syntax matters - Kendore Learning PPT

4/21/20

SYNTAX MATTERS

The Link Between Sentence Writing & Sentence Comprehending

William Van Cleave,

Educational Consultant & Author, W.V.C.

ED @

wvced.com

Presentation

for

Kendore

Learning

kendorelearning.com

TERMINOLOGY

!People mean different things when they use the term grammar.

!A language’s grammar is its whole system and structure, including

syntax and morphology.

!Confusingly, the term grammar is also used to define parts within

sentences (e.g., noun, preposition, participle).

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TERMINOLOGY (CONTINUED)

!If the grammar of a language is its system and structure, it makes sense

today to focus on syntax, a key component of that grammar.

!Syntax is the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed

sentences.

!We need a vocabulary to discuss syntax. In other words, we use

terminology to facilitate our work in writing and reading.

TERMINOLOGY (CONTINUED)

“The order and grouping of words within a language system

allows us to understand relationships among the ideas, such as

subject-verb-object relationships…” (Moats, 2020, 186).

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PLAYING WITH SYNTAX – ONLY!

She told him she loved him only.

She told him she loved only him.

She told him she only loved him.

She told him only she loved him.

She told only him she loved him.

She only told him she loved him.

2 GRAMMAR CAMPS

1– Tea c h e r s s a y …

Learning terminology and identifying/

labeling parts of speech and sentence

parts is a necessary component of E.L.A.

and makes better writers. Teach grammar

in isolation.

2– Tea c h e r s s a y …

Explicit grammar instruction is useless as

an activity, wastes valuable time, and

makes students hate writing. Teach

grammar incidentally as problems arise in

student writing.

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CAMP #1 PROBLEMS

1– Tea c h e r s s a y …

Learning terminology and identifying/

labeling parts of speech and sentence

parts is a necessary component of E.L.A.

and makes better writers. Teach grammar

in isolation.

Decades of research indicates

that isolated grammar instruction

does not improve writing.

Typi c al ly, wh en g ramma r is t aug ht

this way, students learn to fear or

loathe it.

CAMP #2 PROBLEMS

2– Tea c h e r s s a y …

Explicit grammar instruction is useless as

an activity, wastes valuable time, and

makes students hate writing. Teach

grammar incidentally as problems arise in

student writing.

No overarching framework when taught

only as problems arise

Not enough practice to internalize

concepts

No link made between writing and

reading comprehension

No development of common

vocabulary/language to talk about

sentence structure

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A NEW CAMP – CAMP #3

Syntax instruction can be both effective and engaging.

"Use the language of syntax to facilitate better writing and reading.

"Te a c h c o n c e p t s u s i n g a l o g i c a l , s e q u e n t i a l a p p r o a c h .

"Avoid rote memorization and excessive labeling activities.

"Create reinforcement activities that engage students in genuine

reading comprehension and writing practice.

KEEP IN MIND…

If a concept does not improve student

reading and/or writing, don’t teach it!

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SOME INTERESTING FINDINGS

(CONTINUED)

"Sentence combining has a strong, positive effect on writing.

(Graham & Perin 2007b as cited in Hudson 296; Graham, Harris, & Chambers 221; Sadler 2012, 2019)

"Recent research indicates that grammar taught as it applies to writing

has a strong positive effect on writing. (Myhill et al 2013 as cited in Hudson 296)

"Syntax study can improve reading comprehension at the sentence

level.

(Scott & Balthazar 2003)

IN BRIEF…

It is not enough to teach the grammatical

system; if this teaching is to affect writing, then

it must be explicitly applied to writing.

(Hudson 297)

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TWO MAJOR SYNTAX CONCEPTS

!Parts of Speech – It’s all about the job.

!Sentence Parts – It’s all about the clause.

PARTS OF

SPEECH (POS)

Focus students’ attention on the role a word plays or job a word has in a sentence.

Using parts of speech this way builds student writing and comprehending because it

builds in students the ability to understand the way words relate to one another to

convey meaning.

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WHAT PART OF SPEECH IS…

1. Man

2. Jump

3. Sock

4. Smooth

WHAT PART OF SPEECH IS…

1. Man

a. That man eats tofu. (noun)

b. Man the harpoons! (verb)

2. Jump

a. You s ho uld jump a little higher.

(verb)

b. That ski jump looks dangerous.

