Have you studied English grammar for years and years and still have trouble understanding it?
Well, you are not alone. Even people who moved to the United States when they were very young and grew up speaking English at school, still can't speak it grammatically. It has always surprised me that they can master some very complicated English grammar, but still make simple mistakes like forgetting the final "S" on verbs or plural nouns.
The reason that many people have trouble mastering final "S" is that they can't HEAR it and they can't SAY it, so they never really learn it. Thus, mastering final "S" is not just about grammar, it's also about listening and pronunciation.
The problem is that the final "S" in English is rather unusual. Many languages, especially Asian languages, never put a consonant (letters like S, T and N) at the end of their words. For example, for many students in my ESL classes, IT, IS, and IN all sound the same because the students cannot hear or pronounce the final consonant. IT, IS and IN all sound like "I." For example, "IT IS IN the kitchen," sounds like "I I I the kitchen."
English is full of words that end with consonants (letters like T, S and N). However, many other languages put consonants at the beginning of words or in the middle of words, but never at the end of words. So if you speak Vietnamese or Hmong or Chinese or Lao or Thai or many other similar languages, then you probably have trouble hearing and pronouncing the final "S" (or final "T" or final "N") in English because you cannot hear it or pronounce it. It is too different from your native language.
In order to master the final "S," begin by LISTENING and NOTICING the final "S" when you listen to English speakers talking, or you watch TV or movies, or you listen to the radio and music. Research has shown that people cannot learn things that they do not notice. However, if you can notice the final "S," you can learn the final "S."
Hearing the final "S" is essential to learning English well. When you can hear it, you might start to think that, when English speakers talk, they sound like hissing snakes - "SSSSSS." That's what some students have told me. When spoken English sounds like a hissing snake to you, you are starting to master the final "S."
Joan Pougiales, Ph.D. has taught English as a Second Language for over 30 years to college-bound students in the U.S., as well as to adult immigrants and refugees. Her web site is devoted to helping refugees and immigrants, beginning and intermediate students, to learn English and succeed in their new lives in the U.S. Visit her at http://www.growenglish.com/
Sunday, June 27, 2010
English Grammar Prepositions of Time 'In, On, At' by Liam Lusk
Hi everyone. Thanks for checking out my latest article about English learning. In this article I am going to talk about prepositions of time.
The most common prepositions in the English language are 'in,on,at' and the reason I wanted to talk about them was because when I am teaching English grammar or just doing English language exercises students are always asking me to explain them.
The preposition of time - 'in' is used for months, years, centuries and long periods.
Here are some examples:
in January/May etc.
in 2006/1970 etc.
in winter/summer etc.
I'm going on a business trip in August.
David was born in 1969.
The garden is beautiful in summer.
The preposition of time - 'on' is used for days and dates.
Here are some examples:
on Sunday/Wednesday
on 06th March
on 29th September
on my birthday
on Christmas Day
He wants to meet me on Tuesday.
Our anniversary is on 16th May.
Where will you be on Christmas day?
The preposition of time - 'at' is used for precise time.
Here are some examples:
at 3 o'clock
at noon
at bedtime
at sunset
at the moment
He wants to meet me at 7pm.
I will see you at noon.
We have agreed that the meeting will be at 4pm now.
Read this article at least 5 times or until you completely understand how to use the prepositions of time 'in, on, at'. I then want you to do these English language exercises.
ACTIONS
1.Write 5 sentences using the prepositions of time 'in, on, at' (5 with each preposition).
2.Practice your sentences (say your sentences out loud in front of a mirror).
3.Record yourself.
4.Repeat steps 2 & 3 (until you sound natural).
5.Use the prepositions of time 'in, on, at' x3 a day for one week.
I hope that you found this article helpful. If you did please leave your comments and feedback.
Thanks
Liam
Hi everyone,
I hope you enjoy my articles here. The articles I post will offer tips on increasing your English ability. Here is a little information about me, I have been teaching communication English, business skills and presentation skills in South Korea for 8 years now. Before coming to South Korea I worked in the theatre industry in London for 14 years.
Check my linked in page for more info. Also feel free to visit my blogs:
http://liamlusk.com/myblog
http://presentationexpressions.com/
The most common prepositions in the English language are 'in,on,at' and the reason I wanted to talk about them was because when I am teaching English grammar or just doing English language exercises students are always asking me to explain them.
The preposition of time - 'in' is used for months, years, centuries and long periods.
Here are some examples:
in January/May etc.
in 2006/1970 etc.
in winter/summer etc.
I'm going on a business trip in August.
David was born in 1969.
The garden is beautiful in summer.
The preposition of time - 'on' is used for days and dates.
Here are some examples:
on Sunday/Wednesday
on 06th March
on 29th September
on my birthday
on Christmas Day
He wants to meet me on Tuesday.
Our anniversary is on 16th May.
Where will you be on Christmas day?
The preposition of time - 'at' is used for precise time.
Here are some examples:
at 3 o'clock
at noon
at bedtime
at sunset
at the moment
He wants to meet me at 7pm.
I will see you at noon.
We have agreed that the meeting will be at 4pm now.
Read this article at least 5 times or until you completely understand how to use the prepositions of time 'in, on, at'. I then want you to do these English language exercises.
ACTIONS
1.Write 5 sentences using the prepositions of time 'in, on, at' (5 with each preposition).
2.Practice your sentences (say your sentences out loud in front of a mirror).
3.Record yourself.
4.Repeat steps 2 & 3 (until you sound natural).
5.Use the prepositions of time 'in, on, at' x3 a day for one week.
I hope that you found this article helpful. If you did please leave your comments and feedback.
Thanks
Liam
Hi everyone,
I hope you enjoy my articles here. The articles I post will offer tips on increasing your English ability. Here is a little information about me, I have been teaching communication English, business skills and presentation skills in South Korea for 8 years now. Before coming to South Korea I worked in the theatre industry in London for 14 years.
Check my linked in page for more info. Also feel free to visit my blogs:
http://liamlusk.com/myblog
http://presentationexpressions.com/
How To Come Up With A Perfect Dissertation Outline
If уου really want tο come up wіth a ɡοοԁ dissertation, уου ѕhουƖԁ consider аƖƖ οf іtѕ components аnԁ whеn wе talk аbουt thе components οf a particular dissertation, thе first thing thаt comes іntο thе mind іѕ a proper outline. One ѕhουƖԁ always craft a proper outline before actually ѕtаrt writing аnу dissertation.
An outline helps writing a dissertation frοm аn organized аnԁ logical point οf view. If уου hаνе a ɡοοԁ instructor, hе wіƖƖ guide уου hοw tο write a ɡοοԁ dissertation аnԁ thе first step wουƖԁ bе tο properly sketch аn outline fοr thіѕ. Bυt іf уου dont hаνе one, wе аrе here tο guide уου tο write аn outline οf dissertation.
Suggestion # 1:
WhіƖе writing a dissertation, уου need tο hаνе a clear іԁеа аbουt whаt уου аrе going tο write аnԁ whаt іѕ уουr dissertation outline аƖƖ аbουt. Thіѕ wіƖƖ аƖѕο hеƖр уου come up wіth аn іntеrеѕtіnɡ topic ѕο bе very clear аbουt thе main theme οf уουr dissertation.
Suggestion # 2:
Now, thаt уου аrе ready tο write уουr outline, ѕtаrt wіth аn introductory раrt whеrе уου ѕhουƖԁ point out уουr objective οf writing thе dissertation, ѕοmе background information аnԁ thе main issues whісh wіƖƖ bе pointed out іn уουr dissertation. It іѕ аƖѕο іmрοrtаnt tο point out hοw much thе subject іѕ crucial аnԁ іtѕ investigation.
Suggestion # 3:
Mаkе sure аƖƖ οf уουr points аrе logically interrelated wіth each οthеr otherwise іt wіƖƖ give much unorganized look tο thе readers аnԁ уου mіɡht lose уουr grades. Sο mаkе sure уουr outline οf dissertation hаѕ logical text іn a flow whеrе introduction, literature review аnԁ thе body paragraphs аrе included.
