Language & Grammar Guide

Stacey PortilloNorthwest Missouri State UniversityEnglish for ELLSummer 2012

IntroductionThis guide is a way for

mainstream high school teachers to help ELL students with language and grammar concepts.

Lexicon, Syntax, and Function

Definitions:Lexicon: words used in a language (vocabulary)

Syntax: relationship of words in a sentence (grammar)

Function: way the language is used in a sentence

These are the foundations of the English language, and ELL students see each of these concepts in relation to their native language. The following slides will provide some examples of each concept.

Lexicon

The lexicon of English may have some similarities to the students’ native languages, but there are so many extra words students will need to master for different situations.

Examples of different lexicons:

School Jargon-pop quiz, jammed locker, detention

Professional lexicon -application, references, permanent address

SyntaxStudents will need to know how to use the grammar of a sentence to gain meaning.

Examples:

Carla and Wendy were starving and devoured the entire cake.

-Looking at the underlined word, a student might be able to guess that it has the same meaning as “ate” based on the rest of the sentence.

I swung the bat, and the pitcher ducked.

-This sentence is in the past tense, and it also involves two different actions by two different people. A student might conclude that the narrator is retelling the story.

FunctionUnderstanding the purpose of a sentence

is simple for an native English learner, but it might require more practice for an ELL student.

Examples:

I can’t stand being in this room!

This is an exclamatory sentence. It denotes excitement or strong emotion.

Who failed the test?

This is an interrogative sentence. It asks a question.

I am so tired.

This is a declarative sentence. It provides information.

Basic Sentence Structure

ELL students will need to know how to format sentences for writing, reading, and speaking.

Basic Sentence Structure

Every sentence contains structure. Many contain the basic sentence structure of a Subject + Verb+ Object.

Examples:

S V O

The cat ate a fish.

S V O

My friends bought movie tickets.

More on Sentence StructureSentences need to begin with a

capital letter.They need to end with a period,

question mark or exclamation mark. Sentences must contain a subject

that is stated only once.Sentences must contain a complete

verb phrase.They must have one core idea that

can stand alone.

Sentence Structure and ELLs

ELL students may struggle with sentence structure of English because they try to apply the rules of their native language to English. This is called Language 1 transfer.

Also, overgeneralization happens when an ELL student learns a rule and tries to apply it to incorrect situations.

Clauses

Definition:Clauses: part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb.

Clauses can be either independent (can stand alone) or dependent (unable to stand alone).

Examples:

Independent DependentThe man bought a car because his broke down.

Dependent IndependentAs I walked down the street, I listened to the birds.

Clauses and ELLsELL students run into difficulty

when the sentences vary and the clauses move around.

General terms like “it” can create issues because in some languages, it is not included in the translation.

Examples: It is difficult to learn English.

I wasn’t sure how it worked.

Punctuation

DefinitionPunctuation: the visual aid that helps us understand the meaning of a text

Examples of punctuation include periods, exclamation points, question marks, commas, semi-colons, colons, apostrophes, and quotation marks.

Punctuation and ELLsAn ELL student might struggle with where

to place commas, the difference between a colon and semi-colon, and how to use apostrophes with contractions.

Examples for punctuation:

Fred, my boss, works on Sundays.

These commas set off additional but unnecessary information.

I wanted a dog; however, I got a cat instead.

This semi-colon separates a transitional statement between 2 clauses.

She’s going to the mall.

This apostrophe is used in a contraction that means “she is.”

Verbs

Definition:Verbs: part of a sentence that makes an assertion about a subject (the action)

Verbs have many different tenses and forms. They can be regular or irregular and contain auxiliary verbs (helping verbs).

Verbs and ELLsEnglish has a large collection of irregular

verbs that do not follow traditional rules. For ELL students, this is a challenge because many of these rules must be simply memorized and practiced.

Examples:

I go to the library.

I went to the library.

The boys have gone to the library.

These sentences all use a form of the verb “to go,” but each one is different. A native speaker would be able to navigate between these easily, but a non-native speaker would have to learn the rules for the forms.

Active and Passive Voice

Definitions:Active Voice: when the subject in a sentence is doing the action

Passive voice: when the subject of a sentence is being acted on by a verb

Examples of Active Voice:

Ernest ate an apple.

The nurse gave a shot.

Examples of Passive Voice:

The apple was eaten by Ernest.

The shot was given by the nurse.

Active/Passive Voice and ELLsTypically, passive voice is used for

scientific and technical writing. It is usually discouraged in other writing because it dulls the language.

An ELL student might struggle with which verbs can be used for passive voice. The verbs “to be” and “to have” often pose problems.

Examples:

The tickets have been bought by my mom.

He was admired by his colleagues.

Modals

Definition:Modals: A verb that expresses ability, necessity or permission. They do not change to match subjects.

Examples :

I might go to the park.

We might see a movie.

Here are some common modals:CanMustShouldCouldMightMayWillNeed

Modals and ELLsOften, ELL students struggle with modals in two situations. First, they might not translate them correctly when using their native language as a reference point. Second, they might choose the wrong modal to convey what they want to say.

