Fulfill your High School Basic English requirement at home with training from Penn Foster High School. We’ll guide you through the course with class notes, textbooks and unlimited instructor support. Each lesson has been specifically designed for independent study – you’ll learn English Communication in no time.
 
Course Description
 
An introduction to the world of words, this course covers the all-important basics of English: capitalization, punctuation, spelling, the parts of speech, and sentence structure. It also explains the basic steps in the writing process, with an aim toward writing clear, accurate sentences. Throughout, students practice what they’ve learned by completing exercises related to the study material.

Included are four detailed Study Units:

• Punctuation and Capitalization
• Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, and Verbs
• Adverbs and Other Parts of Speech
• Sentences and Spelling

Each has self-check quizzes and a graded exam.  
 
Course Objectives
 
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe and carry out the four steps in the writing process
• Properly use punctuation marks in sentences and paragraphs
• Correctly apply the common rules of capitalization when writing
• Rewrite documents using proper capitalization and punctuation
• Avoid capitalizing the common prepositions in titles of books or films
• List the official U.S. government abbreviations for all 50 states
• Define noun, pronoun, adjective, and verb, and give examples
• Describe the different types of nouns, and form the plurals of nouns
• Explain the proper use of personal pronouns
• Understand the importance of clear antecedents
• Identify adjectives and predicate adjectives, and use helping verbs
• Identify the principal parts of verbs and verb tenses for regular and irregular verbs
• Make adverbs from adjectives
• Identify and define adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections
• Identify the word in sentences that is modified by an adverb
• Show comparisons using both adjectives and adverbs
• Identify prepositional phrases and the objects of prepositions
• Differentiate between coordinating, correlative, and subordinating conjunctions
• Explain the use of interjections in writing
• List and explain the main components of complete sentences
• Identify and correct sentence fragments and run-on sentences
• Describe the four different types of sentences, and give examples
• Form singular and plural verbs
• Provide agreement between subjects and verbs
• Explain how to add suffixes to words
• Describe and apply the e and i spelling rule
• Define the term homonym, and give examples
• List and explain the various uses of a dictionar
• Arrange words in alphabetical order

 Course Outline

Study Unit 1: Punctuation and Capitalization

Basics of Writing; Writing Process; Types of Writing; Key Considerations of Writing; Writing Paragraphs; Punctuation Marks; Paraphrases; Capitalization of Days, Dates, Names, Geographical Names, State Abbreviations, Father, Mother, and Titles

 

Study Unit 2: Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, and Verbs

Introduction to Parts of Speech; Nouns Defined; Types of Nouns; Irregular Plurals; Pronouns Defined; Personal Pronouns; Antecedents; Who or Whom?; Adjectives Defined; Predicate Adjectives; Value of Adjectives; Verbs Defined; Base Forms of Verbs; Infinitives; Principal Parts of Verbs; Verb Tenses; Regular and Irregular Verbs; Progressive Form; Using the Verb Do; Other Helping Verbs

 

Study Unit 3: Adverbs and Other Parts of Speech

Adverbs Defined; Adverbs That Modify Verbs, Adjectives, and Other Adverbs; Adverbs from Adjectives; Adjective or Adverb?; Placement of Adverbs; Tips about Adverbs; Making Comparisons using Adjectives or Adverbs; Prepositions Defined; Objects of Prepositions; Jobs of Prepositions; Is It a Preposition or Not?; Prepositional Phrases; Conjunctions Defined; Types of Conjunctions; Interjections Defined; Using Interjections

 

Study Unit 4: Sentences and Spelling

Sentence Structure and Components; Sentence Fragments; Run-On Sentences; Art of Writing Sentences; Types of Sentences; Building Sentences; Subject and Verb Agreement; Forming Singular and Plural Verbs; Making Subjects and Verbs Agree; Placement of Subject in a Sentence; Spelling—Adding Suffixes; Spelling Guidelines; Rules for e and i; Words That Sound Alike; Multiple Meanings; Using Dictionaries; Alphabetical Order; Finding Words in Dictionaries When Unsure of the Spelling

There are four exams that need to be passed to complete your course in Basic English and you’ll have up to 15 weeks to complete the course.
 
Support
If you should ever need help with your studies, you can e-mail or call our instructors who will gladly help you with any questions that you might have.

Study Time
Since there is no set class schedule, you study when and where it’s convenient for you. You can complete your course as quickly as you’d like.

Completion
When you have successfully completed your course, you will receive a letter of completion along with an official transcript listing your completed course(s) and grades. You can apply your course towards our Diploma Program or a diploma from your local High School (be sure to check with your school authorities regarding mandatory attendance policies and whether they agree that the Penn Foster High School Program is acceptable toward the completion of your high school education). 
 
Accreditation
Penn Foster High School is accredited by The Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools; has met the high standards of integrity and performance set by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), Washington D.C., and is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.

Whether you’re looking for accelerated studies or credit recovery, regionally and nationally accredited Penn Foster High School provides the courses you need to complete your High School Diploma.