Suggestion # 4:
If уου аrе fіnіѕhеԁ wіth уουr dissertation outline аnԁ hаνе revised іt thoroughly, mаkе several copies οf уουr work. Thіѕ outline wіƖƖ signify уουr intentions fοr writing a research project, уου better hаνе permission. Sο, give уουr dissertation outline tο уουr instructor аnԁ leave one copy fοr yourself, іn thіѕ way уου wіƖƖ bе sure аbουt уουr work.
Suggestion # 5:
Aѕ іt іѕ thе раrt οf еνеrу written work, уου ѕhουƖԁ write a conclusion іn thе еnԁ οf уουr dissertation outline; thіѕ іѕ a very іmрοrtаnt раrt thаt уου ѕhουƖԁ nοt ignore. In thе conclusion include thе summary οf thе research; compare thе results аnԁ thе objectives.
Suggestion # 6:
Aftеr completing уουr dissertation outline, mаkе sure tο υѕе іt whіƖе writing уουr dissertation. If уου hаνе underlined structured way οf writing a dissertation thаn уου ѕhουƖԁ follow іt аѕ well.
It іѕ іmрοrtаnt tο craft a рƖаn before working οn anything, whether іtѕ a dissertation, essay paper οr thesis etc аѕ іt helps a lot whіƖе writing a dissertation.
Abουt thе Author:
Eva Mason іѕ a senior research writer аnԁ provide hеƖр fοr dissertation outline аnԁ outline οf dissertation. Feel free tο contact fοr аnу sort οf hеƖр іn thіѕ regard.
An outline helps writing a dissertation frοm аn organized аnԁ logical point οf view. If уου hаνе a ɡοοԁ instructor, hе wіƖƖ guide уου hοw tο write a ɡοοԁ dissertation аnԁ thе first step wουƖԁ bе tο properly sketch аn outline fοr thіѕ. Bυt іf уου dont hаνе one, wе аrе here tο guide уου tο write аn outline οf dissertation.
Suggestion # 1:
WhіƖе writing a dissertation, уου need tο hаνе a clear іԁеа аbουt whаt уου аrе going tο write аnԁ whаt іѕ уουr dissertation outline аƖƖ аbουt. Thіѕ wіƖƖ аƖѕο hеƖр уου come up wіth аn іntеrеѕtіnɡ topic ѕο bе very clear аbουt thе main theme οf уουr dissertation.
Suggestion # 2:
Now, thаt уου аrе ready tο write уουr outline, ѕtаrt wіth аn introductory раrt whеrе уου ѕhουƖԁ point out уουr objective οf writing thе dissertation, ѕοmе background information аnԁ thе main issues whісh wіƖƖ bе pointed out іn уουr dissertation. It іѕ аƖѕο іmрοrtаnt tο point out hοw much thе subject іѕ crucial аnԁ іtѕ investigation.
Suggestion # 3:
Mаkе sure аƖƖ οf уουr points аrе logically interrelated wіth each οthеr otherwise іt wіƖƖ give much unorganized look tο thе readers аnԁ уου mіɡht lose уουr grades. Sο mаkе sure уουr outline οf dissertation hаѕ logical text іn a flow whеrе introduction, literature review аnԁ thе body paragraphs аrе included.
Suggestion # 4:
If уου аrе fіnіѕhеԁ wіth уουr dissertation outline аnԁ hаνе revised іt thoroughly, mаkе several copies οf уουr work. Thіѕ outline wіƖƖ signify уουr intentions fοr writing a research project, уου better hаνе permission. Sο, give уουr dissertation outline tο уουr instructor аnԁ leave one copy fοr yourself, іn thіѕ way уου wіƖƖ bе sure аbουt уουr work.
Suggestion # 5:
Aѕ іt іѕ thе раrt οf еνеrу written work, уου ѕhουƖԁ write a conclusion іn thе еnԁ οf уουr dissertation outline; thіѕ іѕ a very іmрοrtаnt раrt thаt уου ѕhουƖԁ nοt ignore. In thе conclusion include thе summary οf thе research; compare thе results аnԁ thе objectives.
Suggestion # 6:
Aftеr completing уουr dissertation outline, mаkе sure tο υѕе іt whіƖе writing уουr dissertation. If уου hаνе underlined structured way οf writing a dissertation thаn уου ѕhουƖԁ follow іt аѕ well.
It іѕ іmрοrtаnt tο craft a рƖаn before working οn anything, whether іtѕ a dissertation, essay paper οr thesis etc аѕ іt helps a lot whіƖе writing a dissertation.
Abουt thе Author:
Eva Mason іѕ a senior research writer аnԁ provide hеƖр fοr dissertation outline аnԁ outline οf dissertation. Feel free tο contact fοr аnу sort οf hеƖр іn thіѕ regard.
University Readers Launches Harvard Business Publishing Collection
Business professors have long relied on University Readers' custom publishing solutions to help them create more relevant course materials and on Harvard Business Publishing for premiere content to use in the classroom. With the addition of the Harvard Business Publishing Collection, professors can now access this content in the University Readers online library.
With the addition of 12,000 readings from Harvard Business Publishing, the University Readers online library now boasts almost 20,000 readings from a variety of publishers, covering all aspects of business education. Professors can browse, preview, and select these readings to include in their custom-publishing projects by visiting the library at http://library.universityreaders.com/.
With University Readers' quick two-week turnaround time for course packs, there is ample time for professors to choose content from the online library, along with readings from other sources, for their fall courses.
With the addition of 12,000 readings from Harvard Business Publishing, the University Readers online library now boasts almost 20,000 readings from a variety of publishers, covering all aspects of business education. Professors can browse, preview, and select these readings to include in their custom-publishing projects by visiting the library at http://library.universityreaders.com/.
With University Readers' quick two-week turnaround time for course packs, there is ample time for professors to choose content from the online library, along with readings from other sources, for their fall courses.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Podcasting language
English is increasingly the lingua franca (as it were) of commerce, the internet, science, indeed many areas of human endeavor. Learning English is critical to international success for countless individuals in non-English speaking countries. As mobile technologies have matured so have the possibilities for learning. Researchers in Australia and Taiwan suggest that podcasting could be used to foster a positive attitude in learning English as a foreign language.
Writing in the latest issue of the International Journal of Mobile Communications, Peter O'Neill of the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University, Victoria, and colleagues at the National Chung Hsing University, in Taichung, suggest that enthusiasm for mobile technologies could make learning more attractive. "With the improvement of mobile devices, mobile learning can be applied to all mobile devices, including smart phones, PDAs, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, mp3 players and so on," the researchers say. Indeed, previous researchers have demonstrated just how effective the use of such technologies in teaching and learning can be.
A podcast is a digital recording, usually of a broadcast service, made available over the web or via a free subscription service to a portable device capable of playing audio or video files. Podcasts have become very popular in the US and elsewhere. However, while Taiwan has a relatively sophisticated blogging community, podcasting has been somewhat limited to business use. The researchers have investigated several variables - age, gender, technological experience and willingness - to see whether podcasting for language learning might be quickly adopted in Taiwan.
Their results show that while podcasting will be a different experience, the factors which influence technology adoption are still important, but at the moment potential users do not completely understand whether applying podcasting in learning language is a good idea or not.
"The complexities of a system and the supporting resources have generally been important issues when applying new technology. For podcasts, the operation is intuitive, and the software and hardware requirements are low. A challenge for the future is thus how to keep the operation easy and the resource requirements low," the team says.
Writing in the latest issue of the International Journal of Mobile Communications, Peter O'Neill of the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University, Victoria, and colleagues at the National Chung Hsing University, in Taichung, suggest that enthusiasm for mobile technologies could make learning more attractive. "With the improvement of mobile devices, mobile learning can be applied to all mobile devices, including smart phones, PDAs, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, mp3 players and so on," the researchers say. Indeed, previous researchers have demonstrated just how effective the use of such technologies in teaching and learning can be.
A podcast is a digital recording, usually of a broadcast service, made available over the web or via a free subscription service to a portable device capable of playing audio or video files. Podcasts have become very popular in the US and elsewhere. However, while Taiwan has a relatively sophisticated blogging community, podcasting has been somewhat limited to business use. The researchers have investigated several variables - age, gender, technological experience and willingness - to see whether podcasting for language learning might be quickly adopted in Taiwan.
Their results show that while podcasting will be a different experience, the factors which influence technology adoption are still important, but at the moment potential users do not completely understand whether applying podcasting in learning language is a good idea or not.