(noun)

3. Sock

a. I lost a sock this week. (noun)

b. You s ho ul d sock away plenty of

money for retirement. (verb)

4. Smooth

a. The milkshake tastes smooth.

(adjective)

b. I will smooth the wrinkles out of

the sheets. (verb)

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POS – WHAT WORKS

"Keep introduction brief and straightforward.

"Keep identification of various elements to a minimum.

"Focus primary teaching time on generating and discussing good

examples.

"Remember that as students get older, they have typically studied the

basic parts of speech multiple times already. Be ready to review

quickly and then expand the depth of their knowledge.

POS – WHAT WORKS

If your students haven’t generated

any examples or practiced the

concept in their own speaking

and/or writing by the end of the

lesson, you’ve missed the boat!

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POS – A QUICK OVERVIEW

(Van Cleave, Writing Matters, 2014)

noun

pronoun

adjective

verb

adverb

preposition

conjunction

POS – I.E.C.C. MODEL

1. Identify – traditional labeling activity – helps students

identify element in pre-existing sentences (small % of time)

2. Expand – sentence expansion – helps students expand basic

sentences and ideas into more sophisticated ones

3. Combine – sentence combining – helps students combine

basic sentences into more sophisticated ones

4. Create – sentence creating/writing – helps students apply

studied element into the context of their own writing (most

important activity)

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POS – ADJECTIVES

• Remember to focus on the job of the word.

• An adjective describes (modifies) a noun or pronoun.

The young child pulled the red wagon.

The brownie was rich and delicious.

POS – ADJECTIVES - EXPAND

A few sentence expansion examples for adjective work:

• 1. The children and their leaders took vans to a campground.

_______________________________________________________________________

• 2. Over a campfire, the children roasted hotdogs and sang songs.

_______________________________________________________________________

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POS – ADJECTIVES - EXPAND

A few sentence expansion examples for adjective work:

• 1. The children and their leaders took vans to a campground.

The rambunctious children and their frazzled leaders took rented vans to a wooded

campground.

• 2. Over a campfire, the children roasted hotdogs and sang songs.

Over a crackling campfire, the hungry children roasted all-beef hotdogs and sang

hilarious songs.

POS – ADJECTIVES - COMBINE

A few sentence combining examples for adjective work:

• 1. My grandfather told jokes at the table. He is friendly. His jokes were funny.

__________________________________________________________________________

• 2. My sisters and I listened to the jokes and ate snacks. My sisters were hungry. The

snacks were nutritious. Our dad had prepared the snacks.

__________________________________________________________________________

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POS – ADJECTIVES - COMBINE

A few sentence combining examples for adjective work:

• 1. My grandfather told jokes at the table. He is friendly. His jokes were funny.

My friendly grandfather told funny jokes at the table.

POS – ADJECTIVES - COMBINE

A few sentence combining examples for adjective work:

• 2. My sisters and I listened to the jokes and ate snacks. My sisters were

hungry. The snacks were nutritious. Our dad had prepared the snacks.

My hungry sisters and I listened to the jokes and ate nutritious snacks prepared by our dad.

- that our dad had prepared.

- our dad had prepared.

- that were prepared by our dad.

Our dad had prepared nutritious snacks that my hungry sisters and I ate as we listened to the jokes.

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POS – A WARNING

Memorizing lists of words and “tricks” to identify certain

parts of speech defeats our purpose. It focuses attention

on labeling rather than understanding, and it often

misleads rather than informs anyway.

POS – ADVERBS – A WARNING

Be careful of the old fallback that adverbs end in –ly. That’s about identifying a

word rather than understanding its function. And it often doesn’t work:

He is a friendly guy. Friendly describes guy and is an adjective.

I never did my homework yesterday.

Never and yesterday are adverbs but do not end in –ly.

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POS – CONJUNCTIONS – COORDINATING

!Coordinating conjunction – joins 2 words or groups of words of

equal standing.

• Words: Jane and Sue

• Phrases: in the kitchen or on the porch

• Clauses: John went to the store, but it was closed.

! co = with, together. Neither side is more important than the other. Coordinators

share responsibility. No one is in charge.

POS – CONJUNCTIONS – SUBORDINATING

!Subordinating conjunction – begins a dependent clause, making

it dependent.

• while we were home

• if Shelby eats her vegetables

• because he wants a new bicycle

! sub = under. The subordinating conjunction makes its clause subordinate to the

independent or main clause. A subordinate serves under the leader.

