Stop. Grammar Time.
Where do commas go? What on earth is a relative clause? Navigate nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar in this one-day course for everyone who uses words.
‘I seem to have been out of school the year the rules were mentioned.’ Do you know who said that? No, it wasn’t you. It was Joan Didion. Everyone stresses about writing. The Good Copy school is a place to get together and think about it.
From editorial to ad copy, syntax to style, we explore grammar basics and writing tactics in a clear, practical and fun way. Open to writers of all stripes.
Normally open, that is. We’re currently on sabbatical and will be back in April.
Our waitlist for classes is full right now but, if you email us at school@thegoodcopy.com.au, we can let you know once we've added more sessions. 
The course is taught with reference to real-world examples that are both hilarious and insightful. My eyes are now wide open to inappropriate quote mark usage in my day-to-day life.
—Rachel Elliot-Jones, Assemble
Courses
Stop. Grammar Time.
What is grammar? Is this grammar?
Is it okay to use and at the start of a sentence? And what’s going on with your boss’s new hairstyle? Or should that be ... your boss’ new hairstyle? How shouldn’t you use a pair of commas? And why should you care about dangling modifiers?
Most writers, editors and emailers only intuitively know ‘the rules’, and many feel they missed out on the basics in the first place. This intensive short course is a chance to fill the gaps. Learn how to see a sentence’s underlying structure, place your commas with confidence, adjudicate apostrophe arguments and separate the rules from the myths.
Who is it for?
Stop. Grammar Time. is for anyone who writes. Our graduates include communications professionals, novelists, nurses, doctors, students, editors, copywriters, designers, helicopter engineers, AFL players, and primary and secondary school teachers.
If comma confusions and dash disagreements are clouding your sentences—or your psyche—Stop. Grammar Time. will clear the fog. We promise answers, alarm bells, tips and tactics to help you produce tighter first drafts.
How do we teach it?
Students can attend Stop. Grammar Time. classes online or in person.
In person
Our in-person course is delivered as a one-day session. Eight hours of grammar, plus social snack breaks! In Melbourne, the classes happen at The Good Copy HQ, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood. In Sydney, the classes run at State Library New South Wales in Macquarie Street. The cost for the in-person course is $350.
Online via Zoom
Online, we split Stop. Grammar Time. into two 4.5-hour Zoom sessions. You’ll need to complete both the ‘kick-off’ and ‘wrap-up’ sessions to do the course. If you choose a kick-off session in the calendar below, you’ll be able to see the wrap-up dates available for you to complete the course.
Buy a kick-off session and we’ll email you to confirm what date you’d like to finish the course. The cost for the online course is $300. We charge the full enrolment fee when you book your kick-off session.
What do we teach?
1. What is a clause? What is a phrase?
The ins and outs of English syntax
2. Sticks and dots
Punctuation and how to use it
3. Style and decisions
Using style guides and building your own
4. Real-world editing
Curly questions and common errors
How does it help?
Students leave with:
- an understanding of English sentence structure and the terms used to describe it
- the know-how to connect clauses and phrases using commas, colons, semicolons and dashes
- a style-guide starter kit and tactics for navigating tricky decisions
- practical editing tips, a primer on the most common structural errors, and the confidence to sort grammar ‘rules’ from grammar myths
- a set of reference notes and a links list full of tools, apps, resources and further reading
- a jet-black fashion tote bag and a punky sew-on graduation patch.
Who teaches it?
Stop. Grammar Time. is presented by The Good Copy’s editorial director, Penny Modra. Penny is a regular ‘grammar enthusiast’ guest on ABC Radio Melbourne, a teacher of editing at RMIT and the convener of the Collingwood Crossword Club.
The course curriculum has been developed by top-gun editor Meredith Forrester. Meredith is the author of Make Grammar Great Again (Thames & Hudson Australia, 2017), a book that explores grammar and punctuation basics by copyediting the tweets of Donald Trump.
What do people say?
The course’s openness to change and acceptance that language is in a constant state of flux is refreshing.