"The complexities of a system and the supporting resources have generally been important issues when applying new technology. For podcasts, the operation is intuitive, and the software and hardware requirements are low. A challenge for the future is thus how to keep the operation easy and the resource requirements low," the team says.
FilipinoPoems.org Brings the Best of Philippine Poetry Closer to Students
There is no doubt that Philippine literature, whether in English, Tagalog, or any other dialect, is rich with local color, fun to read, and is a great opportunity to find out more about the Filipino traditions and mysticisms. While shorts stories and novels are the most common and mos proliferated forms of literature today, Filipino poems are as much as, if not more interesting and curious at the same time. Learning about different Filipino poems written throughout the decades is discovering an entire culture, its history, and most of all its people.
There can be so many emotions infused in a Filipino poem, so many elements involved, and so many levels that could be dug even generations after its first publications. Filipino poems are as complex as any other one from another country, but the personas, the themes are more interesting because they are our own. However, the only sad part is that not a lot of resources are given especially to students, particularly these days that almost everyone is being dominated by social networking sites and the internet in general.
Fortunately, FilipinoPoems.org exists. It's a great resource for the most wonderful readings of different Filipino poems by artists transcending generations, and then some. It's a great site for people who want to learn more about Filipino poems and the poets who wrote them, and for students who want to have something they could always consult without regarding their homeworks without going to the libraries.
Modern technology has indeed a lot of alternatives to students, including a more convenient way of researching. But while it's more convenient, it doesn't necessarily mean that all the information that can be found in print can also be found online. FilipinoPoems.org is a small slice of what students should and would learn if they went to the library to research all about the Filipino tula, the elements, and whatnot.
The site, apart from being an informative and interesting read, also serves as a guide for students so they can appreciate more poetry even when they're online. It bridges the gap between past and present and closes it with a mindful notion of what the future is going to be like.
There is a lot to be learned about Philippine literature, but fortunately or unfortunately, these are not accessible in just books today. Because of the internet and different gadgets today, students can have so many options when they want to look for something in particular.
FilipinoPoems.org should be one of the main priorities of students if they want to learn more about Philippine literature, plus a little about history as well.
There can be so many emotions infused in a Filipino poem, so many elements involved, and so many levels that could be dug even generations after its first publications. Filipino poems are as complex as any other one from another country, but the personas, the themes are more interesting because they are our own. However, the only sad part is that not a lot of resources are given especially to students, particularly these days that almost everyone is being dominated by social networking sites and the internet in general.
Fortunately, FilipinoPoems.org exists. It's a great resource for the most wonderful readings of different Filipino poems by artists transcending generations, and then some. It's a great site for people who want to learn more about Filipino poems and the poets who wrote them, and for students who want to have something they could always consult without regarding their homeworks without going to the libraries.
Modern technology has indeed a lot of alternatives to students, including a more convenient way of researching. But while it's more convenient, it doesn't necessarily mean that all the information that can be found in print can also be found online. FilipinoPoems.org is a small slice of what students should and would learn if they went to the library to research all about the Filipino tula, the elements, and whatnot.
The site, apart from being an informative and interesting read, also serves as a guide for students so they can appreciate more poetry even when they're online. It bridges the gap between past and present and closes it with a mindful notion of what the future is going to be like.
There is a lot to be learned about Philippine literature, but fortunately or unfortunately, these are not accessible in just books today. Because of the internet and different gadgets today, students can have so many options when they want to look for something in particular.
FilipinoPoems.org should be one of the main priorities of students if they want to learn more about Philippine literature, plus a little about history as well.
Want Children to Read More? Trying Slowing Them Down
As the nation’s school children begin their summer vacations, parents hoping to keep their children engaged in the learning process may want to encourage them to slow down and savor a good book.
Thomas Newkirk, professor of English at the University of New Hampshire, suggests that students get more enjoyment out of and have greater success with reading when they slow down. Newkirk discusses slow reading in a recent issue of Education Leadership in the article, "The Case for Slow Reading."
That’s good news considering American school children have made little to no progress in reading proficiency, according to the latest information about the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the largest nationwide reading test. Some experts believe the culprit is the decline in the amount of reading children do for pleasure as they devote more free time to surfing the Internet, texting on cell phones, or watching television.
A confessed slow reader, Newkirk says there is real pleasure in slowing down. "We can gain some pleasures and meanings no other way."
"Schools need to take a stand for an alternative to an increasingly hectic digital environment where so many of us read and write in severely abbreviated messages and through clicks of the mouse. Like the slow food movement, we can make a case on the basis of pleasure. The term taste applies to both literacy and eating. And to taste, we have to slow down," Newkirk says.
According to published reports, the reading test, mandated by Congress, was given to 338,000 fourth- and eighth-grade students last spring. On average, eighth-graders scored 264 on a 500-point scale in reading, compared with 263 in 2007, the last time the test was given. Fourth-graders scored 221 on the 2009 test, the same average as two years earlier. The national assessment in reading has been administered every few years since the early 1990s, with average scores in reading rising only 4 points at both the fourth- and eighth-grade levels over those nearly two decades.
Newkirk proposes several strategies for "slowing down and reclaiming the acoustical properties of written language--for savoring it, for enjoying the infinite ways a sentence can unfold--and for returning to passages that sustain and inspire us. Many of these strategies are literally as old as the hills."
* Memorizing: Memorization is often called "knowing by heart," and for good reason. Memorizing enables us to possess a text in a special way.
* Reading Aloud: Reading aloud is a regular activity in elementary classrooms, but it dies too soon. Well-chosen and well-read texts are one of the best advertisements for literacy. By reading aloud, teachers can create a bridge to texts that students might read; they can help reluctant readers imagine a human voice animating the words on the page.
* Attending to Beginnings: Writers often struggle with their beginnings because they are making so many commitments; they are establishing a voice, narrator, and point of view that are right for what will follow. These openings often suggest a conflict. They raise a question, pose a problem, create an "itch to be scratched." Readers need to be just as deliberate and not rush through these carefully constructed beginnings. As teachers, we can model this slowness.
* Rethinking Time Limits on Reading Tests: We currently give students with disabilities additional time to complete standardized tests; we should extend this opportunity to all students. Tests place too high a premium on speed, and limits are often set for administrative convenience rather than because of a reasoned belief in what makes good readers.
* Annotating a Page: In this activity, students probe the craft of a favorite writer. They pick a page they really like, photocopy it, and tape the photocopy to a larger piece of paper so they have wide margins in which they can make notations. Their job is to give the page a close reading and mark word choices, sentence patterns, images, dialogue--anything they find effective. A variation of this activity is a quote and comment assignment in which students copy out passages by hand that they find particularly meaningful and then comment on why they chose those passages. Copying a passage slows us down and creates an intimacy with the writer's style--a feel for word choice and for how sentences are formed.
* Reading Poetry: Even in this age of efficiency and consumption, it is unlikely that anyone will reward students for reading a million poems. Poems can’t be checked off that way. They demand a slower pace and usually several readings--and they are usually at their best when read aloud.
* Savoring Passages: Children know something that adults often forget--the deep pleasure of repetition, of rereading, or of having parents reread, until the words seem to be part of them.
Thomas Newkirk is a professor of English at the University of New Hampshire. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including "Holding On to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones: Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For" (2009), "Teaching the Neglected 'R' " (2007), and "Misreading Masculinity" (2004), which was cited by Instructor Magazine as one of the most significant books for teachers in the past decade. Newkirk is a former teacher of at-risk high school students in Boston, former director of UNH’s freshman English program, and the director and founder of its New Hampshire Literacy Institutes. He has studied literacy learning at a variety of educational levels, from preschool to college.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.
Thomas Newkirk, professor of English at the University of New Hampshire, suggests that students get more enjoyment out of and have greater success with reading when they slow down. Newkirk discusses slow reading in a recent issue of Education Leadership in the article, "The Case for Slow Reading."
That’s good news considering American school children have made little to no progress in reading proficiency, according to the latest information about the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the largest nationwide reading test. Some experts believe the culprit is the decline in the amount of reading children do for pleasure as they devote more free time to surfing the Internet, texting on cell phones, or watching television.
A confessed slow reader, Newkirk says there is real pleasure in slowing down. "We can gain some pleasures and meanings no other way."
