Re: grammar tricks

[Twila.Yates.Papay@Rollins.Edu]

Wes, we just had this discussion in the Writing Center here at Rollins, 
those of the peer consultants who are hanging around, when I saw the 
original query in my messages and read it out to them.  Each of the 7 
people involved in the rather heated discussion (oh--it included 2 
clients) had had at least 1 teacher use the term "tricks" in a different 
context in studying grammar.  And 4 of the 7 insisted that the "tricks" 
they'd learned worked for other people, but not them.

I realize this is hardly scientific.  But I think it may demonstrate what 
continues to happen as students are still taught traditional grammar 
based on inflectional Greek and Latin models rather than English grammar 
based on our own positional model.  That is, teachers continue to seek 
systems for making things clearer to more students.  But the systems 
break down for some categories of students.  And then we invent new 
systems.  

When I got a new job about 17 years ago where I was required to teach 
structural grammar, I suddenly discovered I'd invented the stuff to use 
with ESL students in my previous job.  I'd have saved a lot of trouble by 
studying alternative grammar theories in graduate school back in the dark 
ages when I went.  

The more things change. . . . 

twila yates papay
rollins college

On Wed, 20 Nov 1996, Wes Chapman wrote:

> 
> OK, I'm confused.  What's a "trick for teaching grammar," as opposed to,
> say, a grammatical rule (e.g. who is subjective case, whom is objective),
> or a pedagogical principle (e.g. teach grammar in the context of a
> particular task, address performance errors before knowledge errors,
> etc.)?  A mnemonic?  And how about tricks that are generally regarded as
> suspect but which work for most people, such as putting commas where one
> pauses? 
> 
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