Discusses the advantages of using student compositions rather than textbook materials in a college remedial writing course. (RL)

Business educators must improve the teaching of machine transcription so that students acquire employable transcribing skills, states the author, who describes five levels of learning machine transcription and gives examples of the listening, writing, and typing skills needed for correct transcription. (MF)

Pretranscription, the individual skills needed to produce a mailable typewritten letter from shorthand notes, should be included in each semester of shorthand instead of just in the final class, according to this article. The author suggests strategies for teaching such elements as spelling, punctuation, and mailability and offers a guideline for…

The Sentence Combining Test was administered to three groups of college students (N=45) identified as learning disabled (LD), normal, and basic (underachieving) writers. Among results was that LD writers made a higher percentage of meaning errors across all subtests. (Author/JW)

Written for the third- and fourth-grade levels, this workbook gives students practice in using context clues and reading comprehension to apply punctuation rules, as well as in carefully reading and following directions. Noting that the activities are based on the idea that punctuation is necessary to make written communication clear, the…

Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and AP (Associated Press) style errors are among the factors that are hurting media credibility in the eyes of the public. Some have said that journalism schools share the blame for sloppy grammar because they do not prepare students. A survey of 100 randomly selected journalism schools and examination of their…

Based on author's master's thesis, George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tenn., (1967?). (RD)

This concluding article in a series concerning the use of the comma in Spanish gives specific examples of its use from Spanish literature. Concluding remarks outline the major purposes of the comma. (NCR)

Even English speakers do not always know when to use a hyphen. Examples are given of some fairly clear-cut cases where the hyphen should be used, leading to the formulation of some usable rules. (IFS/WGA)

Discusses narratives and the possible narrative structure of the process leading up to the completed article. Discusses two approaches to categorization and the most commonly referred to criteria for identifying narratives as well as the problems principally involved in punctuation of sequences and thus in deciding which narrative we are dealing…

Two groups of 28 students each alternated as experimental and control groups in spelling and punctuation projects. Experimental groups used goal setting and self-evaluation to monitor learning, supported by class discussions. Results showed the intervention raised spelling scores 60-80%, punctuation scores 70-75%. Progress was achieved only when…

This paper investigated six to nine year old children's ability to use contractive and possessive apostrophes, the effects of type and token frequency, and the effect of teaching on this ability. Apostrophes provide an interesting opportunity to examine the basis of frequency effects in rule inference, as type and token frequencies dissociate in…

In this article, I examine Lynn Truss's book of punctuation rules and faux pas, "Eats, Shoots & Leaves," contemplating the complex relationships among class, academics, and language snobbery. I don't refute Truss's lessons on punctuation. Instead, I use her text as a jumping-off point for discussion of the social issues embedded in her guide and…

Whether you are returning to studying after a break, or need help adjusting your writing skills to meet the needs of your education course, this practical, down-to-earth guide will help you improve your literacy skills. Aimed specifically at students in education courses, this book uses examples of students' work to highlight common problems, and…