"Schools need to take a stand for an alternative to an increasingly hectic digital environment where so many of us read and write in severely abbreviated messages and through clicks of the mouse. Like the slow food movement, we can make a case on the basis of pleasure. The term taste applies to both literacy and eating. And to taste, we have to slow down," Newkirk says.
According to published reports, the reading test, mandated by Congress, was given to 338,000 fourth- and eighth-grade students last spring. On average, eighth-graders scored 264 on a 500-point scale in reading, compared with 263 in 2007, the last time the test was given. Fourth-graders scored 221 on the 2009 test, the same average as two years earlier. The national assessment in reading has been administered every few years since the early 1990s, with average scores in reading rising only 4 points at both the fourth- and eighth-grade levels over those nearly two decades.
Newkirk proposes several strategies for "slowing down and reclaiming the acoustical properties of written language--for savoring it, for enjoying the infinite ways a sentence can unfold--and for returning to passages that sustain and inspire us. Many of these strategies are literally as old as the hills."
* Memorizing: Memorization is often called "knowing by heart," and for good reason. Memorizing enables us to possess a text in a special way.
* Reading Aloud: Reading aloud is a regular activity in elementary classrooms, but it dies too soon. Well-chosen and well-read texts are one of the best advertisements for literacy. By reading aloud, teachers can create a bridge to texts that students might read; they can help reluctant readers imagine a human voice animating the words on the page.
* Attending to Beginnings: Writers often struggle with their beginnings because they are making so many commitments; they are establishing a voice, narrator, and point of view that are right for what will follow. These openings often suggest a conflict. They raise a question, pose a problem, create an "itch to be scratched." Readers need to be just as deliberate and not rush through these carefully constructed beginnings. As teachers, we can model this slowness.
* Rethinking Time Limits on Reading Tests: We currently give students with disabilities additional time to complete standardized tests; we should extend this opportunity to all students. Tests place too high a premium on speed, and limits are often set for administrative convenience rather than because of a reasoned belief in what makes good readers.
* Annotating a Page: In this activity, students probe the craft of a favorite writer. They pick a page they really like, photocopy it, and tape the photocopy to a larger piece of paper so they have wide margins in which they can make notations. Their job is to give the page a close reading and mark word choices, sentence patterns, images, dialogue--anything they find effective. A variation of this activity is a quote and comment assignment in which students copy out passages by hand that they find particularly meaningful and then comment on why they chose those passages. Copying a passage slows us down and creates an intimacy with the writer's style--a feel for word choice and for how sentences are formed.
* Reading Poetry: Even in this age of efficiency and consumption, it is unlikely that anyone will reward students for reading a million poems. Poems can’t be checked off that way. They demand a slower pace and usually several readings--and they are usually at their best when read aloud.
* Savoring Passages: Children know something that adults often forget--the deep pleasure of repetition, of rereading, or of having parents reread, until the words seem to be part of them.
Thomas Newkirk is a professor of English at the University of New Hampshire. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including "Holding On to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones: Six Literacy Principles Worth Fighting For" (2009), "Teaching the Neglected 'R' " (2007), and "Misreading Masculinity" (2004), which was cited by Instructor Magazine as one of the most significant books for teachers in the past decade. Newkirk is a former teacher of at-risk high school students in Boston, former director of UNH’s freshman English program, and the director and founder of its New Hampshire Literacy Institutes. He has studied literacy learning at a variety of educational levels, from preschool to college.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Why Johnny Can't Use Good Grammar by Mark Pennington
Some years back, the principal walked into my room while my student teacher was delivering a lesson. After a few minutes, the principal signaled me to step outside.
"I would never hire Johnny to work at my school," he said.
Shocked, I asked him why.
"On the board, he has a misplaced comma, and he ended a sentence with a preposition."
Sounds quite harsh, doesn't it? That principal certainly had high expectations of his
teachers. Not every educated adult places the same level of importance regarding the proper use of grammar and mechanics as does that principal. However, many do.
Proper grammar is a critically important tool for success in school, work, and life. We are judged, sometimes quite severely, by the words we use and the way we use them in both our speaking and writing. Misused grammar betrays us. The way we talk and write reflects our background, education, and ability to communicate.
The Five Myths of Grammar Instruction
1. Grammar is acquired naturally; it does not need to be taught. Oral language is not always an efficient teacher. In fact, it can be quite a mixed bag. For every proper modeling of the pronoun in the sentence: It is I, students hear at least five models of the incorrect: It is me. Grammar as it is caught must be complemented by a grammar that is taught.
2. Grammar is a meaningless collection of rules-most of which don't work half the time. This myth may have developed from mindless "drill and kill" grammatical exercises with no application to real writing. Actually, our English grammar is remarkably flexible and consistent.
3. Grammar cannot be learned by students with some learning styles or disabilities.
While it may be true that students learn language differently, at different rates, and vary in proficiency, there has been no research to show that some students cannot learn grammar.
4. English grammar cannot be learned by second language learners. Some teachers think that students who speak other languages get confused between the primary language and English grammars. The research proves otherwise. Intuitively, many of us have significantly increased our own knowledge of English grammar by taking a foreign language.
5. Reading and writing a lot will improve grammar. Reading grammatically rich literature is wonderful, but learning is not passive and does not come by osmosis. Writing poorly may, indeed, reinforce poor grammatical usage.
How we should teach grammar to Johnny...
Don't waste time teaching Johnny what he already knows. Find out what he does not know and target these areas of grammatical deficits. Use a good diagnostic assessment found on the web or at your local bookstore. Have Johnny practice those weaknesses with specific skill worksheets.
Teach the language of grammar and recognition of the common grammatical structures. Johnny has to know what a prepositional phrase is and how to know one when he sees one. In fact, over 30% of academic writing is composed of this grammatical form. Maybe learning "Conjunction Junction, What's Your Function" on Sesame Street® was not such a bad idea after all.
Teach grammar in the context of writing. Using the common grammatical structures, have Johnny begin half of his written sentences with different sentence openers. This practice serves two purposes: It teaches recognition and manipulation of grammatical structures and it improves sentence variety.
Mark Pennington is an educational author, presenter, reading specialist, and middle school teacher. Mark is committed to differentiated instruction for the diverse needs of today's students. Visit Mark's website at http://www.penningtonpublishing.com to check out his free teacher resources on grammar instruction and his books: Teaching Reading Strategies, Teaching Essay Strategies, Teaching Grammar and Mechanics, and Teaching Spelling and Vocabulary.
"I would never hire Johnny to work at my school," he said.
Shocked, I asked him why.
"On the board, he has a misplaced comma, and he ended a sentence with a preposition."
Sounds quite harsh, doesn't it? That principal certainly had high expectations of his
teachers. Not every educated adult places the same level of importance regarding the proper use of grammar and mechanics as does that principal. However, many do.
Proper grammar is a critically important tool for success in school, work, and life. We are judged, sometimes quite severely, by the words we use and the way we use them in both our speaking and writing. Misused grammar betrays us. The way we talk and write reflects our background, education, and ability to communicate.
The Five Myths of Grammar Instruction
1. Grammar is acquired naturally; it does not need to be taught. Oral language is not always an efficient teacher. In fact, it can be quite a mixed bag. For every proper modeling of the pronoun in the sentence: It is I, students hear at least five models of the incorrect: It is me. Grammar as it is caught must be complemented by a grammar that is taught.
2. Grammar is a meaningless collection of rules-most of which don't work half the time. This myth may have developed from mindless "drill and kill" grammatical exercises with no application to real writing. Actually, our English grammar is remarkably flexible and consistent.
3. Grammar cannot be learned by students with some learning styles or disabilities.
While it may be true that students learn language differently, at different rates, and vary in proficiency, there has been no research to show that some students cannot learn grammar.
4. English grammar cannot be learned by second language learners. Some teachers think that students who speak other languages get confused between the primary language and English grammars. The research proves otherwise. Intuitively, many of us have significantly increased our own knowledge of English grammar by taking a foreign language.
5. Reading and writing a lot will improve grammar. Reading grammatically rich literature is wonderful, but learning is not passive and does not come by osmosis. Writing poorly may, indeed, reinforce poor grammatical usage.
How we should teach grammar to Johnny...