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FROM PARTS OF

SPEECH TO

SENTENCE PARTS

SENTENCE PARTS & KINDS OF SENTENCES

Every sentence must have a subject and its predicate.

!The subject is who or what is doing the action – “the doer.”

• The hungry man ate quickly.

• Man is the simple subject. The hungry man is the complete subject.

!The predicate is the action – “the do.”

• The hungry man ate quickly.

• Ate is the simple predicate. Ate quickly is the complete predicate.

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SP - SUBJECTS

subject – who or what is doing the action

1. The ferocious dog

barked at my friend.

2. A storm

in our town took down a lot of trees.

3. Several boys and girls played in the park on Saturday.

4. I

ran and skipped down the street in the rain.

SP - PREDICATES

predicate – the action

1. The ferocious dog barked

at my friend.

2. A storm in our town took

down a lot of trees.

3. Several boys and girls played in the park on Saturday.

4. I ran and skipped

down the street in the rain.

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SENTENCE FRAMES

Subject (the doer) Predicate (the do)

SENTENCE FRAMES

Subject (the doer) Predicate (the do)

The bear roared.

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SENTENCE FRAMES

Subject (the doer) Predicate (the do)

The ferocious black bear

with sharp claws

What kind of bear?

Te l l m e s om et h in g s p ec ia l a b ou t h i m.

roared.

SENTENCE FRAMES

Subject (the doer) Predicate (the do)

The ferocious black bear

with sharp claws

What kind of bear?

Te l l m e s om et h in g s p ec ia l a b ou t h i m.

roared loudly near the

campsite this morning

because he was hungry.

When? Where? How? Why?

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SP – THE CLAUSE

Clauses are the building blocks of all sentences.

We combine clauses in different ways to show

relationships between groups of words and to

increase sentence variety.

SP – THE CLAUSE

clause = group of words with subject and its predicate

clause ≠ sentence

Some clauses can stand by themselves, and some cannot.

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SP – INDEPENDENT & DEPENDENT CLAUSES

clause = group of words with subject and its predicate

clause that can

stand by itself

Independent clause

clause that cannot

stand by itself

Dependent clause

SP – INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

Independent clauses (I) can stand by alone.

Here are some:

• I painted a picture

• the teacher walked into the room

• my friends drank all the tea

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SP – DEPENDENT CLAUSES

Dependent clauses (D) cannot stand alone.

Here are some:

• while I was napping

• if you finish your homework

• after we got home from school

SP – SIMPLE SENTENCE

Simple sentence = 1 independent clause = I

! It is not necessarily simplistic. These sentences are simple.

! They have one subject-predicate relationship and can stand by themselves.

• I slept.

• In the virtual presentation William provided an overview of

syntax to the eager participants.

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SP – COMPOUND SENTENCE

Compound sentence = 2 independent clauses (I)

joined by a comma + coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

I,fanboysI

John went to the store, but it was closed.

and 2

graders use and, but, and or. They don’t use the term clause.

SP – COMPOUND SENTENCE

1. It rained, and she jumped in the puddles.

2. I will take you to the store, but you need to bring your own wallet.

3. We could all wash the dishes, or you could do it alone.

4. I do not like mushrooms, nor do I like Lima beans.

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SP – COMPLEX SENTENCE

Complex sentence = 1 independent clause and

1 (or more) dependent clauses.

!Basic complex sentences follow a D,I or ID pattern.

!The dependent clause (D) begins with a subordinating conjunction.

Whenever it rains, I forget my umbrella. (D,I)

I like ice cream because it tastes delicious. (ID)

SP – COMPLEX SENTENCE

Look at the impact of the subordinating conjunction!

! While I studied, my sister ran screaming through the house.

! After I studied, my sister ran screaming through the house.

! Before I studied, my sister ran screaming through the house.

! Because I studied, my sister ran screaming through the house.

! Although I studied, my sister ran screaming through the house.

! Whenever I studied, my sister ran screaming through the house.

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SP – COMPLEX SENTENCE – WITH

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

1. Remember that a complex sentence has 1 independent clause and 1

(or more) dependent clauses.

2. While some dependent clauses (D) begin with a subordinating

conjunction, others begin with a relative pronoun or adjective.

3. These special adjective (relative) clauses always follow the noun or

pronoun they are describing. Common relative pronouns include

who, which, and that.