You’ll learn how to put the right thing in the right place, when to use a colon rather than a semicolon and what the difference is between an em dash and an en dash. Plus, the team makes damn good coffee to keep you keen.
Calendar
Stop. Grammar Time. WAITLIST
Online
Fri 9 Jun
Booked Out
Where do commas go? And what on earth is a relative clause? Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar for everyone who uses words. Visit the course page to find out more.
Please note, we're currently on sabbatical and will return in May
This Stop. Grammar Time. course will run online over two sessions on Zoom.
By clicking 'add to cart' you're joining the waitlist for our Friday 9 June, 12.30–5.15pm AEST (UTC+10:00), ‘kick-off session’ – this is the date you‘ll complete the first half of the nine-hour curriculum.
Before signing up for the waitlist, make sure that you’re also available to attend a ‘wrap-up session’ – when you’ll complete the second half. Here are the upcoming wrap-up session dates:
- Friday 16 June, 12.30–5.15pm AEST (UTC+10:00)
Joining the waitlist is free—we'll contact you closer to the listed dates to confirm the classes are going ahead. At this point, we'll ask if you're still interested and, if you are, send you an order form to take payment of $280 and lock in your booking.
We may still need to change or cancel our scheduled classes closer to the date. If we have to do this, we'll let our waitlist know what other options we can offer.
FAQ
Can you run a course at my work?
Yes! Click on over to our services page to find out how.
Are the courses available online?
Yes! Both Write Right and Stop. Grammar Time. are available as online courses.
Write Right is delivered online as a four-hour Zoom session. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates.
Online, Stop. Grammar Time. is taught as two half-day classes on separate dates. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates. Once you've enrolled in a kick-off date, we'll email to ask you when is best for your wrap-up session.
Write Right is delivered online as a four-hour Zoom session. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates.
Online, Stop. Grammar Time. is taught as two half-day classes on separate dates. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates. Once you've enrolled in a kick-off date, we'll email to ask you when is best for your wrap-up session.
English is my second language. Is that a problem?
You will need to be fluent in English to get the most out of our classes.
Do I need to know grammar already?
No! Well, a bit. But not really! We recap the basic terms, learn new ones and layer them all as we go.
Okay, but I don’t even remember what conjunctions are. Is that a problem?
That’s not a problem, because we’ll look at what they are and what they can do.
I want to be an editor. Will your courses help me get there?
Stop. Grammar Time. will introduce you to the world of editing. We cover the basics of English syntax, discuss usage and style, and explore a few real-world editing tactics.
Where do you hold your classes?
We hold our Melbourne classes at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood. We sometimes pop up elsewhere in the metropolitan area for one-off events.
We use a number of different venues when we visit Sydney. Wherever we appear next, you can be sure it will be close to the city, public transport and good coffee.
You can find venue details in each class’s calendar entry.
We use a number of different venues when we visit Sydney. Wherever we appear next, you can be sure it will be close to the city, public transport and good coffee.
You can find venue details in each class’s calendar entry.
What happens if I can’t make it to class?
We’ll miss you. But we’ll also happily transfer you into an upcoming class or offer you a full refund. Email Dylan at school@thegoodcopy.com.au as soon as you know you can’t make it, and he’ll help you out.
Can I enrol someone else?
Yep! You can use our e-vouchers to enrol anyone you know—a friend, a colleague or three—in any of our upcoming classes. Head to the shop and sort for vouchers to find out how.
I want to buy my friend an enrolment for their birthday—but I don’t know which class date suits them. What can I do?
You can check out the digital vouchers on offer in our shop! Our Stop. Grammar Time. and Write Right vouchers can be redeemed for all upcoming classes—so you can gift one to your buddy and leave the date decision up to them.
Write Right
We all write, but what does it mean to write well? A half-day course exploring tactics and principles for planning, drafting and editing better writing.
Write Right
Why is writing hard? When is it good? Who does it well, and how?
If writing is part of your day, you know intuitively that it doesn’t just happen on the page. Most of the challenge is in the thinking and the relating. After that, as Joan Didion once said, you can ‘prune it out, clean it up, make the point’.