Don't waste time teaching Johnny what he already knows. Find out what he does not know and target these areas of grammatical deficits. Use a good diagnostic assessment found on the web or at your local bookstore. Have Johnny practice those weaknesses with specific skill worksheets.
Teach the language of grammar and recognition of the common grammatical structures. Johnny has to know what a prepositional phrase is and how to know one when he sees one. In fact, over 30% of academic writing is composed of this grammatical form. Maybe learning "Conjunction Junction, What's Your Function" on Sesame Street® was not such a bad idea after all.
Teach grammar in the context of writing. Using the common grammatical structures, have Johnny begin half of his written sentences with different sentence openers. This practice serves two purposes: It teaches recognition and manipulation of grammatical structures and it improves sentence variety.
Mark Pennington is an educational author, presenter, reading specialist, and middle school teacher. Mark is committed to differentiated instruction for the diverse needs of today's students. Visit Mark's website at http://www.penningtonpublishing.com to check out his free teacher resources on grammar instruction and his books: Teaching Reading Strategies, Teaching Essay Strategies, Teaching Grammar and Mechanics, and Teaching Spelling and Vocabulary.
Uncommon Facts / Rules of English Language by Al Kaatib
English is an international language. It has so many grammar rules and each rule with many exceptions. Usually, we write English without paying much attention to these rules and exceptions. But, its good to know as much as grammar as possible especially the exceptions. In this article, I am mentioning some of these unusual facts and rules of English language.
1. A word starting with letter 'Q' has 'u' as its second letter.
2. If abbreviation ends with same letter as the complete word itself then dot (.) is not placed. For example, we write Dr instead of Dr. for Doctor and Prof. for professor and not prof. But, people unknowingly write Dr. for Doctor.
3. Strange but common. Most of you know that following sentence contains all the alphabets of English language:
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
4. Use word 'Do' to emphasize an action. For example, you can write 'I do go there' instead of 'I go there'.
5. Try guessing a word with no vowels in it. Read this article from the beginning and you can find it. Yes, the word is 'Try'. There are many more such words like 'Fry' and 'My'. Usually, such words contain letter 'y' in them.
6. Relationship before a name is written with capital letter and if afterwards then with small letter. For example, "He is Uncle Sam" and "He is Sam, my uncle".
7. Use of 'a' and 'an' article depends on phonetics of noun before which they are placed. So, 'a' is used before the word 'user' and 'an' is used before the word 'honest'.
8. Use of article 'The' has many exceptions like 'the' is not used before names of the countries except the 'Netherlands' and the 'US'.
For appropriate use of articles, capitalization rules and other English language rules, I recommend you to read articles available at:
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/). You can also visit http://www.usingenglish.com for learning English grammar in a better way.
Syed Feroz Zainvi has obtained M.Tech. (Comp Sc & Engg) degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (INDIA). His areas of interests are distributed computing, computer graphics and Internet Technologies. Currently, he is involved in Software Project Planning, Development and Management. His other interests include writing for magazines and contributing utility softwares on Magazine's CDs. He also have flair for teaching computer science with new teaching methodologies.
1. A word starting with letter 'Q' has 'u' as its second letter.
2. If abbreviation ends with same letter as the complete word itself then dot (.) is not placed. For example, we write Dr instead of Dr. for Doctor and Prof. for professor and not prof. But, people unknowingly write Dr. for Doctor.
3. Strange but common. Most of you know that following sentence contains all the alphabets of English language:
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
4. Use word 'Do' to emphasize an action. For example, you can write 'I do go there' instead of 'I go there'.
5. Try guessing a word with no vowels in it. Read this article from the beginning and you can find it. Yes, the word is 'Try'. There are many more such words like 'Fry' and 'My'. Usually, such words contain letter 'y' in them.
6. Relationship before a name is written with capital letter and if afterwards then with small letter. For example, "He is Uncle Sam" and "He is Sam, my uncle".
7. Use of 'a' and 'an' article depends on phonetics of noun before which they are placed. So, 'a' is used before the word 'user' and 'an' is used before the word 'honest'.
8. Use of article 'The' has many exceptions like 'the' is not used before names of the countries except the 'Netherlands' and the 'US'.
For appropriate use of articles, capitalization rules and other English language rules, I recommend you to read articles available at:
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/). You can also visit http://www.usingenglish.com for learning English grammar in a better way.
Syed Feroz Zainvi has obtained M.Tech. (Comp Sc & Engg) degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (INDIA). His areas of interests are distributed computing, computer graphics and Internet Technologies. Currently, he is involved in Software Project Planning, Development and Management. His other interests include writing for magazines and contributing utility softwares on Magazine's CDs. He also have flair for teaching computer science with new teaching methodologies.
The (de)Evolution of the English Language by Ian Lahey
Never before in history has a single language been as widely used as English. The number of English users in Asia alone is more or less equal to the number of Native English speakers worldwide: 350 million, more or less the combined populations of the United States, Britain and Canada.
The advent of the Internet has boosted English even further, about eighty percent of the world's electronically stored information is in English, and this widespread use of the language has caused an increase in the demand for English courses. An estimate by the British Council reports that today more than 1 billion people are learning English for work, study or leisure. China is strongly pushing English language in its schools, there are more Chinese children studying English as second language than there are Britons.
Those among the native English speakers who believe their language will soon be the standard for worldwide communication should think again:
Firstly, it can hardly be considered their language anymore, since the vast majority of English users are not native speakers. English is a living language and like all languages it evolves, it changes and adapts itself according to its environment and - especially - the cultural and historical background of its speakers, often mingling with idioms and linguistic structires of the local language. There is no longer one English, but rather various adapted forms of the language, often with dramatic changes in spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
Secondly, the Internet fastlane is producing an even more interesting phenomenon, when one would imagine such a widespread resource as the Web to become a solid reference for spelling and grammar, we are met with quite the opposite, English over the Net is evolving, or rather de-evolving towards a more simplified form.
More and more frequently we encounter what might look like harmless spelling mistakes; blogs, newsletters, chats and forums are full of them. At a closer look we might notice that some of these altered forms are consistent across the Web, in some cases we might encounter simplifications, such as there used indifferently as 'there' or 'their', or phonetic shifts, caused by the natural tendency to spell similar sounds the same way: thus unstressed _ent and _ant both sound the same and tend to be spelled _ant e.g. consistant.
Other changes might involve the tendency to either spell 's no matter what grammar is involved, two chair's or the opposite, its for 'it is' pronoun + verb or 'its own' possessive pronoun.
The result of this might be surprising and, for the purists, rather unsettling. If there ever will be a common world language, it won't look or sound much like English anymore. Current trends might produce a language with simplified grammar, she look chair, phonetic spelling ther is a tendansy to bad wether and foreign words Hungry kya 'Are you hungry?' a mixture of English and Hindi found in a recent ad for Domino's pizza in India.
Being a living language, the de-evolution of English seems unstoppable, in a certain sense this is a signal of its good health and of its massive usage in today's world. Only dead languages never change.
Ian Lahey has the Italian equivalent of an MA in Language and Literature, he is currently living in Italy where he runs a small English language school and a second business for his other great love: computers and multimedia. He can be reached at ian@activeonline.it
The advent of the Internet has boosted English even further, about eighty percent of the world's electronically stored information is in English, and this widespread use of the language has caused an increase in the demand for English courses. An estimate by the British Council reports that today more than 1 billion people are learning English for work, study or leisure. China is strongly pushing English language in its schools, there are more Chinese children studying English as second language than there are Britons.
Those among the native English speakers who believe their language will soon be the standard for worldwide communication should think again:
Firstly, it can hardly be considered their language anymore, since the vast majority of English users are not native speakers. English is a living language and like all languages it evolves, it changes and adapts itself according to its environment and - especially - the cultural and historical background of its speakers, often mingling with idioms and linguistic structires of the local language. There is no longer one English, but rather various adapted forms of the language, often with dramatic changes in spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
Secondly, the Internet fastlane is producing an even more interesting phenomenon, when one would imagine such a widespread resource as the Web to become a solid reference for spelling and grammar, we are met with quite the opposite, English over the Net is evolving, or rather de-evolving towards a more simplified form.
