This IPP combines a literature review and a materials development project. The literature review outlines and supports the approach taken throughout the curriculum and the materials that were developed. First, it lays out the nature of Turkish universities' ELPPs [English Language Preparatory Programs]; then, it deals with the basic philosophy of…

Concern exists among both academics and employers regarding the quality of graduates' writing. The complaint, as it is most commonly phrased, is that young graduates can no longer "string a simple sentence together". If true, this is a problem: the quality of students' writing seriously affects their chances in the job market. In this…

To assist journalism educators in the development of spelling-grammar-punctuation examinations for their students, this paper traces the development of such an exam at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Descriptions of exam construction, administrative procedures, suggestions for exam improvement, and preliminary exam results are…

Argues that composition teachers should accept as little blame as possible for students' errors in using the apostrophe, that a large chunk of the blame should be assigned to workbooks with oversimple rules, and that basic writers have more important things to worry about. (RS)

Suggests a system for teaching punctuation, in which the independent clause is recognized as the fundamental building block of all language. Maintains that punctuation is not based on rules but on principles governing the relationship between one independent clause and the next. (TB)

This comprehensive and innovative style manual has been designed to be clear and jargon-free, to serve as an alternative to the often confusing style manuals of years gone by. The manual is intended for use by students, professionals, and writers at any level. The manual, created by an expert in linguistics and lexicography, provides: (1) an A to…

Missing apostrophes, misplaced apostrophes, and unnecessary apostrophes are all common occurrences in many forms of written American English. The fact is there is no adequate explanation--in traditional grammar or in any other grammar--that accounts for all the functions and transformations that grammarians have crowded under the heading of the…

Suggests that college remedial English courses should deal with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and coherence by means of reading aloud, dictation, and imitation. (DD)

Undergraduate control groups (n=45) completed textbook grammar exercises; experimental groups (n=53) used self-paced tutorial/drill-and-practice software. Although students using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) made significant improvement, they had reservations about the method. CAI combined with instructor interaction seem to be a feasible…

Designed to be a handy reference tool for everyone who aspires to write and speak correct English, this pocket guide is based on traditional grammar usage. It is organized along conventional lines, with an easy-to-use table of contents and index. The guide encompasses a great deal of information on relatively few pages, and it would be wise for…

Describes the effectiveness of grammar, punctuation, and spelling review sessions in improving journalism students' writing. (KS)

Good writing is good sentences. It is a simple truth that many in the business of teaching writing have strayed from. Good writing is a first sentence that makes a reader want to read the second sentence, a second sentence that makes a reader want to read the third, and so on. Erika Lindemann suggests that certain types of sentence instruction can…

Notes that, although linguistics has had little influence on composition pedagogy, the study of functional grammar or linguistic performance (how language is actually used) is of direct value to composition theory. Offers an extended discussion of a functional approach to punctuation instruction, and proposes a functional approach in other areas…

Business communication faculty (n=187) identified the top grammatical errors made by undergraduates as follows: subject-verb agreement, sentence fragments, subject-pronoun agreement, nonparallel series, and wrong word choice. Top punctuation errors included run-on sentences, comma splice, missing commas, and misuse of the possessive apostrophe.…

Intended for students in upper-division technical communication courses and professionals in business and government who want to learn how to edit technical writing, this book describes what technical editors do and how they do it. Throughout the book are exercises that students can use as self-tests; answer keys are provided for checking work.…