Write Right takes the same approach. This half-day course suggests a step-by-step process that begins with the reader and continues with the ideas. After that, we dive into the writing itself. How do you stay focused, original, clear and generous? What are some tactics for bringing words, sentences and readers to life? How do you assess what’s working and what isn’t?
From Aristotle to Airtable, advertising to art, we explore the principles of good writing and inspire you to think critically about planning, briefing, drafting and editing.
Who is it for?
Write Right is a half-day course for copywriters, marketers, editorial freelancers, content makers, emailers—anyone whose work involves turning ideas into words for readers.
How do we teach it?
Students can attend Write Right classes online or in person.
The in-person course is delivered as a morning or afternoon class, coffee and cake break included! In Melbourne, the classes happen at The Good Copy HQ, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood. In Sydney, the classes run at Paramount Recreation Club in Surry Hills.
The online course is delivered as a half-day Zoom session. Check the calendar below for the upcoming online class dates.
What do we teach?
0. The technical approach
Writing and editing for readability
1. Know why you’re saying something
Ideas, objectives and readers
2. Find something to say
Specifics, images and originality
3. Be okay with saying it
Tone, cliché, formality and jargon
4. Say it
Finding an opener and writing the first draft
5. Say it with style
Style guides, decisions and consistency
6. Edit for grammar
The rules worth worrying about
How does it help?
Students leave with:
- a process for refining objectives, audience and message before the writing starts
- a briefing checklist and a set of principles for assessing writing at the levels of content, style, sentence structure and word choice
- ideas-generation tools for the first draft
- tactics for managing voice and tone, whether you’re writing as yourself or on behalf of a brand
- a style-guide starter kit, a grammar primer and tips for editing on a deadline.
Who teaches it?
Write Right classes are taught by top-gun writer, editor and worrier Penny Modra. Penny is The Good Copy’s editorial director, a regular ‘grammar enthusiast’ guest on ABC Radio Melbourne, a teacher of editing at RMIT University and the convener of the Collingwood Crossword Club.
What do people say?
Teacher and editor Penny Modra will help you master tone, style and more in this half-day session on improving your writing ... we guarantee you’ll spend the day not only learning but laughing.
If you’d like to REALLY learn how to write, I recommend you check The Good Copy and see when their next Write Right school is happening. It did wonders for me; it’ll do wonders for you.
Calendar
Write Right WAITLIST
MELBOURNE
Thu 11 May
Booked Out
We all write, but what does it mean to write well? Tactics and principles for planning, briefing, drafting and editing better writing. Visit the course page to find out more.
Please note, we're currently taking a sabbatical and will return in May.
This session of Write Right is scheduled for Thursday 11 May, 12.30–5.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
By clicking 'add to cart' for this class you're joining the waitlist. This is free—we'll contact you closer to the listed date to confirm the class is going ahead. At this point, we'll ask if you're still interested and, if you are, send you an order form to take payment of $275 and lock in your booking.
We may still need to change or cancel our scheduled classes closer to the date. If we have to do this, we'll let our waitlist know what other options we can offer.
Write Right WAITLIST
Online
Fri 19 May
Booked Out
We all write, but what does it mean to write well? Tactics and principles for planning, briefing, drafting and editing better writing. Visit the course page to find out more.
Please note, we're currently taking a sabbatical and will return in May.
This session of Write Right is scheduled for Friday 19 May, 12.30–5.30pm AEST (UTC+10:00), online via Zoom.
By clicking 'add to cart' for this class you're joining the waitlist. This is free—we'll contact you closer to the listed date to confirm the class is going ahead. At this point, we'll ask if you're still interested and, if you are, send you an order form to take payment of $220 and lock in your booking.
We may still need to change or cancel our scheduled classes closer to the date. If we have to do this, we'll let our waitlist know what other options we can offer.
FAQ
Can you run a course at my work?
Yes! Click on over to our services page to find out how.
Are the courses available online?
Yes! Both Write Right and Stop. Grammar Time. are available as online courses.