More and more frequently we encounter what might look like harmless spelling mistakes; blogs, newsletters, chats and forums are full of them. At a closer look we might notice that some of these altered forms are consistent across the Web, in some cases we might encounter simplifications, such as there used indifferently as 'there' or 'their', or phonetic shifts, caused by the natural tendency to spell similar sounds the same way: thus unstressed _ent and _ant both sound the same and tend to be spelled _ant e.g. consistant.
Other changes might involve the tendency to either spell 's no matter what grammar is involved, two chair's or the opposite, its for 'it is' pronoun + verb or 'its own' possessive pronoun.
The result of this might be surprising and, for the purists, rather unsettling. If there ever will be a common world language, it won't look or sound much like English anymore. Current trends might produce a language with simplified grammar, she look chair, phonetic spelling ther is a tendansy to bad wether and foreign words Hungry kya 'Are you hungry?' a mixture of English and Hindi found in a recent ad for Domino's pizza in India.
Being a living language, the de-evolution of English seems unstoppable, in a certain sense this is a signal of its good health and of its massive usage in today's world. Only dead languages never change.
Ian Lahey has the Italian equivalent of an MA in Language and Literature, he is currently living in Italy where he runs a small English language school and a second business for his other great love: computers and multimedia. He can be reached at ian@activeonline.it
Confident Teachers Help Preschoolers More with Language and Literacy Skills
New research suggests that pre-school students may gain more language and literacy skills if they have teachers with higher levels of confidence in their abilities.
However, in some cases students only saw gains when their teachers also had classrooms that emphasized emotional support for the children.
"Emotionally responsive relationships between teachers and children may be the way by which the self-efficacy of teachers can have a positive influence on children's literacy," said Ying Guo, co-author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in education at Ohio State University.
The new study was published in a recent issue of the journal Teaching and Teacher Education. Guo and her co-authors examined how teachers' confidence in their teaching abilities - what researchers refer to as "self-efficacy" - affected children's learning progression in language and literacy skills.
The research involved a large, multi-state study that included 67 teachers and 328 of their students. Participants were followed over the course of 30 weeks.
Teachers were given a short questionnaire that measured their self-efficacy on a scale from one to five. The survey asked questions like "How much can you do to get through to the most difficult students?" and "How much can you do to keep students on task on difficult assignments?"
The level of emotional support in the classrooms was measured by trained coders who coded how teachers and students interact with each other from videotapes collected during an approximately two-hour standardized classroom observation. The coders rated the quality as low, mid, or high based on a numbering scale from one to seven.
Students were given tests of language and literacy skills at the beginning and end of the 30 week period to assess improvement.
Results indicated that students whose teachers had high self-efficacy showed gains in one measure of early literary skills called print awareness, in which students were asked questions like "Show me just one letter on this page."
However, children only showed gains in vocabulary knowledge skills when they had a classroom that offered emotional support in addition to having a teacher with high self-efficacy.
"Classroom quality is important, and students seem to learn more when they have emotional support in the classroom," Guo said.
The study found that some of the factors that affected teachers' self-efficacy were certification degree and years of experience. Teachers who possessed an elementary certification had higher levels of self-efficacy than those who possessed a pre-school certification.
While the data from this study can't explain why, the researchers speculate that the additional training needed for an elementary certificate may have led these teachers to be more confident in their teaching abilities than those with pre-school certification.
An interesting result showed that teachers who had more years of pre-school teaching experience also had lower levels of self-efficacy.
"It is not that uncommon," explained Laura Justice, co-author of the study and a professor in the School of Teaching and Learning at Ohio State.
"Fresh teachers who are straight out of training think that they can change the world. Then, when they get into the work place they realize how serious and difficult their jobs really are. This is why we think self-efficacy may decline among some pre-school teachers through the years," she added.
Some of the research Justice works on involves analyzing the factors that determine the quality of teacher instruction. One of her studies found that teachers' self-efficacy was one of the few variables that affected instructional quality. "This study looks more in depth at how teacher efficacy may contribute to classroom quality, which may contribute to children's academic achievement. This paper is bringing everything together."
This research was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Source: Ohio State University
However, in some cases students only saw gains when their teachers also had classrooms that emphasized emotional support for the children.
"Emotionally responsive relationships between teachers and children may be the way by which the self-efficacy of teachers can have a positive influence on children's literacy," said Ying Guo, co-author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in education at Ohio State University.
The new study was published in a recent issue of the journal Teaching and Teacher Education. Guo and her co-authors examined how teachers' confidence in their teaching abilities - what researchers refer to as "self-efficacy" - affected children's learning progression in language and literacy skills.
The research involved a large, multi-state study that included 67 teachers and 328 of their students. Participants were followed over the course of 30 weeks.
Teachers were given a short questionnaire that measured their self-efficacy on a scale from one to five. The survey asked questions like "How much can you do to get through to the most difficult students?" and "How much can you do to keep students on task on difficult assignments?"
The level of emotional support in the classrooms was measured by trained coders who coded how teachers and students interact with each other from videotapes collected during an approximately two-hour standardized classroom observation. The coders rated the quality as low, mid, or high based on a numbering scale from one to seven.
Students were given tests of language and literacy skills at the beginning and end of the 30 week period to assess improvement.
Results indicated that students whose teachers had high self-efficacy showed gains in one measure of early literary skills called print awareness, in which students were asked questions like "Show me just one letter on this page."
However, children only showed gains in vocabulary knowledge skills when they had a classroom that offered emotional support in addition to having a teacher with high self-efficacy.
"Classroom quality is important, and students seem to learn more when they have emotional support in the classroom," Guo said.
The study found that some of the factors that affected teachers' self-efficacy were certification degree and years of experience. Teachers who possessed an elementary certification had higher levels of self-efficacy than those who possessed a pre-school certification.
While the data from this study can't explain why, the researchers speculate that the additional training needed for an elementary certificate may have led these teachers to be more confident in their teaching abilities than those with pre-school certification.
An interesting result showed that teachers who had more years of pre-school teaching experience also had lower levels of self-efficacy.
"It is not that uncommon," explained Laura Justice, co-author of the study and a professor in the School of Teaching and Learning at Ohio State.
"Fresh teachers who are straight out of training think that they can change the world. Then, when they get into the work place they realize how serious and difficult their jobs really are. This is why we think self-efficacy may decline among some pre-school teachers through the years," she added.
Some of the research Justice works on involves analyzing the factors that determine the quality of teacher instruction. One of her studies found that teachers' self-efficacy was one of the few variables that affected instructional quality. "This study looks more in depth at how teacher efficacy may contribute to classroom quality, which may contribute to children's academic achievement. This paper is bringing everything together."
This research was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Source: Ohio State University
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Traditional Grammar - Studying the Approach of Traditional Grammarians by Rakesh Ramubhai Patel
"Traditional Grammar" term is applied to summarize the range of methods found in the pre-linguistic era of grammatical study. The whole approach of this method emphasizes on correctness, linguistic purism, literary excellence, the priority of the written mode of language and the use of Latin models.
The very beginning of the twentieth century was typically marked by a new approach to grammar as suggested by linguists such as Ferdinand de Saussure and American linguist like Frantz Boas, Bloomfield and Edward Sapir. Their approach is called structuralism whose aim was to arouse a reaction against the approach of the traditional grammarians.
Traditional grammarians considered Latin as their model because English is a part of the Indo-European family of languages, and to which Latin and Greek also belong. It did have similar grammatical elements.
If you study the form of traditional grammar, the rules of classical languages were followed considering that English did not have grammar of its own. And English followed Latin grammar. Besides the parts of speech, traditional grammatical analysis also makes use of numerous other categories, just like 'number', 'gender', 'person', 'tense' and 'voice'.
For example, gender was not natural. It was grammatical in traditional grammar. As you see here "The man loves his bike". Gender, in this example, is used for describing the agreement between 'man' and 'his'. In English, you need to describe this relationship in terms of natural gender based upon a biological distinction between male and female. Such biological distinction is different compared to the common distinction found in languages which employ grammatical gender.
Traditional grammar has some limitations as it occurs with some static verbs that do not occur in a progressive form, for instance "I am knowing" or in the imperative mood like "Know!" Traditional grammar sometimes fails to account for certain things like ambiguous sentences just like "While thinking about the queen the Honda hit the fence".
