Describes uses of English present simple tense as a definite, one point tense which can be expanded by context into segments of definite or indefinite present time, as well as into future and past references. (Author/BK)

Presents three short articles which discuss problematic areas of the English language. The first article discusses agreement between subject, complement, and verb; the second is about the placement of adverbs with verbs containing two or more elements; and the third is about the rules and tendencies of contracted forms in English. (SED)

In an examination of the complex interaction of the linguistic devices employed in the expression of temporality, eight adult English-as-a-Second-Language learners participated in a study of time adverbials and verbal morphology. (19 references) (LB)

Focuses on a parametric difference between French and English, namely the issue of whether or not the language allows verb movement. It is argued that form-focused classroom instruction is more effective in helping second-language learners to arrive at the properties of English than positive input alone. (23 references) (JL)

In this study the inadequacies of rules governing the present perfect in isolated sentences are discussed and then two contextual factors thought to be connected with current relevance and the use of the present perfect are described. These factors are experimentally shown to influence use of the present perfect significantly. (CHK)

This bibliography, which deals with phrasal and prepositional verbs in English, consists of three sections. The first section cites linguistic studies, while the second lists relevant articles. The third section cites textbooks that deal with the problems of teaching English verbs. Entries include both American and European publications, and most…

Examines the expression of temporality in the basilang speech (the earliest stage of second language development) of five adult subjects. Temporality is studied from three perspectives: morphology, semantics, and pragmatics. The taxonomy provided by the pragmatic analysis best captures the expression of time at this level of interlanguage…

Based on a review of research, the most common syntactic errors made by native Arabic-speaking learners of English as a second language are discussed. Seven categories of error are distinguished and described: verbal errors (use of tense, phase, aspect, voice, verb formation, concord, finite/non-finite verbs); relative clauses (interlingual and…

This is a summary of a report investigating the way verb forms are treated in four audiovisual or audiolingual methods (textbooks) for the teaching of introductory English as a second language. The methods under investigation are: (1) "Methode Audio-visuelle d'Anglais, 1," Filipovic; (2) "My Friend Tony--Pratique Audio-Orale des Structures, "…

Areas of interference between English and the Spanish of some Puerto Ricans and Cubans in Chicago is the subject of this study. Fifty-nine informants were provided with a list of everyday expressions in English, which they were to express in Spanish. The informants were classified according to education, degree of knowledge of English, and degree…

This book includes 85 ideas for the teaching of grammar, contributed by teachers of English as a Second Language from varied countries. The ideas are organized in 10 sections that include specific aspects of grammar and grammar topics at the discourse level. These include: noun phrases and clauses (adjectives and nouns, articles, subject-verb…

Defends the full transfer/full access (FT/FA) model, which hypothesizes that the initial state of second-language (L2) acquisition is the final state of L1 acquisition (full transfer) and failure to assign a representation to input data will force subsequent restructuring. The article considers two other competing hypotheses as well as several…

Distinguishes among three aspects of idiomatic meaning: the general meaning, more specific aspects, and connotative aspects. The results of an informal experimental study indicate that the cognitive semantic view can facilitate the learning of idioms for nonnative speakers. (45 references) (Author/CK)

The use of case frames of verbs as a control for the teaching of vocabulary items has a number of distinct advantages over other controls. The case frame associated with a particular vocabulary item, or with a particular semantic class, would be the same in the native and the target language (English). This would have the advantage of allowing the…