POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO

SOCIOHUMANISTICS STUDIES DEPARTMENT

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Title: Preparatory English

Codification: English 0100
Credits: Two-hour lecture period per week
Duration: One Trimester
Texbook: Sandra N. Elbaum. Grammar in Context 1, 7th Edition. Thomson
and Heinle, 2016
Course Description: This course is designed for students with low oral and written
communicative skills. It emphasizes the study of grammar in a communicative approach. It
leads students to use grammatical structures accurately, meaningfully, and appropriately.
Topics covered:
I. Sentence Structure
A. Parts of the Sentence
1. Subject
2. Verb
3. Complement
B. Word Order of Basic English Sentence
II. Parts of Speech
A. Subject Pronouns
B. Verb Be – Present tense
1. Negative Sentences
2. Yes/No Questions
C. Prepositions
1. Location
2. Time
D. Nouns
1. Use of the Articles A/An
2. Plurals
3. Concrete and Abstract Nouns
4. Count and non-count Nouns
 5. Possessive Nouns
E. Pronouns
1. Subject Pronouns
2. Object Pronouns
3. Possessive Adjectives
4. Possessive Pronouns
5. Reflexive Pronouns
6. Indefinite Pronouns
F. Verbs
1. Present Continues Tense
2. Simple Tenses (affirmative, negative, yes/no questions)
a. Present
b. Past
c. Future
3. “Be”: affirmative, negative, yes/no questions
G. Adjectives
1. Definition and Function
2. Comparative Degree
3. Superlative Degree
H. Adverbs
1. Definition and Function
2. Comparative Degree
3. Superlative Degree
I. Conjunctions
1. Definition and Use of Conjunctions in Sentences
III. Reading Skills
A. Reading Comprehension
B. Vocabulary in Context
C. Inferences
D. Identify the Main Idea

Evaluation Criteria: Two Partial Exams, Final Exam, Oral Presentations,

Attendance and Participation