Here are some examples of complex sentences with adjective

clauses. Notice that the independent clause (I) is black while the

dependent clause (D) is orange.

1. The doctor, who was nearing retirement, still had great skill with his patients.

2. That table, which is a million-dollar antique, will never leave our family.

This particular kind of complex sentence appears most frequently in expository text.

Instruction should be centered around both writing and reading them.

SP – COMPLEX SENTENCE – WITH

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

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SP – COMPLEX SENTENCE – WITH

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

Here are some more examples. Notice that relative clauses can appear

anywhere as long as they immediately follow the noun they describe.

1. I spent hours preparing the chicken dish, which

was delicious,

nutritious, and well prepared.

2. Mark watches any show that holds his interest.

3. I handed the outfit to Sue, who

looked at it with disdain.

SENTENCE SKILLS & COMPREHENSION

A growing body of research (Scott 2009; Brimo et al, 2015) indicates that

comprehension is connected not just to vocabulary but also to syntax.

• A student must understand 90-95% of the words on a page to

understand the content (Nagy & J. Scott, 2000).

• That said, a student can understand all the words in a text and,

due to syntax, still find that text incomprehensible.

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SENTENCE SKILLS & COMPREHENSION

Consider these two examples:

• Abraham Lincoln was the 16

president of the United States. He was born in Kentucky

and had three children.

• Abraham Lincoln, who was born in Kentucky and had three children, was the 16

president of the United States.

Clearly, the second option is more difficult to comprehend. It is also more interesting

and sophisticated.

Research says the further the main subject is from its predicate, the harder the sentence

is to comprehend.

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER:

ELEMENTS OF A SENTENCE STRUCTURE LESSON

1. Instructor introduces the concept clearly and succinctly, using both a visual

and a verbal description.

2. Students identify the element in pre-written sentences (a brief portion of

the lesson).

3. Students conduct activities such as sentence expanding, combining,

unscrambling, and imitating to practice their knowledge and application of

the given element and to take the first steps towards enhancing their

sentence-level writing.

(Van Cleave, Writing Matters, 2014)

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PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER:

ELEMENTS OF A SENTENCE STRUCTURE LESSON

4. Students create their own examples of the element.

5. Students share those examples with the class.

6. Instructor uses student examples to clarify and expand upon student

knowledge.

(Van Cleave, Writing Matters, 2014)

IN SHORT…THE WRITING MATTERS APPROACH

1. Introduce (briefly).

2. Identify (briefly).

3. Expand, combine, unscramble, imitate, etc.

4. Generate.

5. Share.

6. Discuss.

(Van Cleave, Writing Matters, 2014)

4/21/20

WRITING MATTERS

coordinating (for compound sentences): I, fanboy(s) I concrete prepositions

(to begin prepositional phrases)

subordinating (for complex sentences to begin adverb

clauses - grouped by purpose): D,I ID

advanced prepositions

(for complex sentences to begin adjective clauses):

(to begin prepositional phrases):

(optional for I;I compound sentences* - grouped by

meaning):

*Use a semi-colon before and a comma after the conjunctive adverb.

additionally

also

furthermore

in addition

likewise

moreover

similarly

however

nevertheless

nonetheless

on the contrary

on the other hand

still

accordingly

as a result

consequently

hence

therefore

thus

actually

certainly

indeed

in fact

at the same time

meanwhile

simultaneously

afterwards

later

subsequently

then

alternatively

instead

for example

for instance

certainly

clearly

obviously

for and nor but or yet (so)

who which that whom whose

time:

after

as soon as

before

just as

now that

once

since

until

when

whenever

while

place:

where

wherever

cause:

because

since

comparison:

just as

than

concession:

although

even though

though

whereas

while

manner:

as if

as though

purpose:

in order that

so that

condition:

as long as

even if

unless

whether

Conjunctions

above

across

around

behind

below

beneath

beside

between

beyond

close to

down

far from

from

in front of

inside

into

near

near to

next to

on top of

onto

out of

outside

outside of

over

past

through

throughout

toward

towards

under

underneath

upon

within

aboard

about

according to

after

against

ahead of

alongside

among

amongst

along

aside from

atop

because of

before

besides

despite

due to

during

except (for)

for

in addition to

in case of

in place of

in spite of

instead of

o

on behalf of

out

prior to

subsequent to

with

with regard to

without

Prepositions

Conjunctive Adverbs

Writing Matters Binder Insert A

Words for Sentence Construction

Relative Pronouns

Words for Sentence Construction

Basic Sentence Templates

Complex Sentence

1 independent and 1 (or

more) dependent clauses

Subordinating conjunctions

begin dependent clauses.

