended relationships.

  3. 3
    9 min

    Keep agreement and tense consistent

    Match verbs to grammatical subjects and explicitly stated times.

  4. 4
    10 min

    Clarify pronoun references

    Identify ambiguous pronoun references and repair them using supplied intended meanings.

  5. 5
    10 min

    Use punctuation to show relationships

    Choose punctuation from clause, list and direct-address structure.

  6. 6
    15 min

    Edit a paragraph without changing its meaning

    Edit a supplied paragraph in separate passes while preserving facts, time and referents.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
ZIP · practice files

Edit Clear English Sentences practice files

Supplied practice cases, a blank working record, complete lesson instructions, and annotated worked examples.

Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

OpenStax: editing handbook
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Web open/search showed the official page, its topic heading and relevant concept description. This is a content/source check, not a provider endorsement.

Access: Official page retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01; interactive tools and videos were not certified by retrieval.

Reuse: Original fictional teaching cases, calculations, questions and examples; link and short factual paraphrase only. No copied source exercises or illustrations.

OpenStax: sentence structure
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Web open/search showed the official page, its topic heading and relevant concept description. This is a content/source check, not a provider endorsement.

Access: Official page retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01; interactive tools and videos were not certified by retrieval.

Reuse: Original fictional teaching cases, calculations, questions and examples; link and short factual paraphrase only. No copied source exercises or illustrations.

OpenStax: source integration and grammatical fit
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Web open/search showed the official page, its topic heading and relevant concept description. This is a content/source check, not a provider endorsement.

Access: Official page retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01; interactive tools and videos were not certified by retrieval.

Reuse: Original fictional teaching cases, calculations, questions and examples; link and short factual paraphrase only. No copied source exercises or illustrations.

Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one