“Punctuation marks are the main means of showing the grammatical organisation of what you write. Hide the punctuation and you hide the grammatical structure. And if you hide the grammatical structure, you hide the meaning of what you are trying to say.” Crystal (1996:151) maintains.
As punctuation is relevant to and necessary to grammar (as above quotation states), a significant cause of EFL learner and Arab EFL writer low punctuation proficiency is the incorrect application of rules (Al-Jarf, 2001). He points out, the incorrect application of rules caused by: 1) failure to master the operational or transformational component of a rule; and 2) failure to learn a rules domain of applicability (p.16). According to Mohammed (2006), EFL learners who are unable to write in complete sentence, and constantly appear to have difficulty with understanding the concept of a sentence; their writing contains unconventional punctuation as a result.
Mann (2003) believes that one should be familiar with sentence boundaries in order to punctuate correctly; moreover, he points out that to begin and end sentences is one of some difficulties learners face when they start to write. As the construction of sentence varies from one language to another, such variations may result in writing in incomplete sentence and then inappropriate use of punctuation.
A simple sentence is “an independent clause expressing one idea” (Al-Khresheh 2010, p. 106), “a syntactic unit which contains a finite verb” (Fischer 1984, p. 15, cited in Polio 1997, p. 107), comprised of one subject-verb combination, though the subject may be compound and thus making up a clause with “more than one constituent” (Al-Khresheh 2010, p. 106). These features describe the English s...
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...O’Grady, et al. 1996, cited in Al-Khresheh 2010, p. 106).
Othman (2007) posits the differences in Arabic subordinate clauses at the helm of the differences and the cause of the impact to punctuating in English writing. Othman (2007) has conducted a study in which he has attempted to find out how subordination and coordination are commonly used in Arabic and English texts. He concludes: subordination is seen as a sign of maturity and sophistication in English writing, whereas coordination is more commonly used in Arabic writing. As Mohamed and Omer (1999) also conclude, these differences, like those in coordination efforts, manifest in several ways: Arabic subordinate clauses are semantically subordinate, but are syntactically capable equal to their main clauses, just like their main independent clauses, of acting independently as separate sentences” (p. 293).
Children were taught to speak in a proper manner and because they were taught to speak correctly they wrote in a proper way as well. As technology evolved and texting came more profound grammar was becoming a lost art. In Dana Goldstein’s article ,‘Why Kids Can’t Write’, she talks about what teachers are doing about grammar. The teachers are not doing much about the grammar issue in schools.
4. Also be careful of run-on sentences. Let your sentences contain only one or two ideas, not three or four. Do not over-use semicolons or colons, use a period instead.
This essay opens the minds of people to see that perfect writing is not always the perfect thing. Murray’s essay would interest almost every person who has been a student and taken an English class. Most
Writing has been part of my life ever since I learned how to spell my first words. As I use the writing process I had to evolve and learn grammar, orthodoxy, and punctuation. I learned all this in my language which is Spanish. The writing rules are very different in different languages and after having an idea on how to write in English, I always refer back to what I learned in my early years. As I write in English I have faced many challenges to include learning to think in English before I write. I am use to think in Spanish and therefore the words flow as a river with minimum effort on my part. I have tried to think in Spanish, translate my thoughts and then writing in English but has proven to be the most difficult process to follow. As I wrestled with the idea of writing in English and learning to think in English, my writing has become better with each assignment. As I reflect on how my writing has evolved, it is my intention to compare how the different tools and genres of writing had helped me write academically papers and how I expect to continue to better myself for mu future, even after I graduate from college.
The English language is continuously changing, due to influences from around the world. He notes the tendency of English writing and political speeches to make verbs phrases and to write or speak in the passive tense, which creates wordy sentences. The writers use unnecessary verbs and nouns to increase the amount of words and to make their writing sound impressive.
