No, It’s Not Arbitrary and Does Make Sense: Teaching the English Punctuation System

You might also try putting a period at the end of a “thought.” And what about semi-colons and colons? Well…maybe those are for exceptionally long breaths and thoughts? Okay, I guess you can see that these are no official “Strunk and White” rules about usage but rather the kind of myths about standard punctuation that are perpetuated, sometimes by educators, I’m afraid. Add to this the concern that writers, such as novelist and poets, often employ their own creative punctuation: for example, poet e.e. cummings wrote in all lower-case; popular novelist Stephen King, a former English teacher, writes long, run-on sentences to indicate stream-of-consciousness thought. So by the time students come onto a college campus, they’re often under the impression that punctuation doesn’t matter, or is arbitrary, and makes no sense—sometimes all three.

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Brilliant toilet! In this activity, students hear about a strange restaurant recommendation. They watch a video in which Paul talks about a friend’s suggestion to visit a new restaurant in town specifically because of its brilliant toilet. But what could be so special about a toilet? And why is Paul offended by the recommendation? Language level: Intermediate + (B1)Learner type: Teens; AdultsTime: 45 minutesActivity: Reading and speakingTopic: RestaurantsLanguage: Evaluative adjectives (brilliant, wonderful, unbelievable, great, etc.)Materials: Video; worksheet Brilliant toilet (10156 downloads)

Punctuation Worksheets If used properly, punctuation marks can greatly enhance the overall structure, organization, and clarity of writing. However, when used improperly, punctuation marks can become cumbersome, inhibiting the reader's ability to understand the material and establish order and flow. Moreover, an excess of punctuation marks can lead to the creation of run-on sentences - sentences in which two or more independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation or conjunction. For these reasons, it is beneficial to learn how to properly use punctuation marks. Punctuation marks are symbols that indicate the structure and organization of written language, as well as intonation and pauses to be observed when reading aloud. In written English, punctuation is vital to disambiguate the meaning of sentences.

How to Check Grammar & Sentence Structure Online You might well know about spell-check. The famous Microsoft Word, and almost every word processor in the market have it by default. They also have prehistoric or primitive grammar and language tools, which are likely to be irritating rather than help serve their purpose. That is because the algorithm is primitive and the way they correct grammatical mistakes is based on indexing database, which is said to be quite rudimentary for grammar-check. It does show up errors during the sentence construction. Because it does not have fuzzy logic and interprets word juxtaposition and sentence structure as the way it was programmed to do, not intuitively. Things 2 do b4 u die This activity deals with bucket lists – wishlists of things to do before you die (or ‘kick the bucket’). For example: participate in a demonstration; appear on the front cover of a newspaper; be an extra in a film; do a runner from a restaurant; get arrested; photocopy your bottom at work. Language level: Intermediate (B1) +Learner type: Mature teens; AdultsTime: 90 minutesActivity: Grammar drill; SpeakingTopic: Life & deathLanguage: ‘Have you ever …?’ questions; Past simple questions; Pronunciation of regular past participlesMaterials: Materials freeThings 2 do b4 u die [downloaded 6286 times]

List of Interactive Quizzes The quizzes with a magenta marble are also listed within the section or digital handout to which they apply. The twenty-one quizzes with a green marble and designated "Practice" have been adapted from the instructor's manual and other ancillary materials accompanying Sentence Sense: A Writer's Guide. They are duplicated here with permission of the author, Evelyn Farbman, and the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Inc. Top 10 Websites for Teaching Grammar To Your Students About ETR Community EdTechReview (ETR) is a community of and for everyone involved in education technology to connect and collaborate both online and offline to discover, learn, utilize and share about the best ways technology can improve learning, teaching, and leading in the 21st century. EdTechReview spreads awareness on education technology and its role in 21st century education through best research and practices of using technology in education, and by facilitating events, training, professional development, and consultation in its adoption and implementation.

Learner Type » Business All lesson plans tagged: Business Business cards 6 comments By Jamie Keddie The wrong guy 13 comments The Friendship Graph A designer lessons ESL lesson plan developed by Neil McMillan Sometimes, finding comedy clips which appeal across cultures can be tricky, but you know it’s working when your students start laughing along. Perhaps because it deals with people who are some way out of their own cultural safety zone, the HBO series Flight of the Conchords seems well suited to classroom use, and both the editors of this blog have exploited its songs or scenes successfully in the past. Be Careful What You Tweet – A Guest Lesson By Nermeen Alireza A designer lessons ESL Lesson plan developed by Nermeen Alireza I’m honoured to be posting my first guest lesson on Designer Lessons. This is a great lesson – and very well staged. I teach a few FCE classes – and the groups really got to grips with causative have and other passive structures. I’ve also adapted it and used it with other more advanced groups, focusing on the “Safety versus Security” aspect – and encouraged debate in the group.