Rakesh Patel has taught English literature for five years and now writes on education, literature and spirituality. For free guideline on English literature, feel free to visit http://englishliterature99.wordpress.com/
The very beginning of the twentieth century was typically marked by a new approach to grammar as suggested by linguists such as Ferdinand de Saussure and American linguist like Frantz Boas, Bloomfield and Edward Sapir. Their approach is called structuralism whose aim was to arouse a reaction against the approach of the traditional grammarians.
Traditional grammarians considered Latin as their model because English is a part of the Indo-European family of languages, and to which Latin and Greek also belong. It did have similar grammatical elements.
If you study the form of traditional grammar, the rules of classical languages were followed considering that English did not have grammar of its own. And English followed Latin grammar. Besides the parts of speech, traditional grammatical analysis also makes use of numerous other categories, just like 'number', 'gender', 'person', 'tense' and 'voice'.
For example, gender was not natural. It was grammatical in traditional grammar. As you see here "The man loves his bike". Gender, in this example, is used for describing the agreement between 'man' and 'his'. In English, you need to describe this relationship in terms of natural gender based upon a biological distinction between male and female. Such biological distinction is different compared to the common distinction found in languages which employ grammatical gender.
Traditional grammar has some limitations as it occurs with some static verbs that do not occur in a progressive form, for instance "I am knowing" or in the imperative mood like "Know!" Traditional grammar sometimes fails to account for certain things like ambiguous sentences just like "While thinking about the queen the Honda hit the fence".
Rakesh Patel has taught English literature for five years and now writes on education, literature and spirituality. For free guideline on English literature, feel free to visit http://englishliterature99.wordpress.com/
English Grammar - Seven Outdated Rules You Can Ignore by Kivi Leroux Miller
No matter what your fifth-grade English teacher says, some grammar "rules" no longer apply. The style mavens of our day all agree that the ability to communicate clearly and concisely takes precedence over archaic grammar rules. Stop chewing your pencils and forget about these rules. Each rule is followed by a grammatically correct sentence.
1. Never split an infinitive.
I want to carefully consider all of the options presented to me.
Following this rule all of the time will make your prose unnecessarily academic and stuffy. When in doubt, don't split the infinitive. But if splitting the infinitive conveys your meaning more clearly and concisely, split away.
2. Active verbs are always better than passive verbs.
Jerry was robbed. (The active alternative: Somebody robbed Jerry.)
Generally, active verbs are better. In the following cases, however, passive tense works just fine.
*When you don't want to mention who did it
*When you don't know who did it
*When who did it is irrelevant
*When the passive voice places the emphasis where you want it
3. Never start a sentence with a conjunction (and, or, but).
And then he left, never looking back.
Starting a sentence with a conjunction can help transition from one idea to another or add a dramatic tone to a passage. If you start sentences this way too often, your paragraphs will sound like one long run-on sentence. Use conjunctions at the start of sentences judiciously.
4. Never start a sentence with there are or there is.
There is no excuse for your behavior.
Sentences that begin with there are and there is are usually weak sentences in need of a stronger noun. But making a conscious decision to start a sentence this way to place emphasis on specific words is perfectly acceptable. "Your behavior is inexcusable" and "You have no excuse for your behavior" just don't sound as stern as the sentence above.
5. Never end a sentence with a preposition.
What is he pointing at?
This holdover from the 18th century has no place in modern language. Imagine how stilted and formal our language would be if we followed this rule! According to Words into Type, Winston Churchill once said, "This is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put" in defense of the terminal preposition.
6. Always use more than instead of over with numbers.
The relic is over 300 years old.
Over, more than and in excess of can all be used with numbers. Let your ear, rather than a rigid rule, be your guide.
7. Data is plural, so the verb must always be plural.
The data proves his thesis.
Like several other plural words with Latin origins, data is now accepted as either singular or plural, as any up-to-date dictionary will confirm. When was the last time you heard someone use the word datum (the singular of data) in a sentence?
Need more proof that these rules are outdated? We've got citations from several respected references at http://www.writing911.com/.
© 2005, Kivi Leroux Miller. All Rights Reserved.
Kivi Leroux Miller is president of Writing911.com, which provides free writing advice, tip sheets, e-courses, and in-person workshops for people who need to write well at work. She specializes in providing guidance to nonprofit organizations on newsletters, annual reports, and other publications.
Visit http://www.Writing911.com to sign up for Writing Tips, a free monthly e-newsletter and to get more advice on improving your writing skills.
1. Never split an infinitive.
I want to carefully consider all of the options presented to me.
Following this rule all of the time will make your prose unnecessarily academic and stuffy. When in doubt, don't split the infinitive. But if splitting the infinitive conveys your meaning more clearly and concisely, split away.
2. Active verbs are always better than passive verbs.
Jerry was robbed. (The active alternative: Somebody robbed Jerry.)
Generally, active verbs are better. In the following cases, however, passive tense works just fine.
*When you don't want to mention who did it
*When you don't know who did it
*When who did it is irrelevant
*When the passive voice places the emphasis where you want it
3. Never start a sentence with a conjunction (and, or, but).
And then he left, never looking back.
Starting a sentence with a conjunction can help transition from one idea to another or add a dramatic tone to a passage. If you start sentences this way too often, your paragraphs will sound like one long run-on sentence. Use conjunctions at the start of sentences judiciously.
4. Never start a sentence with there are or there is.
There is no excuse for your behavior.
Sentences that begin with there are and there is are usually weak sentences in need of a stronger noun. But making a conscious decision to start a sentence this way to place emphasis on specific words is perfectly acceptable. "Your behavior is inexcusable" and "You have no excuse for your behavior" just don't sound as stern as the sentence above.
5. Never end a sentence with a preposition.
What is he pointing at?
This holdover from the 18th century has no place in modern language. Imagine how stilted and formal our language would be if we followed this rule! According to Words into Type, Winston Churchill once said, "This is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put" in defense of the terminal preposition.
6. Always use more than instead of over with numbers.
The relic is over 300 years old.
Over, more than and in excess of can all be used with numbers. Let your ear, rather than a rigid rule, be your guide.
7. Data is plural, so the verb must always be plural.
The data proves his thesis.
Like several other plural words with Latin origins, data is now accepted as either singular or plural, as any up-to-date dictionary will confirm. When was the last time you heard someone use the word datum (the singular of data) in a sentence?
Need more proof that these rules are outdated? We've got citations from several respected references at http://www.writing911.com/.
© 2005, Kivi Leroux Miller. All Rights Reserved.
Kivi Leroux Miller is president of Writing911.com, which provides free writing advice, tip sheets, e-courses, and in-person workshops for people who need to write well at work. She specializes in providing guidance to nonprofit organizations on newsletters, annual reports, and other publications.
Visit http://www.Writing911.com to sign up for Writing Tips, a free monthly e-newsletter and to get more advice on improving your writing skills.
Merriam-Webster's dictionaries for the iPhone, now with iPad support
Paragon Software Group has launched America's most popular Merriam-Webster's dictionaries for the iPhone, now with iPad support. Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged; Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary; Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary, developed exclusively for convenient access on the latest Apple devices, bring new ways of learning directly to the Apple language enthusiast.
Designed to make use of the best of the device's rich features, Merriam-Webster's dictionaries for iPad provide an engaging user experience that brings traditional paper-edition content to the high-resolution iPad screen. Because the iPad is designed to display content in either portrait or landscape orientation, Merriam-Webster's dictionaries can be viewed in either orientation at a turn. To take further advantage of the iPad's colorful screen and built-in audio features, word descriptions contain colorful highlights as well as professional live voice pronunciations, helping to improve pronunciation and ease the mastery of a native or foreign language.
Features include:
Audio pronunciations prerecorded by native speakers
Portrait and landscape views
No Internet connection required – easy access anywhere, anytime and without any charges
"Wildcard" search in case of uncertainty in spelling; use "?" or "*" symbols to replace missing letters.
"Flash Card Quiz" to add new words to flash cards and test knowledge at leisure
Hyperlinks between articles and directions
"History" feature displays the last 100 looked-up entries
Possibility to clear "History"
List of similar words in case of misspelling
Morphology module to translate words in any grammatical form
Compatibility: iPad, iPhone and iPod touch OS 2.0-3.X.