Examples:You should to go to the store.

A Spanish speaker would include the first “to” in this sentence because of the structure of the native language.

In conclusion, fishing must be a relaxing hobby.The more accurate modal for this situation is “should.”

Nouns

Definition:Nouns: The person, place, thing, or idea of a sentence.

Here is a flow chart of the types of nouns :

Nouns

Proper Common

Uncountable Countable

Singular Plural

Nouns and ELLsSome common trouble spots ELL

have with nous are using capital letters at the beginning of proper nouns, making nouns plural, and knowing which nouns are uncountable in English.

Examples:

My cousin went to Yale.

The three sisters picked out their dresses.

Diabetes is a serious problem.

Subject- Verb Agreement

Definition:Subject-Verb Agreement: when the verb endings match the correct subject form in a sentence

The third person singular is the only form that causes a change in verb.

Examples:

S V

I walk the dog.

S V

She walks the dog.

S-V agreement and ELLsAn ELL student might struggle

with making subjects and verbs agree with uncountable nouns that end with “s.”

Example: The news is depressing.

Quantity words in sentences can make it confusing about which verb form to use.

Examples: One of the boys is blond.

All of the plants are green.

Articles

Definition:Articles: the part of speech that points out a noun. They can be specific or non-specific.

The three articles in the English language are: 1. The (definite)2. A (indefinite)3. An (indefinite)

Examples:

The yellow balloon is my favorite.

I really wanted an orange balloon, but I will settle for a pink one.

Articles and ELLsThere are other languages that don’t use

articles, that place articles in different locations, or that have different articles that match the nouns.

When a noun is non-specific and plural or uncountable, it does not use an article (called zero article). These are difficult for ELLs to identify because some are abstract ideas like “love” or “beauty.”

Idioms like “to be over the hill” and “to be on time” are a challenge because some have articles and others do not.

Adjectives & Adverbs

Definition:Adjectives: describing words that modify nouns

Adverbs: words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs

Examples:

My mom is a funny lady.

I ate an Italian dish.

She speaks quietly.

It is highly unlikely that we will win the lottery.

Adjective/Adverbs and ELLsIn some languages, adjectives are located in

different places, which can be confusing to an ELL student. Also, adjectives are never pluralized to match the noun.

Example: The yellow jeans are comfortable. The jeans yellows are comfortables. (A Spanish

translation)

For others, the position of an adverb can be tricky because of Language 1 patterns.

Example: John often watches television.

John watches often television. (A French translation)

Prepositions

Definition:Preposition: phrases that can indicate location, time, or other relationships

There are hundreds of prepositional phrases. One way to remember some of them is to think of them in relation to a box:

-in a box-outside a

box-on a box

Prepositions and ELLsDue to the volume of

prepositions and prepositional phrases, ELL students struggle to memorize them all and know when to use certain ones.

Some prepositions in English are situational and difficult to explain to ELL students.

Example: I get out of the car.

I get off a train.

Conditions

Definition:Conditions: statements used when being speculative about a situation

* Some conditional phrases include if, unless, and I wish.

Conditional sentences fall into 4 categories:

1. A condition that leads to a fact.

2. A condition that leads to a prediction.

3. A condition that leads to speculation about the present or future.

4. A condition that leads to speculation about the past.

Conditions and ELLsELL students struggle with

conditional sentences because of the variety of verb tenses in English used to express an idea.

Examples:

past perfect conditional perfect

If I had been president, I would have lowered taxes.

present past perfect

I wish he had bought the car.

present future

If the dog gets out, he will never come back.

Discourse

Definition:Discourse: language in larger units such as conversations and paragraphs

Discourse connectors and markers are words that link information together. Here are some examples of both:

Discourse connectors

-however, first, finally, instead, in fact, by the way

Discourse Markers

-well, I mean, you know, oh, okay, right, like

Discourse and ELLsMost ELLs will struggle with never

using discourse connectors and markers or overusing them.

Discourse connectors and markers help to enhance students’ language ability by bringing deeper meaning to their words.

Examples:

I am going home.

Well, in spite of that, I am going home.

The second sentence provides a deeper meaning and evokes more emotion than the first.

ReferencesCowan, R. (2008). The teacher’s grammar of English. New York:

Cambridge University Press.

Raimes, A. (2004). Grammar troublespots. New York: Cambridge

University Press.

Grading Rubric

Criteria Possible ActualIntroduction and format (spelling & grammar), APA style

55

Lexicon, syntax, function and their interrelation

33

Basic Sentence structure

 3  3

Clauses  3  3Punctuation  3  3Verbs  3  3Active & Passive Voice   3  3

Modals  3  3Nouns  3  3Subject-Verb agreement

 3  3

Articles  3  3Adjectives & Adverbs  3  3

Prepositions  3  3Conditions  3  3Lexicon  3  3Discourse  3  3TOTAL 50 50