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.
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
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.
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:
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.
Where do commas go? And what on earth is a relative clause? Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar for everyone who uses words.
This Stop. Grammar Time. course will run online. The course is taught via Zoom.
By enrolling for the course here, you’re choosing Thursday 15 April, 12.30–5pm AEST, for your ‘kick-off session’ – the date you‘ll complete the first four hours of the eight-hour course.
Before enrolling for the course, make sure that you’re also available to attend a ‘wrap-up session’ – when you’ll complete the final four hours of the course. Here are the upcoming wrap-up session dates – note that we're in Melbourne and times are in AEST (UTC+10:00)
Once you’ve enrolled, we’ll email you to confirm your wrap-up session date and ensure you‘re on the roll for both classes.
Please note: All prices include GST. We charge the full course fee, $280, when you book your kick-off session.
Kick-off class on Zoom: Thursday 15 April, 12.30–5pm.
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.
Runs Friday 7 May, 9am–5.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
Where do commas go? And what on earth is a relative clause? Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar for everyone who uses words.
This Stop. Grammar Time. course will run online. The course is taught via Zoom.
By enrolling for the course here, you’re choosing Thursday 13 May, 12.30–5pm AEST, for your ‘kick-off session’ – the date you‘ll complete the first four hours of the eight-hour course.
Before enrolling for the course, make sure that you’re also available to attend a ‘wrap-up session’ – when you’ll complete the final four hours of the course. Here are the upcoming wrap-up session dates – note that we're in Melbourne and times are in AEST (UTC+10:00)
Once you’ve enrolled, we’ll email you to confirm your wrap-up session date and ensure you‘re on the roll for both classes.
Please note: All prices include GST. We charge the full course fee, $280, when you book your kick-off session.
Kick-off class on Zoom: Thursday 13 May, 12.30–5pm.
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.
Runs Saturday 22 May, 9am–5.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 4 June, 9am–5.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
Where do commas go? And what on earth is a relative clause? Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar for everyone who uses words.
This Stop. Grammar Time. course will run online. The course is taught via Zoom.
By enrolling for the course here, you’re choosing Thursday 10 June, 12.30–5pm AEST, for your ‘kick-off session’ – the date you‘ll complete the first four hours of the eight-hour course.
Before enrolling for the course, make sure that you’re also available to attend a ‘wrap-up session’ – when you’ll complete the final four hours of the course. Here are the upcoming wrap-up session dates – note that we're in Melbourne and times are in AEST (UTC+10:00)
Once you’ve enrolled, we’ll email you to confirm your wrap-up session date and ensure you‘re on the roll for both classes.
Please note: All prices include GST. We charge the full course fee, $280, when you book your kick-off session.
Kick-off class on Zoom: Thursday 10 June, 12.30–5pm.
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.
Runs Friday 25 June, 9am–5.30pm at State Library New South Wales, Macquarie Building, Macquarie Street, Sydney.
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.
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:
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.
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.
Runs Friday 16 April, 12.30–5pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 23 April, 12.30–5pm AEST (UTC+10:00), online via Zoom.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Saturday 24 April, 9am–1.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 21 May, 12.30–5pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 28 May, 12.30–5pm AEST (UTC+10:00), online via Zoom.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Saturday 5 June, 9am–1.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 18 June, 12.30–5pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Saturday 19 June 9am–1.30pm AEST (UTC+10:00), online via Zoom.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Thursday 24 June, 12.30–5pm at State Library New South Wales, Macquarie Building, Macquarie Street, Sydney.
All prices include GST.
Where do commas go? And what on earth is a relative clause? Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar for everyone who uses words.
This Stop. Grammar Time. course will run online. The course is taught via Zoom.
By enrolling for the course here, you’re choosing Thursday 15 April, 12.30–5pm AEST, for your ‘kick-off session’ – the date you‘ll complete the first four hours of the eight-hour course.
Before enrolling for the course, make sure that you’re also available to attend a ‘wrap-up session’ – when you’ll complete the final four hours of the course. Here are the upcoming wrap-up session dates – note that we're in Melbourne and times are in AEST (UTC+10:00)
Once you’ve enrolled, we’ll email you to confirm your wrap-up session date and ensure you‘re on the roll for both classes.
Please note: All prices include GST. We charge the full course fee, $280, when you book your kick-off session.
Kick-off class on Zoom: Thursday 15 April, 12.30–5pm.
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.
Runs Friday 16 April, 12.30–5pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 23 April, 12.30–5pm AEST (UTC+10:00), online via Zoom.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Saturday 24 April, 9am–1.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 7 May, 9am–5.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
Where do commas go? And what on earth is a relative clause? Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar for everyone who uses words.
This Stop. Grammar Time. course will run online. The course is taught via Zoom.
By enrolling for the course here, you’re choosing Thursday 13 May, 12.30–5pm AEST, for your ‘kick-off session’ – the date you‘ll complete the first four hours of the eight-hour course.
Before enrolling for the course, make sure that you’re also available to attend a ‘wrap-up session’ – when you’ll complete the final four hours of the course. Here are the upcoming wrap-up session dates – note that we're in Melbourne and times are in AEST (UTC+10:00)
Once you’ve enrolled, we’ll email you to confirm your wrap-up session date and ensure you‘re on the roll for both classes.
Please note: All prices include GST. We charge the full course fee, $280, when you book your kick-off session.
Kick-off class on Zoom: Thursday 13 May, 12.30–5pm.
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.
Runs Friday 21 May, 12.30–5pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Saturday 22 May, 9am–5.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 28 May, 12.30–5pm AEST (UTC+10:00), online via Zoom.
All prices include GST.
Where do commas go? And what on earth is a relative clause? Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar for everyone who uses words.
This Stop. Grammar Time. course will run online. The course is taught via Zoom.
By enrolling for the course here, you’re choosing Thursday 10 June, 12.30–5pm AEST, for your ‘kick-off session’ – the date you‘ll complete the first four hours of the eight-hour course.
Before enrolling for the course, make sure that you’re also available to attend a ‘wrap-up session’ – when you’ll complete the final four hours of the course. Here are the upcoming wrap-up session dates – note that we're in Melbourne and times are in AEST (UTC+10:00)
Once you’ve enrolled, we’ll email you to confirm your wrap-up session date and ensure you‘re on the roll for both classes.
Please note: All prices include GST. We charge the full course fee, $280, when you book your kick-off session.
Kick-off class on Zoom: Thursday 10 June, 12.30–5pm.
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.
Runs Friday 4 June, 9am–5.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Saturday 5 June, 9am–1.30pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 18 June, 12.30–5pm, at The Good Copy, 19–21 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Saturday 19 June 9am–1.30pm AEST (UTC+10:00), online via Zoom.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Thursday 24 June, 12.30–5pm at State Library New South Wales, Macquarie Building, Macquarie Street, Sydney.
All prices include GST.
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.
Runs Friday 25 June, 9am–5.30pm at State Library New South Wales, Macquarie Building, Macquarie Street, Sydney.