Availability:
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged is available for $59.99, Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary are available for $24.99 each via download from the AppStore.
Designed to make use of the best of the device's rich features, Merriam-Webster's dictionaries for iPad provide an engaging user experience that brings traditional paper-edition content to the high-resolution iPad screen. Because the iPad is designed to display content in either portrait or landscape orientation, Merriam-Webster's dictionaries can be viewed in either orientation at a turn. To take further advantage of the iPad's colorful screen and built-in audio features, word descriptions contain colorful highlights as well as professional live voice pronunciations, helping to improve pronunciation and ease the mastery of a native or foreign language.
Features include:
Audio pronunciations prerecorded by native speakers
Portrait and landscape views
No Internet connection required – easy access anywhere, anytime and without any charges
"Wildcard" search in case of uncertainty in spelling; use "?" or "*" symbols to replace missing letters.
"Flash Card Quiz" to add new words to flash cards and test knowledge at leisure
Hyperlinks between articles and directions
"History" feature displays the last 100 looked-up entries
Possibility to clear "History"
List of similar words in case of misspelling
Morphology module to translate words in any grammatical form
Compatibility: iPad, iPhone and iPod touch OS 2.0-3.X.
Availability:
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged is available for $59.99, Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary are available for $24.99 each via download from the AppStore.
Iowa Journalists Launch Independent Investigative News Outlet, IowaWatch.org
A University of Iowa professor and student journalists are launching the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that will publish investigative and explanatory reports at http://www.iowawatch.org/.
IowaWatch will be modeled after nonprofits like ProPublica or The Center for Public Integrity, but will focus on in-depth coverage of local and state issues.
The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, which publishes at WisconsinWatch.org, will be the fiscal sponsor of the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism. IowaWatch is applying for nonprofit status and will soon begin fundraising to hire an executive director and paid interns. With its first crew of reporters already at work, IowaWatch will start publishing this fall.
"Commercial news outlets have a tremendous and extremely valuable duty to conduct routine coverage -- council meetings, crime and spot news, feature stories -- and with fewer resources, that has to be their priority," said IowaWatch Co-founder and Editor Stephen Berry. "But someone still has to carry out the watchdog function of journalism, and that's where IowaWatch comes in."
Berry, a faculty member of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, established IowaWatch with Robert Gutsche Jr., a doctoral student in mass communication. Berry was a journalist for 33 years, having worked last at the Los Angeles Times. While working for the Orlando Sentinel, Berry and his partner, Jeff Brazil, won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize in the investigative reporting category for a four-part project – "Tainted Cash or Easy Money?" – that exposed abuses of power and racial targeting by an elite squad of deputies of the sheriff in Volusia County, Florida. He authored "Watchdog Journalism: The Art of Investigative Reporting" (Oxford University Press, 2008).
"Stories on IowaWatch will meet the standards a major metropolitan newspaper would require. We will mix modern multimedia journalism with traditional journalism values, and our staff will be held to the highest performance and ethical standards," Berry said. "Our mission is to produce quality investigative and explanatory journalism for the benefit of our readers, the people of Iowa, and to train journalists by supervising and directing their efforts."
Berry and Gutsche established IowaWatch partly to provide a venue for students' long-form projects. They are looking for office space on campus, and hope to work with student journalists from other Iowa colleges and universities.
At the UI, the Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates provided a $2,500 fellowship for a student reporter this fall, and five student journalists are producing content this summer. If funding permits, the goal is to create six paid internships by the third year.
"The Iowa Center provides important opportunities for our students to link their educational experiences with pressing real-world issues," said UI journalism professor Judy Polumbaum, a member of the center's board. "Journalism schools are taking a key role in emerging collaborative ventures for the pursuit of high-quality public affairs reporting, and Iowa's journalism faculty, not surprisingly, have been extremely supportive of our involvement in this trend."
IowaWatch also plans to collaborate with commercial news outlets across the state on an ad hoc basis. For example, a television station could request IowaWatch's help investigating a tip, and the resulting story could be broadcast on that station and posted at IowaWatch.org. IowaWatch will also share the data it collects so commercial news outlets can develop localized stories.
"It's no secret that newsrooms across the nation, including in Iowa, have cut the number of reporters who are out there learning and telling the public about all the things affecting daily life," said Lyle Muller, editor of The Gazette, a Cedar Rapids-based newspaper with which the center is collaborating. "The emergence of nonprofit organizations like the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism is filling a gap, and the biggest beneficiaries in all of this should be readers and viewers."
The center will cover a variety of issues, but healthcare is likely to be one area of focus because of the expertise and research at UI Hospitals and Clinics.
"Nonprofits like ours have sprouted up as a result of the financial problems of traditional news outlets, and I believe they will be a very dominant player in the media landscape from here on out," Berry said. "ProPublica is still young, but was one of the main Pulitzer Prize winners this year. To me, that's a transformative development, showing that nonprofit journalism is here to stay."
IowaWatch will be modeled after nonprofits like ProPublica or The Center for Public Integrity, but will focus on in-depth coverage of local and state issues.
The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, which publishes at WisconsinWatch.org, will be the fiscal sponsor of the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism. IowaWatch is applying for nonprofit status and will soon begin fundraising to hire an executive director and paid interns. With its first crew of reporters already at work, IowaWatch will start publishing this fall.
"Commercial news outlets have a tremendous and extremely valuable duty to conduct routine coverage -- council meetings, crime and spot news, feature stories -- and with fewer resources, that has to be their priority," said IowaWatch Co-founder and Editor Stephen Berry. "But someone still has to carry out the watchdog function of journalism, and that's where IowaWatch comes in."
Berry, a faculty member of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, established IowaWatch with Robert Gutsche Jr., a doctoral student in mass communication. Berry was a journalist for 33 years, having worked last at the Los Angeles Times. While working for the Orlando Sentinel, Berry and his partner, Jeff Brazil, won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize in the investigative reporting category for a four-part project – "Tainted Cash or Easy Money?" – that exposed abuses of power and racial targeting by an elite squad of deputies of the sheriff in Volusia County, Florida. He authored "Watchdog Journalism: The Art of Investigative Reporting" (Oxford University Press, 2008).
"Stories on IowaWatch will meet the standards a major metropolitan newspaper would require. We will mix modern multimedia journalism with traditional journalism values, and our staff will be held to the highest performance and ethical standards," Berry said. "Our mission is to produce quality investigative and explanatory journalism for the benefit of our readers, the people of Iowa, and to train journalists by supervising and directing their efforts."
Berry and Gutsche established IowaWatch partly to provide a venue for students' long-form projects. They are looking for office space on campus, and hope to work with student journalists from other Iowa colleges and universities.
At the UI, the Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates provided a $2,500 fellowship for a student reporter this fall, and five student journalists are producing content this summer. If funding permits, the goal is to create six paid internships by the third year.
"The Iowa Center provides important opportunities for our students to link their educational experiences with pressing real-world issues," said UI journalism professor Judy Polumbaum, a member of the center's board. "Journalism schools are taking a key role in emerging collaborative ventures for the pursuit of high-quality public affairs reporting, and Iowa's journalism faculty, not surprisingly, have been extremely supportive of our involvement in this trend."
IowaWatch also plans to collaborate with commercial news outlets across the state on an ad hoc basis. For example, a television station could request IowaWatch's help investigating a tip, and the resulting story could be broadcast on that station and posted at IowaWatch.org. IowaWatch will also share the data it collects so commercial news outlets can develop localized stories.
"It's no secret that newsrooms across the nation, including in Iowa, have cut the number of reporters who are out there learning and telling the public about all the things affecting daily life," said Lyle Muller, editor of The Gazette, a Cedar Rapids-based newspaper with which the center is collaborating. "The emergence of nonprofit organizations like the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism is filling a gap, and the biggest beneficiaries in all of this should be readers and viewers."
The center will cover a variety of issues, but healthcare is likely to be one area of focus because of the expertise and research at UI Hospitals and Clinics.
"Nonprofits like ours have sprouted up as a result of the financial problems of traditional news outlets, and I believe they will be a very dominant player in the media landscape from here on out," Berry said. "ProPublica is still young, but was one of the main Pulitzer Prize winners this year. To me, that's a transformative development, showing that nonprofit journalism is here to stay."
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