For secondary English teachers concerned with the theoretical and practical problems of the traditional approaches to teaching grammar, this paper proposes that a realistic solution can be found in current linguistic investigation. This solution lies not in the product of linguistic inquiry, but in the process of inquiry itself. The paper first…

This progress report describes a Swedish project which is seeking to develop and test materials for writing practice. Experimental materials focus on the sentence, giving students practice in the formation of more advanced constructions. Emphasis in the control program is on a variety of types of written composition (e.g., narratives,…

Suggests using a sentence construction game to make basic writing students more aware of their linguistic ability and more comfortable dealing with grammar. Indicates that the experience helps students in revising their writing and introduces the experience of working creatively and playfully with language. (TJ)

The article outlines the need to eliminate rote-learning and pure imitative strategies in second language learning, particularly in the areas of syntax and semantics. Theoretical foundations for this need are discussed, with reference to the coding hypothesis for memory functions in language learning. Results of experimental investigations are…

An analysis of exercises concerning indirect, direct and free discourse appearing in tests of the "premier cycle," from both pedagogical and linguistic points of view. The thesis is that a method giving primacy to manipulative exercises based on prefabricated sentences militates against discourse and communication. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Shows the limitations of current foreign language teaching methods, particularly the audiolingual one. Unites certain findings of psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology and transformational grammar to construct a language teaching model. Examples of English verbs and nominals being taught to French children illustrate the…

The detailed method for teaching writing presented in this book consists of a highly structured program of grammar, usage, and composition, using a modified Skinnerian, easy-to-difficult technique. The first part of the book contains five chapters which discuss the problem of teaching writing, reasons for studying grammar, which grammar should be…

Discusses the continuing controversy over how to teach grammar. Finds that the traditional, structural, and transformational approaches each have their strengths and weaknesses, with none clearly better than the others. Suggests that the teaching of grammar, while not the key to improvement in written English, will always have a place in the…

The attempt to teach deep structure recovery skills to poor readers was unsuccessful, perhaps because of student attitudes. (JH)

Typically, teachers approach ambiguity in student writing by suggesting that students focus on diction, syntax, and writing format; however, the works of modernists (including T.S. Eliot, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Karl Marx, and Pablo Picasso) suggest the importance of conceptions of semantic clarity. Transformational models for syntactic elements in…

THIS STUDY REPORTS AN EXPERIMENT ON THE HYPOTHESIS THAT GRAMMAR-RELATED SENTENCE-COMBINING PRACTICE WILL MEANINGFULLY ENHANCE THE NORMAL GROWTH OF SYNTACTIC FLUENCY. TRADITIONAL STUDIES ON ERROR THERAPY AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE ARE REVIEWED, AND DESIGN AND RATIONALE ARE INFERRED FROM THE RESEARCH OF BATEMAN AND ZIDONIS. RULE LEARNING, PATTERN…

Discusses approaches to second language learning and teaching within the context of student motivation. A synthesis of linguistic theories to be considered in designing language-teaching systems is presented. Based on experience with Mexican-American adolescents, a system combining transformational, situational, and contrastive approaches is…

Combining concepts of cognitive theory with those of rhetoric and linguistics can help writing teachers understand the kinds of activities that will enable basic writers to produce syntactic constructions appropriate for the content they have generated. A review of research studies of sentence combining, syntactic constructions, grammatical…

THE OREGON CURRICULUM STUDY CENTER, WITH THE COOPERATION OF STAFF MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON AND TEACHERS FORM SEVEN SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN OREGON AND WASHINGTON, HAS WRITTEN AND TESTED AN EXPERIMENTAL CURRICULUM IN ENGLISH FOR GRADES 7-12 FOR APPROXIMATELY THE UPPER 70 PERCENT OF STUDENTS. THE CURRICULUM CONSISTS OF EXPERIMENTAL TEXTBOOKS IN…