While Dad was pulling out of

his driveway, he accidentally

bumped into another car. (D,I)

Even though the movie ran late,

Drew still got in before nine.

(D,I)

Luke spent an extra $50 on his

computer because it came with

a printer. (ID)

Our mom banned drinks in the

den after Allie spilled soda on

the good table. (ID)

Compound Sentence

2 independent clauses

They are joined by comma +

coordinating conjunction.

Jackson went to the store, but it

was closed.

The bell rang, yet Charlie was not

nished with the assignment.

Sid loves to jog through the park,

and Isabelle often joins him.

Mom could take us to the trails, or

we could play inside today.

I do not like mushrooms, nor do I

like spinach.

Simple Sentence

1 independent clause

Many have a single

subject and predicate.

Mac went to the store.

On Tuesday Will visited our grandmother

at her cottage in the next town.

Others have compound

subjects and/or predicates.

Wes and Ethan often play tennis on

Saturdays.

Logan saw an excellent movie and then

ate a snack with friends.

(For a group of words to be a clause, it must have its

own subject and predicate. It cannot share either with

another clause.)

D,I

clause: group

of words with

a subject and

its predicate

independent clause: clause

that can stand by itself

dependent clause: clause

that cannot stand by itself

Writing Matters Binder Insert E

Basic Sentence Templates

Direction

Change &

Contrast:

Leads to a

change in ideas.

although

but

different from

even though

however

in contrast

instead

nevertheless

on the contrary

on the other hand

otherwise

unlike

yet

Addition:

Leads to similar

ideas or additional

support.

also

and

another

as well

because

for example

for instance

for one thing

furthermore

in addition

more (than that)

other

similarly

then

Conclusion &

Summary:

Leads to wrap-up

of an idea.

after all

because*

nally

in conclusion

in fact

in general

in the end

last

lastly

of course

on the whole

since*

so*

therefore*

to conclude

to summarize

(* Shows cause and effect)

Signal Words for Reading & Writing (Level 1)

after

afterwards

always

as long as

as soon as

at rst

at last

before

during

earlier

nally

rst... second...

third

in the rst place

later

meanwhile

never

now

sometimes

soon

so far

then

this time

when

whenever

while

Note: The u-shaped arrow shows a change in direction. The straight

arrow shows words that help continue a thought in the same direction.

The arrow on the right is in a target to show wrap-up.

Writing Matters Binder Insert D

Signal Words for Reading & Writing, Level I

Time &

Sequence

Writing Matters is the

centerpiece of a

sentence-level approach

to teaching writing.

kendorelearning.com

SYNTAX INTENSIVES

1. Several weeks ago I launched online syntax intensives.

2. These five-part workshops limited to 25 participants each are hands-on,

interactive, and reasonably priced.

3. I’ll be emailing you additional information about these intensives in addition

to a PDF of the PowerPoint in the next 24 hours.

4. Thank you for joining me and thank Jennifer Hasser and the folks at Kendore

for hosting this event.

(Van Cleave, Writing Matters, 2014)

4/21/20

REFERENCES

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Fearn, Leif. (July 1982). “Measuring Mechanical Control in Writing Samples.” July 1982.

Fearn, Leif & Nancy Farnan. (2007). “When Is a Verb? Using Functional Grammar to Teach Writing.” Journal of Basic Writing, Vol. 26, No. 1.

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REFERENCES

Jones, S., Debra Myhill, & Trevor Bailey. (14 September 2012). “Grammar for writing? An investigation of the effects of contextualized grammar teaching on students’

writing.” University of Exeter, UK.

MacArthur, C. A., S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald. (2006). Handbook of Writing Research. New York: Guilford Press.

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Moats, Louisa. (2020). Speech to Print, Third Edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Myhill, Debra and Annabel Watson. (2014). “The role of grammar in the writing curriculum: A review of the literature.” Child Language Teaching and Therapy. Vol. 30(I), 41-

62. Sage Publications.

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The Guilford Press.

Saddler, Bruce. (2012). Teacher’s Guide to Effective Sentence Writing. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

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Council of Teachers of English.

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