Outlines the basic elements and classroom applications of "word grammar," a form of sector (tagmemic) analysis to be used in standard English instruction. (RL)

Proposes that a traditional rule of French grammar concerning the impersonal expression (il + est + adjective + de + infinitive) is so oversimplified as to be fallacious and untenable. (MSE)

The dislocation of sentence elements in spoken French is seen as allowing the speaker to free himself from certain constraints imposed on word order, position of accents, and grammar. Dislocation is described, its various functions are enumerated, and implications for second language instruction are outlined. (MSE)

Proposes "organizational trees" as a means of helping students understand that each sentence in an essay must have purpose and direction. (FL)

In this five- to ten-hour presentation, intermediate and advanced students of Russian learn how prefixation affects all types of motion in terms of displacement, transitivity, and perfectivity. The features of the prefix are detailed. Throughout, changes in government (subject, object, and prepositional complements) are explained in relation to…

This new method of teaching verbs of motion in Russian is posited on the assumption that the unidirectional-multidirectional distinction in unprefixed verb forms is also present in prefixed forms. This distinction may be used to explain the derivation of these verbs. Suggestions for using the method are included. (PMJ)

A correspondence is shown between grammatical categories and grammatical functions in Chinese. Some syntactic properties distinguish finite verbs from nonfinite verbs, nominals from other categories, and verbs from other categories. (Contains seven references.) (LB)

First in a series of books that illustrate the functions of words in sentences, this book uses cartoon characters (a different "Humpty" for each part of speech) to help make learning grammar easier by associating an abstract concept with a visual image. The book introduces each part of speech and offers practice pages where students can reinforce…

An experimental study investigating the interaction of linguistic complexity and performance in child language acquisition tests the hypothesis that children learning a first language acquire relatively complex sentences somewhat later than less complex sentences. In one of three tests, the subjects, 44 children aged 3.6 to 6 years, were presented…

The parameters that help learners decipher imperfective usage (particularly KF) in Russian are described. Subcategories of KF which do not overlap are analyzed through their contextual usage in detective stories. Suggestions are made for helping learners decode KF in speech and writing. (PMJ)

Offers a method of substituting new words for the words in a well-known phrase to demonstrate the power of syntax. (TJ)

This unit of study introduces high-ability intermediate-grade students to the aspect of grammar which is usually missing from technically oriented studies of grammar, namely, the wonder and pleasure of grammar or grammar appreciation. It presents grammar as a powerful way for one's mind to make ideas out of language, and a way of inspecting one's…

The Read/Write for Personal and Economic Growth program starts with the writing of three-sentence paragraphs that contain a topic sentence and two major detail sentences. The program begins with short passages so that adult learners can experience immediate success. As learners progress, they receive help on such problems as sentence fragments,…

Causal conjunctions that form a grammatical bridge between simple and complex sentences can be either plus or minus causal conjunctions. The category of plus causal conjunctions includes a "because" group (since, as, because of, owing to, due to, as a result of, as a consequence of) and a "so" group (therefore, hence, consequently, accordingly, as…