When constructing a piece of writing, a student may sometimes find herself struggling to remember grammar rules or style principles. A handy reference guide would help her out immensely. William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White’s book, The Elements of Style, and Joseph Williams’ book, Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, assist writers improve their work in various ways. Strunk and Whites’ book took a simple approach, while Williams went more in-depth, with elaborate explanations and varying choices for each writing style.
Cerjak ,The English Journal, Vol. 76, No. 5 (Sep., 1987), pp. 55-57 Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
Some of the most essential elements of style are those that deal with commas. How to use a comma and where to place one can be quite confusing at times. With Strunk and White’s chapter 1 on Elementary Rules of Usage, they go into detail with examples for writers to better understand the usage of commas.
Complex sentences are more likely to be prevalent in formal writing. They provide a lot of detail. However, too many long sentences would easily lose the reader’s interest and would not engage them whereas short sentences are more punchy and quick, however they are not very detailed. T...
These rules of language were stressed among students, with the hope that a solid grasp of abstract definitions would set them up with the tools needed to avoid errors in usage. But halfway through the 20th Century, research on the value of grammar education began to surface and there was no strong correlation between the teaching of grammar and a student’s ability to avoid usage errors, the once strict education structure was dropped. With traditional techniques abandoned, the vacuum was filled by new approaches. Structural linguistics, based around the importance of the way words form sentences, began to take the place of its predecessor but was then quickly challenged by transformational grammar, a more abstract concept than the prior two. With arguments from the structural and transformational side both pushing that the other was unscientific, the importance of grammar was abandoned. Though schools are beginning to reintroduce grammar in education, it has kept a firm separation between learning grammar and learning
It is not uncommon to say that grammar instruction plays an important role in language teaching. Regarding the status and importance of grammar teaching, a variety of opinions have been made. Batstone (1994) states that “language without grammar would be chaotic: countless words without the indispensable guidelines for how they can be ordered and modified” (p. 4). More vividly, Wang (2010) makes two similes. She compares grammar to the frame of a house, which is a decisive factor to ensure the solidness of it. Additionally, she regards grammar as a walking stick, whose function is to help and support students to learn English. Thus, the nature of grammar instruction manifests its own significance as it helps students enhance their overall language proficiency by integrating grammar into other aspects of learning, like listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Everything in life requires some sort of discipline. Whether it is hitting a baseball, learning to sew, playing a musical instrument, making good grades or brushing your teeth, it all comes down to a matter of discipline. The dictionary defines punctuation as: Acting or arriving exactly at the time appointed, prompt. Under the rigid and disciplined structure of military life, there is no margin for error. Procrastination or being late may cost lives on the battlefield.
While languages do essentially have the same building blocks, the arrangement of words can range. Some languages begin with clauses by naming a subject such as a noun, which would make it the topic of the sentence. However, other languages begin clauses with words that name the action in a specific sentence (Freeman & Freeman, 2014). For example, English syntax is different from Spanish syntax. This means that confusion may result for students whose L1 is Spanish. For example, in English “red shirt” is used, but in Spanish, the phrase is inverted to “shirt red”. This may result in non-standard syntax when Spanish learners speak or write English. Another difficulty may be faced if a student does not understand that a structured sentence is needed. A student may not see the purpose of saying “I want to get a dog” when simply the words “want dog” would suffice. The problem with this is because syntax is a part of grammar, there is a set of internalized rules that people acquire (Freeman & Freeman, 2014). Within time, students will discover that a full sentence is needed instead of just two words. However, this is something that cannot be simply taught, as a student requires this throughout time and
An important linguistic change was also in syntax. Syntax governs the structure of a sentence, as well as the structure of verbs. Auxiliary verbs came into use, for example the use of do and have which extended the capability of expression for verbs. The subtle differences between I walk, I do walk, and I am walking are not available in many other languages. This improvement assisted English in differentiating itself from other languages.
Many literary critics are partial to essay titles with colons. They employ a catchy initial title followed by a more informative subtitle.