Write Right is delivered online as a four-hour Zoom session. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates.
Online, Stop. Grammar Time. is taught as two half-day classes on separate dates. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates. Once you've enrolled in a kick-off date, we'll email to ask you when is best for your wrap-up session.
Write Right is delivered online as a four-hour Zoom session. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates.
Online, Stop. Grammar Time. is taught as two half-day classes on separate dates. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates. Once you've enrolled in a kick-off date, we'll email to ask you when is best for your wrap-up session.
English is my second language. Is that a problem?
You will need to be fluent in English to get the most out of our classes.
I’m not trained as a writer. Does that matter?
Not at all. The course is for anyone who wants to examine their writing process. We focus on tone, clarity and consideration for the reader. The content is geared towards copywriting for brands and businesses but we address many other non-fiction contexts: features, reviews, essays, reports and emails. You definitely don’t need to know about grammar or style; we’ll assume no knowledge when we cover these topics in class.
Where do you hold your classes?
We hold our Melbourne classes at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood. We sometimes pop up elsewhere in the metropolitan area for one-off events.
We use a number of different venues when we visit Sydney. Wherever we appear next, you can be sure it will be close to the city, public transport and good coffee.
You can find venue details in each class’s calendar entry.
We use a number of different venues when we visit Sydney. Wherever we appear next, you can be sure it will be close to the city, public transport and good coffee.
You can find venue details in each class’s calendar entry.
What happens if I can’t make it to class?
We’ll miss you. But we’ll also happily transfer you into an upcoming class or offer you a full refund. Email Dylan at school@thegoodcopy.com.au as soon as you know you can’t make it, and he’ll help you out.
Can I enrol someone else?
Yep! You can use our e-vouchers to enrol anyone you know—a friend, a colleague or three—in any of our upcoming classes. Head to the shop and sort for vouchers to find out how.
I want to buy my friend an enrolment for their birthday—but I don’t know which class date suits them. What can I do?
You can check out the digital vouchers on offer in our shop! Our Stop. Grammar Time. and Write Right vouchers can be redeemed for all upcoming classes—so you can gift one to your buddy and leave the date decision up to them.
Calendar
Write Right WAITLIST
MELBOURNE
Thu 11 May
Booked Out
We all write, but what does it mean to write well? Tactics and principles for planning, briefing, drafting and editing better writing. Visit the course page to find out more.
Please note, we're currently taking a sabbatical and will return in May.
This session of Write Right is scheduled for Thursday 11 May, 12.30–5.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
By clicking 'add to cart' for this class you're joining the waitlist. This is free—we'll contact you closer to the listed date to confirm the class is going ahead. At this point, we'll ask if you're still interested and, if you are, send you an order form to take payment of $275 and lock in your booking.
We may still need to change or cancel our scheduled classes closer to the date. If we have to do this, we'll let our waitlist know what other options we can offer.
Write Right WAITLIST
Online
Fri 19 May
Booked Out
We all write, but what does it mean to write well? Tactics and principles for planning, briefing, drafting and editing better writing. Visit the course page to find out more.
Please note, we're currently taking a sabbatical and will return in May.
This session of Write Right is scheduled for Friday 19 May, 12.30–5.30pm AEST (UTC+10:00), online via Zoom.
By clicking 'add to cart' for this class you're joining the waitlist. This is free—we'll contact you closer to the listed date to confirm the class is going ahead. At this point, we'll ask if you're still interested and, if you are, send you an order form to take payment of $220 and lock in your booking.
We may still need to change or cancel our scheduled classes closer to the date. If we have to do this, we'll let our waitlist know what other options we can offer.
Stop. Grammar Time. WAITLIST
Online
Fri 9 Jun
Booked Out
Where do commas go? And what on earth is a relative clause? Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar for everyone who uses words. Visit the course page to find out more.
Please note, we're currently on sabbatical and will return in May
This Stop. Grammar Time. course will run online over two sessions on Zoom.
