Writing and Editing: Word Choice and Word Order (FutureLearn)

Writing and Editing: Word Choice and Word Order (FutureLearn)

Learn creative ways to enhance the clarity and effectiveness of your written words. Level up your writing skills with impactful word selections and sentences. Successful written communication begins with the correct word choice and word order. This four-week course will show you how to achieve that in your writing process.

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Presented by the University of Michigan, this is the first in the Good with Words: Writing and Editing series.
If you want to add style and sophistication to your legal writing or any other written piece, this is an ideal place to start.

Learn why word choice and order are essential to the writing process
On this course, you’ll see how the words you use change the meaning, tone, and effect of what you write.
You’ll be able to choose the right words, and add the right compelling details, to inspire the results you want in your readers.

Use strategic syntax in all your writing
You’ll find out how sentence structure influences the decisions people make, and how to produce structures that no one else can write.
The course will also help you develop your writing skills so that you can arrange complex legal and other information in unique, reader-friendly ways.

Hone your writing skills with exceptional wordsmiths
The lead educator on this course has extensive experience in legal writing, and has received several accolades for his work.
With this guidance and the strong academic support that the University of Michigan provides, you’ll soon reach your writing potential.

What topics will you cover?
During this course, you’ll look at:

  • The words under the words: how the words you choose can change the decisions that people make
  • The infinite power of grammar: how the order of the words you choose can change the decisions people make
  • The rule of three: combining word choice with word order
  • The power of the particular: filling your writing with compelling details

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Learn how the words you choose can change the decisions people make.
  • Use syntax strategically.
  • Write with originality and produce sentences that nobody else can write.
  • Arrange a complex set of information in a reader-friendly way.

Who is the course for?
This course is designed for lawyers and law students interested in developing their legal writing skills. Other individuals looking for high-level training in written communication will also find it valuable.

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