Patterns and possibilities of free modifiers in written composition were studied. One purpose of the investigation was to help students communicate more effectively in writing. A more specific purpose was to determine if complicated syntactic elements used as free modifiers could be lifted from the complex subject of grammar and be presented as…

Textual puzzles may be used in freshman composition or introduction to writing courses to emphasize word order and subject-predicate agreement. These sentence puzzles demonstrate that the English language depends primarily upon word order to convey meaning, and assist students to avoid blending statement and question word order in their sentences…

Precise and effective writing can be taught and learned; a knowledge of grammar makes it easier both for the student and teacher. (Editor)

In an effort to find an index of development for second language acquisition, compositions written by non-native speakers of English were classified into proficiency levels and analyzed. Measures that seemed most suitable as an index of development were average length of the T-unit and number of error-free T-units. (CHK)

Written for the fifth- and sixth-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…

The present study is an attempt to explore the usefulness of demographic predictors of writing ability. Specifically, it is concerned with delineating the elements involved in writing and to ascertain the effects of achievement, language background, age, sex, social class, etc., on linguistic ability. (Author/RK)

Part two of a series on the teaching of English to adults. (DS)

Offers examples of appropriate and improper use of the passive voice in technical communications and gives suggestions for using these examples in technical writing classrooms. (RL)

Discusses the importance of helping college composition students to become stylistically competent. Cites a study comparing the essays of 32 college students and 27 skilled adult writers; concludes that syntactic maturity correlates with writing quality and that teachers should begin instruction by emphasizing syntactic skills. (RL)

Token reinforcement and remedial feedback were made contingent upon writing correct sentences containing prenominal adjectives only, then adverbs only, then prenominal adjectives plus adverbs. When the instructional package was implemented, all Ss demonstrated significant increases in response rate, accuracy, and percentage of correct sentences,…

Suggests an instructional technique called sentence building as a means of developing the ability to write more complex sentences and to read more complex sentences with understanding. (MKM)

The clearest writing style is one in which the grammatical structures of a sentence most redundantly support the perceived semantic structure; a textured style is one in which the syntactic complexity invests a sentence with distinctive force. (DD)