Targeting Recurring Grammar Errors in ESOL Students’ Writing David A. Ross Associate Chair, ESL/Intensive English Department Houston Community College Qin Riley, PhD ESOL Professor San Jacinto College S
The Setting S Advanced Integrated Reading & Writing for Non-Native English- Speaking Students (HCC: ESOL 0360; SJC: ESOL 0373) Prerequisites: HCC: Completion of Advanced Composition (ESOL 0354), or S Appropriate score on ESL Placement Test (currently Compass-ESL) SJC: Completion of Intermediate Reading and Writing (ESOL S 0372), or Appropriate score on ESL Placement Test (currently AccuPlacer-ESL)
The Problem S The students in this class have a wide variance in their grammatical skills, BUT… S Our advanced reading and writing courses do not have a grammar component. So, how to meet the grammar needs of the students in these classes?
Three Approaches 1. A Stand-Alone Comprehensive Grammar Syllabus 2. A Diagnostic Approach, Focusing on command of Sentence Patterns (Qin Riley) 3. A Diagnostic Approach, Focusing on Grammar Maxims (David Ross)
Common Sentence Structure Errors in ESOL Students’ Writing S Some young people often find difficult to communicate with their parents. S Schools bear the responsibility to stop bullying. Even though, parents should work together with their child’s school. 8/8/2016 5 Qin Riley
Common Sentence Structure Errors in ESOL Students’ Writing S It is very important to leaders of every country for keeping in mind that they should form a strong relationship with other countries. S What she wrote is very vivid, funny, and mythical that people of all ages love to read. 8/8/2016 6 Qin Riley
Overlapped but Not All Covered Listening/Speaking Sentence structure can be a subject itself or Vocabulary can be taught as mini lessons to target Sentence recurring errors. Reading/Writing Structure Grammar 8/8/2016 7 Qin Riley
Sentence Structure Can Be Taught as Mini Lessons S Some young people often find difficult to communicate with their parents. it 8/8/2016 8 Qin Riley
Sentence Structure Can Be Taught as Mini Lessons so S What she wrote is very vivid, funny, and mythical that people of all ages love to read. 8/8/2016 9 Qin Riley
Sentence Structure: Important Building Blocks for Writing S Supplemental instruction � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � S 60 mini lessons with 60 � � � � sentence patterns A� Textbook� for� Adult� English� Learners� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � S For basic writing & academic writing S Can also be used as a self- � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Qin� Z.� Riley,� PhD� study resource � � � San� Jacinto� College� � 2016� � 8/8/2016 10 Qin Riley
Maxim #1: Parallel Structure is elegant, attractive, and readers like it! Category: Sentence Structure Level: Intermediate: Explanation: All elements in a coordinate series should be in the same grammatical form.
Maxim #1: Parallel Structure is elegant, attractive, and readers like it! Example: Thailand and Laos are different in many ways such as daily lifestyle, transportation used in daily life, and clothing style is very different. Analysis: Thailand and Laos are different in many ways such as daily lifestyle, [NOUN PHRASE] S transportation used in daily life, [NOUN PHRASE] and S clothing style is very different. [CLAUSE] S
Maxim #1: Parallel Structure is elegant, attractive, and readers like it! Correction: Thailand and Laos are different in many ways such as daily lifestyle, [NOUN PHRASE] S transportation used in daily life, [NOUN PHRASE] and S Different clothing style. [NOUN PHRASE] S Corrected Sentence: Thailand and Laos are different in many ways such as daily lifestyle, transportation used in daily life, and their different clothing style.
Maxim #2: “Almost People” Are So Sad! Category: Phrase Structure Level: Intermediate: Example: Almost students want to study and graduate from university and find a good job. Analysis: “Almost students” is not English, unless by that it meant people who are not quite students.
Maxim #2: “Almost People” Are So Sad! Correction: “Almost students” are sad beings… But “Almost” appears before quantifiers like “All.” Corrected Sentence: Almost all students want to study and graduate from university and find a good job.
Maxim #3: Extra Subjects are Unwelcome Guests! Category: Sentence Structure Level: Intermediate: Example: The first cause of medical problems it is the water people drink. Analysis: There is room for only one subject in a simple sentence (we are not referring to compound subjects). But in oral English it is not unusual to front the subject as a topic, and then use the pronoun as the true subject. As common as this is in colloquial English, it needs to be corrected in standard written English.
Maxim #4: Extra Subjects are Unwelcome Guests! Correction: In a sentence where a subject phrase is followed by a pronoun – get rid of the pronoun. Corrected Sentence: The first cause of medical problems is the water people drink.
Maxim #4: Partitives are your friends: Don’t abuse them!! Category: Phrase Structure Level: Intermediate: Example: Most of Vietnamese people cannot speak and use English well. Analysis: Quantifiers like “Most” can appear before a countable noun, or before a definite partitive phrase Most Vietnamese people… Most of the Vietnamese people who live in Houston… But… Most of Vietnamese people
Maxim #4: Partitives are your friends: Don’t abuse them!! Corrected Sentence: Most Vietnamese people cannot speak and use English well.
Maxim #5: “ According to…” Says It All Category: Academic Writing Style Level: Advanced: Example: According to Gelenter, he says that we are not in an information age.. Analysis: “According to…” expresses the views of the person referred to in the following phrase. “…He said…” does the same thing. So you don’t need both.
Maxim #5: “ According to…” Says It All Corrected Sentence: According to Gelenter, we are not in an information age. or Gelenter says (claims / asserts / maintains) that we are not in an information age.
Thank You! Contact Info: David Ross david.ross@hccs.edu Qin Riley qin.riley@sjcd.edu
Recommend
More recommend
