A unique feature of human language is what Charles Hockett called displacement, our ability to talk about things beyond here and now. The way we do so is through the tense, aspect and modality systems of natural language. Roughly speaking, tense places events on a time continuum. Aspect deals with durational properties of these events. And modality allows us to talk about events that may not have happened or are desired or required. Tense and modality are undeniably interconnected. What used to be a possibility a month ago, might not be one today. Tense and aspect are, likewise, related. A punctual event that took place yesterday might not hold at present, but an event, or state, that is more turitive may still hold. Knowledge of grammar is one of the keys to writing clearly and credibly. Knowing what to use, when to use each tense in your academic writing is a common problem for non-native speakers of English. Even if grammar is not your main problem, you certainly can improve your writing by paying attention to grammar rules and refining their application. Brushing up on grammar skills through practice can only improve your writing. Grammar and punctuation are very important to communication and of immense help in meeting the goal of the writing process to ensure clear communication of ideas. The module aims to outline the basic uses of different tenses, modality and register in academic writing. In particular, it focuses on specific grammatical structures and types of modality used to convey shades of meaning and the degree of confidence of a writer's opinions and attitudes toward a judgment or a proposition of a particular truth in a particular situation. Another important issue that will be highlighted in this module is the use of parallel constructions. In English, not using them is unthinkable. The primary purpose of writing parallel ideas in parallel structure is to maximize the ease of reading. Just as a song of many verses with a common refrain between each can easily lead a listener to begin humming or singing along, parallel structure sets up a rhythm that allow the reader to easily absorb a long and complex series of information. The ability to create parallel structure, particularly for complex concepts of material distinguishes the amateur writer from professional. I hope this module will help you acquire strong skills in writing and grammar.