The formation of relative clauses in the work of 48 Italian high school students of English as a foreign language who performed a variety of written and oral tasks is analyzed. Results indicate that markedness can be a valid predictor of interlanguage but that it can also constrain intertask variability. (CB)

A Confidence-rating scale accompanying answers on a listening test helps distinguish between learners who select answers based on effective self-monitoring and those whose answers are based on poor self-monitoring. The latter are more likely to do so subsequently as well. Test items and a rating scale are illustrated. (Author/LMO)

Argues against the grammatical accuracy hypothesis. Test results of second-language students taught by Krashen's Natural Approach are compared to results from those taught by the grammar-translation method. No advantage is found in using the traditional method, and the expectation that students can become fluent speakers of a second language in…

No single foreign language teaching method can produce speakers with competence in all areas of the target language. Teachers should be aware that the relative importance of form versus function varies with the specific goals of language use and should consider the consequences of fossilization, error correction, and comprehensibility in teaching…

Reviews research on elementary school teachers' feedback to students' miscues in basal and content area reading. Describes the sustained feedback paradigm that developed from the Direct Instruction Programs. (Author/HOD)

Deals with the issue of sentence processing in a second language (L2) showing how L2 learners resolve the problem of competing factors of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics in the processing of L2 utterances. The results of a study involving sentence interpretation by L2 learners of English are presented. (Author/SED)

Describes a software package for computer-assisted language learning, designed to put the text handling and "number crunching" capabilities of the microcomputer to use in the foreign language classroom. Done in ways compatible with the learner's own natural needs and strategies, it also gives the classroom teacher a significant degree of control…

Describes a small study on student writing errors and generates three guidelines that university professors can follow to improve student writing: vary assignment types, utilize self- and peer grading, and make more use of essay exams. (CRH)

An alternative to essay writing involves correcting an article full of mistakes. Suggests extending use of this "deliberate mistakes" correction technique as a device in biology education to include scientific literacy as well as factual understanding as an important objective. (Author/JN)

Run-on sentences are common mistakes made by Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. One type of these errors, with the structure of an expletive subject "there" and a verb "to be" at the beginning of the sentence, is persistent and not easy to detect and correct. This study proposes that this type of error…

Discusses the amount of influence that a learner's native language has on the acquisition of a second language. Suggests that some important properties of a learner's interlanguage (IL) can be predicted, as shown by the different IL rules that Cantonese and Japanese use in dealing with English word-final voice contrasts. (Author/MES)

Describes a study designed to examine native speakers' reactions to errors contained in compositions written by advanced Spanish students, as a measure of error seriousness and a guide for selective correction. Suggests that errors interfering with comprehension should be eliminated first, followed by those that elicit negative reactions from…

Points out the types of information teachers can learn from children's "mistakes" in language, reading, and writing; urges teachers to look at "mistakes" analytically rather than from a correctional perspective. Notes the need for teachers to understand the developmental nature of language skills and to observe each child in many contexts. (ET)

Examines an aspect of colloquial American English in which linguistics and area studies are involved. Analyzes typical errors which lead to misunderstandings and discusses in detail the use of the expressions "excuse me" and "I'm sorry." (IFS/WGA)

The cognitive approach to foreign language teaching is discussed, and practical guidelines for classroom application of error analysis are presented. The cognitive approach seeks to develop a competence approximating that of native speakers without explicit reference to previously memorized material. (SW)