By clicking 'add to cart' you're joining the waitlist for our Friday 9 June, 12.30–5.15pm AEST (UTC+10:00), ‘kick-off session’ – this is the date you‘ll complete the first half of the nine-hour curriculum.
Before signing up for the waitlist, make sure that you’re also available to attend a ‘wrap-up session’ – when you’ll complete the second half. Here are the upcoming wrap-up session dates:
- Friday 16 June, 12.30–5.15pm AEST (UTC+10:00)
Joining the waitlist is free—we'll contact you closer to the listed dates to confirm the classes are going ahead. At this point, we'll ask if you're still interested and, if you are, send you an order form to take payment of $280 and lock in your booking.
We may still need to change or cancel our scheduled classes closer to the date. If we have to do this, we'll let our waitlist know what other options we can offer.
FAQ
What’s the difference between Stop. Grammar Time. and Write Right?
Stop. Grammar Time. teaches the nuts and bolts of grammar and punctuation, from what makes up a sentence to where commas can go and whether semicolons belong in dot-point lists. We explore the world of style, practise real-world editing techniques, and bust common myths and mix-ups. It’s a course for people who want to craft error-free sentences and find out, once and for all, whether it’s okay to use and at the start of a sentence. (It is.)
Write Right is a course for people who want to examine how they approach writing in all its modern guises—from emails to marketing copy, reports and editorial. We promise to explore the principles of good, active writing and inspire you to think critically about the process; we do not promise to teach you a guaranteed formula for your next Facebook post. We’ve based this course on Joan Didion’s advice: ‘Prune it out, clean it up, make the point.’
Write Right is a course for people who want to examine how they approach writing in all its modern guises—from emails to marketing copy, reports and editorial. We promise to explore the principles of good, active writing and inspire you to think critically about the process; we do not promise to teach you a guaranteed formula for your next Facebook post. We’ve based this course on Joan Didion’s advice: ‘Prune it out, clean it up, make the point.’
Are the courses available online?
Yes! Both Write Right and Stop. Grammar Time. are available as online courses.
Write Right is delivered online as a four-hour Zoom session. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates.
Online, Stop. Grammar Time. is taught as two half-day classes on separate dates. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates. Once you've enrolled in a kick-off date, we'll email to ask you when is best for your wrap-up session.
Write Right is delivered online as a four-hour Zoom session. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates.
Online, Stop. Grammar Time. is taught as two half-day classes on separate dates. Check our calendar for the upcoming online class dates. Once you've enrolled in a kick-off date, we'll email to ask you when is best for your wrap-up session.
Can you run a course at my work?
Yes! Click on over to our services page to find out how.
English is my second language. Is that a problem?
You will need to be fluent in English to get the most out of our classes.
Can I enrol someone else?
Yep! You can use our e-vouchers to enrol anyone you know—a friend, a colleague or three—in any of our upcoming classes. Head to the shop and sort for vouchers to find out how.
I want to buy my friend an enrolment for their birthday—but I don’t know which class date suits them. What can I do?
You can check out the digital vouchers on offer in our shop! Our Stop. Grammar Time. and Write Right vouchers can be redeemed for all upcoming classes—so you can gift one to your buddy and leave the date decision up to them.
I want to be an editor. Will your courses help me get there?
Stop. Grammar Time. will introduce you to the world of editing. We cover the basics of English syntax, discuss usage and style, and explore a few real-world editing tactics.
Where do you hold your classes?
We hold our Melbourne classes at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood. We sometimes pop up elsewhere in the metropolitan area for one-off events.
We use a number of different venues when we visit Sydney. Wherever we appear next, you can be sure it will be close to the city, public transport and good coffee.
You can find venue details in each class’s calendar entry.
We use a number of different venues when we visit Sydney. Wherever we appear next, you can be sure it will be close to the city, public transport and good coffee.
You can find venue details in each class’s calendar entry.
What happens if I can’t make it to class?
We’ll miss you. But we’ll also happily transfer you into an upcoming class or offer you a full refund. Email Dylan at school@thegoodcopy.com.au as soon as you know you can’t make it, and he’ll help you out.