Indicates that using highlighters to mark errors produced a 76% class improvement in removing comma errors and a 95.5% improvement in removing apostrophe errors. Outlines two teaching procedures, to be followed before introducing this tool to the class, that enable students to remove errors at this effective rate. (JD)

Presents a humorous technique for teaching students about apostrophes. (FL)

Examines how, under Western influence, punctuation was adopted in Japanese texts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (FL)

Investigates the influence of handwriting style and composition errors on the marking of essays. (DS)

Special issue devoted to the topic of standard spoken usage. (VM)

Outlines a method which can be used with native speakers of English as well as foreign learners, and which can be extended to the teaching of anything which lends itself to tagmemic analysis. (FB)

A study of a North Carolina newspaper indicates that newspapers using fully integrated electronic editing systems have fewer errors in spelling, punctuation, sentence construction, hyphenation, and typography than newspapers not using electronic editing. (GT)

Reprints the inaugural address of the 1986 president of the National Council of Teachers of English. Examines issues in English instruction such as emphasizing facts over reasoning; developing a sense of audience; mechanics; dialects; and literature instruction. (RS)

Claims that punctuation contributes substantially to writing effectiveness. Argues that punctuation's primary function is to signal the "prosody" (patterns of pitch, stress, and hesitations) that authors have in mind when they write. Observes that a sensitivity to the sound of written language is essential for the effective use of…

Describes ERIC as an up-to-date database that has relatively few items that center on conventions and mechanics, and yet there are hundreds of citations including ERIC descriptors such as spelling, grammar, and syntax. Presents a seven-item annotated bibliography of journal articles and books (published in ERIC between 1991 and 1993). (PA)

Discusses the government-approved simplification of French spelling, and describes rectifications of spelling problems frequently found in forming or using accents, verbs, hyphens, noun plurals, and other anomalies. (CB)

Discusses new rules on German orthography that went into effect in 1998. Only a few areas of German spelling and punctuation are affected, but some of the rules will result in spelling changes in German textbooks and German words that are taught in basic and advanced courses. Provides background information and a summary of the changes.…

Discusses the qualities it takes for journalism students to be good interviewers and outlines several guidelines to follow. Lists seven "Boy Scout rules of interviewing." Gives a list of eight points on how to "punctuate what people say." (SC)

Shows how an editing assignment emphasizing punctuation can help students in a first-year writing class discover new ideas and perspectives as part of the revision process. Considers a class that experimented with editing punctuation for a dual purpose--as a revision heuristic as well as for correctness. Reconsiders editing and revision…

Students more familiar with failure than success can carry inhibiting levels of fear, and mature students are twice as likely to drop out of Higher Education in their first year than younger students. Through its use of conversational and supportive tones, this study guide puts readers at ease assisting the transition to academic study. The author…