Business Writing · Lesson Plan
Correcting Grammar in Business Writing
Grammatical mistakes quietly undermine otherwise good business writing. This lesson is a practical proofreading guide to the errors that trip people up most — comma usage and comma splices, apostrophes, its vs. it’s, incomplete sentences, subject/verb agreement, verb tense, and pronouns — with clear rules and examples for each. Students then learn to proof-read a document and make corrections.
For Teachers
Lesson at a glance
- Topic
- Business Writing
- Grade Level
- Grades 9–12
- Resource Type
- Lesson + Worksheet
- Estimated Time
- 45–60 minutes
- Format
- Lesson + worksheet
- Materials
- Printable lesson, worksheet, pencils
What Students Learn
Learning objectives
- Recognize common grammatical errors while and after writing
- Apply the main comma and apostrophe rules
- Distinguish its from it’s
- Fix incomplete sentences and subject/verb agreement
- Proof-read a document and make corrections
Materials
What you’ll need
- Printed lesson and worksheet (one per student)
- Pencils
Key Terms
Vocabulary
- Comma splice
- Joining two complete sentences with only a comma.
- Apostrophe
- A mark showing possession or a contraction.
- Subject/verb agreement
- Matching a verb’s form to its subject.
- Incomplete sentence
- A fragment that lacks a subject or verb.
- Verb tense
- The form of a verb that shows time.
- Proof-reading
- Reading carefully to find and fix errors.
For Teachers
Lesson plan
Estimated time: one 45–60 minute class period.
Lesson sequence
- Why grammar matters (8 min). How errors cost credibility in business writing.
- Commas & apostrophes (15 min). The common comma rules, comma splices, and apostrophe / its vs. it’s rules.
- Sentences, agreement, tense, pronouns (12 min). Spot and fix incomplete sentences, agreement errors, and tense shifts.
- Proof-read (15 min). Students proof-read and correct a sample document on the worksheet.
Assessment
Assess the corrected worksheet for accurate identification and repair of each error type.
Discussion
Discussion questions
- What is a comma splice, and how do you fix it?
- When do you use an apostrophe?
- What is the difference between its and it’s?
- How do you check subject/verb agreement?
- Why is proof-reading worth the time in business writing?
Printable Lesson & Worksheet
Correcting Grammar in Business Writing — Lesson & Worksheet
A printable proofreading lesson and worksheet covering comma usage, apostrophes, its vs. it’s, sentence fragments, subject/verb agreement, and tense.
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