A comma tells the reader to pause and assimilate information. They are also used to separate the items in a series.
A semi-colon links independent clauses that are closely related in meaning when they are not linked by a conjunction.
A colon introduces a list or a summation. It can also be used to link an idea that has been introduced in an independent clause.
End punctuation – period, question mark, and exclamation mark – denotes the end of a sentence.
Parentheses enclose words that are not directly related to the main thought of the sentence but provide important information, or to provide examples.
A dash signals a sudden change of thought or break in a sentence. Dashes can also be used in place of parentheses to emphasize information.
Quotation marks indicate direct speech. All punctuation marks are enclosed within the quotation marks except for semi-colons, colons, and question marks when they are not part of the quotation.
An apostrophe indicates that letters are missing from a contraction, or shows possession (i.e., that one thing belongs to another). The word (its) spelled without an apostrophe is a possessive; spelled with an apostrophe (it’s) is a contraction of it is. Similarly, whose is a possessive pronoun, and who’s is a contraction of who is. Do not use an apostrophe to form the plural of numbers or letters (the 1990s, a box of PCs).
Capitalization
Like punctuation, capitalization helps convey information. The first word of every sentence is capitalized, signaling that a new sentence has begun. Proper nouns – the name of a particular person, place, or thing – are capitalized to indicate uniqueness. However, it is not correct to use capitalization merely to make a word look or seem important.
Conclusion
The over-arching research question that this study set out to investigate was: What impact does contextualize grammar teaching have upon students’ writing and students’ metalinguistic understanding? The qualitative study, not reported here, provides evidence concerning students’ metalinguistic understanding, as well as complementary evidence about the implementation of the intervention. The randomized controlled trial (RCT) provides evidence concerning the impact of the intervention. Consequently, the following hypotheses were formulated: a) that contextualized grammar teaching will be positively related to students’ writing performance; b) that the quality of teachers’ grammatical subject knowledge will mediate the impact of contextualized grammar instruction.
The absence of explicit grammar teaching in the English curriculum in English speaking countries for nearly 50 years has resulted in many present English teachers not having the grammatical subject knowledge needed to teach grammar confidently. A survey of teachers in England in revealed considerable lack of confidence, in particular with clause structures and syntax. The report noted a “significant gap… in teachers’ knowledge and confidence in sentence grammar and this has implications for… the teaching of language and style in texts and pupils’own writing”. In the US context, Vavra observed the gap between modern linguistics and the prescriptive, rule-bound grammar taught by most English teachers. Cameron argued that the literature degree qualifications of most English teachers not only leaves them ill-equipped to cope with grammar teaching, but also generates anxiety, hostility, and lack of confidence towards grammar.
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |