ED 225 153 AUTHOR TITLE INSTITUTION REPORT NO Pup DAYE NOTE PUB TYPE EDRS PRICE . DESCRIPTORS DOCUMENT RESUME Lawlor, Joseph A Sequence for Sentence-Combining Instruction. National Inst. ot Education (ED), Washington, DC. SWRL-TN-2-82/25 s alJul 82 4p. eports - Descriptive (141) MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Higher Education; Linguistics; Secondary Education; *Sentence Combining; *Sequential Approach; *Student Improvement; *Syntax; *Teaching Methods: *Writing Instruction CS 207 301 ABSTRACT Although sentence combining practice has been shown ,e0 be an effective instructional technique for improving students' writing, scant attention has been paid to the appropriate sequence for such instruction, Studies of the natural development of oral and written languagepoint out two general trends that should.be considered in sequencing sentence combining instruction. First, langua§e users develop basic sentences before they learn toelaborate on these sentences. Second, there is a general tendency to elaborate with full clauses first, followed by iphrases and words that are derived from full clauses. The various-Syntactic structures that are .normally included in sentence combining instruction can be clasiified into five categoeies: coordinates, adverbials, restrictive noun modifiers% noun substitutes, and free modifiers. Within each category, the structures can be further divided into three levels, .which serve as guidelines for referencing structures across categories. Bentence'combining practice with this sequpncing can help students develop the,syntactic skills they need to produce clear, lively prose, but should not be considered the only component of a comprehensive writing program. (Appendixes contain the sequences for each of the.five syntactic structure categories.) (HTH) tit Reproductions supplied. by EITS are the'best that can be mad A from the original dodument. ****************************************************************** ****
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ED 225 153
AUTHORTITLEINSTITUTIONREPORT NOPup DAYENOTEPUB TYPE
EDRS PRICE .
DESCRIPTORS
DOCUMENT RESUME
Lawlor, JosephA Sequence for Sentence-Combining Instruction.National Inst. ot Education (ED), Washington, DC.SWRL-TN-2-82/25 salJul 824p.eports - Descriptive (141)
ABSTRACTAlthough sentence combining practice has been shown
,e0 be an effective instructional technique for improving students'writing, scant attention has been paid to the appropriate sequencefor such instruction, Studies of the natural development of oral andwritten languagepoint out two general trends that should.be
considered in sequencing sentence combining instruction. First,langua§e users develop basic sentences before they learn toelaborateon these sentences. Second, there is a general tendency to elaboratewith full clauses first, followed by iphrases and words that arederived from full clauses. The various-Syntactic structures that are
.normally included in sentence combining instruction can be clasiifiedinto five categoeies: coordinates, adverbials, restrictive nounmodifiers% noun substitutes, and free modifiers. Within eachcategory, the structures can be further divided into three levels,.which serve as guidelines for referencing structures acrosscategories. Bentence'combining practice with this sequpncing can helpstudents develop the,syntactic skills they need to produce clear,lively prose, but should not be considered the only component of acomprehensive writing program. (Appendixes contain the sequences for
each of the.five syntactic structure categories.) (HTH)
tit
Reproductions supplied. by EITS are the'best that can be mad
A from the original dodument.****************************************************************** ****
. r-+
1.(1
(NJ
CNJ
LUC:)
.° NO: TN 2-82/25
44
DATE: July 1,-1982
SOUTHWEST REGIONAL LABORATORYTECHNICAL NOTE
t
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL RESOURgq INFORMATIONCENTER (EWC,
h* document nes been reproduced iswimod trom !ht. pertOnNer orrianaioon
ongretatr*;Mro ChinpeS haye been made to .mproYe
reprOduCPOn Q!ty
EcpcaS Ot were.' or ophrons stated m th* dock,
ment jo nOt necessinty represent offrcur MEpoSMon or pohey
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
SWRL
A SEQUENCE.FOR SENTENCE-COBINING INSTRUCTIONTO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."
Joseph Lawlor
ABSTRACT
Althpugh sentence-combining practice has been shOwn to be an
effective in.structional technique for improving students' writing,
"scant attention has been paid to the appropriate 'sequence for sentence-
combining instrtio,T. This paper discusses the need for such a
sequence and outlines several Principles that should be considered.-
The paper also proposes a sequence for five different types of syntac-
tic ssructures that are normally included in sentence-oombiniKg
(1968) dis'iinguishes free modifiers from the rastrictive noun modifiers
discussed above:
Free modifiers . . . are modifiers not of words but of
- constructions,'from which they are set off by junctures or
punctuation. Grammatically, they are loose or additive or
nonessential or nonrestrictive. The constructions used areprepositional phrases; relative and subordinate clauses; noun,Verb, adjective, and adverbial phrases or clusters; and;Noneof the mosA important, verbid clauses or absolutes. (p. 577)
The sequence listed in Appendix E includwfree modifiers at Level
There are severaCreasons for sequencing these structures
late in a sentence-combining'program. As noted earlier, free modifiers
(and cumulative,sentendes.) dile more frequent in written language than
oral language. Unless stuaents have had considerable experience reading
modern prose, they are likely to have difficulty with these structures.
,In addititc, free modifiers are e;sentiatly stYlistic options. , Their
use depends upon students having reached a cognitivestage in which they
can view tfipir written works as what Mellon calls "craftable artifacts."
(1979, p. 21). Thus, instruCtion in this k)nd of noni-estrictive, free
mAification should be sequenced at a point where'students are most
likely to benefi from it. And that point'is relatively late.
Conclusion
Sentence-coinbining practice can help students develop the syntactic
skills they need to produce clear, lively prose. fidwever, an.effective
writing program must certainly include instruction on other 'facett of
the compoking process, such as generating and arranging ideas, and
. revising 'and editing text. ConseAuentry, sentende combining practice
should be considered as an important component--but not he only
component--of a comprehensive writing.program:
-The appropriate sequence for sentence-combining activities has
received little attention from researchers and inst4dtional designers.
In proposing such a sequence here, the author is not suggesting that
sentence combining must be bound to some rigid, unyielding instructional
sequence. Certainly, more research is needed, and as our knowledge ofA
10
leguage development increases, the.sequence for sentence-combining
instruction must be modified. But Tven with the knowledge that is
currently avai!able about language dehlopment, certain trends are
evident. And Instructjonal deveTopers should certainly'take idvantage
of these,tren6 as they design sentence-combining programs.'t
f.6
4
I.
st
Refereves:
f k
Christensen; F. Notes towatd a new rhetoric. New York: Harper and
Row, 1967.
. Christensen, F. The problem of defining a 'Mature style. English
Journal, 1968, 57,572-579.
Daiker; D. A., Kerek, A., & Morenberg, M. Sentencq combining andsyntactic maturity in fresKman English. College Composition and
Communication, 1978, 29, 36-41.'
Gebhard; A. O. Writiqg quali,ty and syntax: A transformational analysisof three prose samples. 'Research in the Teaching of English,'1978,12, 211-231.
Golub, L. S. Linguistic structures in students' oral and written
discourse. Research in the Teaching of English, 1969; 3, 70-85.
Hake, R., & Williams, J. StYle and its consequences; Do as I do, not
as I say. College EnglIsh, 1981, 43, 433-451.
Hatch, E. Four experimental studies in the syntax of young children.
Technical Report No. 11. Los Alamitos; Calif: SWRL Educati'onal
Research and.Development, 1969. (ERIC Document Reproduction
Services No. ED 039 250)
Hatch, E. The young ch ld's comprehension of time connectives. Child
'
Development, 1971
''
42, 2111-2113.
Hunt, K. W. Grammatic 1 structures written at three grade levels.
1Champaigh, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English, 1965.
. Hunt, K. W. Eally blooming and late blooming syntactic struptures. In
Charles Cooper and Lee Odell (Eds.), Evaluating Writing:Describing, Measuring, and Judging. Urbana, Ill.: National .
Council ofjeachers of English, 1977:
Kennedy', G. Children's comprehension of natural language. Technical
Lawlor, J. Improving stu0tent writing through sentence combining: A
literature review.. Technical Note No. 2-80/05. Los Alamitos,
Calif.: SWRt. Educational Research arid Development, 1980. (ERIC
Document 'Reproduction Services NO. ED 192, 356)
Lawlor, J. Instructional specifications for sentence combining.Technical Note N. 2-81/08. Los Alamitos, Calif.: SWRL
Educational Research and.,Deve4opment,.1981.
Mellon,.J. C. Issues in the theqry and practice of sentence combining:A twenty-year perspective. ln Donald A. Daiker, Andrew Kerek, andMax Morenberg (Eds.), Sentence Combining and The Teaching ofWriting. Conway, Ark.: t. 6 S Books, 1979.
Men uk, P. Language and maturation. Cambridge, Mass.: M. I. T. Press,
1977.
Mi ler', B. D., 6 Ney, J. W. The effect of systematic oral exercises onthe writing of fourth-grade students. Research in the Teaching ofEnglish, 1968, 2, 44-61.
J. W. Notes toward a psycholinguistic model of the composingprocess. Research in the Teaching of English, 1974, 8, 157-169.
/O'Donnell, R. C., Gr(ffin, W. J., 6 Norri s, R. C. lynt4x of
kindergarten and elementary sahool children: A transformational
1 analysis. Champaign Ill.: National Council of Teachers ofEnglish, 1967.
, O'Hare, F. Sentence ,combining: Improving student writing without
formal grammar instruction. Urbana, Ill.: National Council ofTeachers of English, 1973.
Perron, J. D. An explciratory approach to extending the syntacticdevelopment of fourth-grade students through the use of sentence-
Stotsky, S. The vocabulary bf essay writing: Can it be taught?
College Composition and Communication, 1981, 32, 317-326.
Strong, W. Sentence combining:- &composing book. New York: Random
House, 1973.
Sullivan, M. A. The effects.of sentence-combining exercises onsyntictic maturity, quality of writing, reading ability, andattiiudes of students in grade eleven. Ph.D. disseration, StateUniversity of New York at Buffalo, 1977. (Universitt Microfilms
No. 78-14242)
Weaver, C. Grammar for teachers. Urbana, Ill.: National Council of
Teachers of English, 1979.
z.:
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Wolk, A. Thejelative importance of the f inal free podif ier: A .
quantitative analysis. Research in the Teaching of Engl rsh, 1970,4 1 59-68.
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Append i x A
, Sequence for Coordinate Structwes
Level I Compound sentences.
Judy raked the lawn, and John eatered the flowers.
Compound structures within the predicate phrase.
/
Ellen ordered a hamburger and a coife.
I finished home ork and we t. bed.
The room was small ani stuffy.
Compound subjects.
Susan and Dave went to the mo ies.
Level II Compound prenominal adjectite
The cold.and hungry campe s hUddled around the
V
.I
fire.
Level III Compound objects of pre sitions and verbals.
The train stopped in large lities and'small
viltages.
She expects to vis t the museum and the cathedral.
f
ow*
ts,
etd
.
15
Appendix B
Sequence for gdverbial Structures
Level I SinDlel-word adverbs.
Jack walked carefully.
Prepositional phtases of place/motion
Maria hit the ball over the fence.
AdVerb clauses of time: clause order matches timep.
order,
I finished the test before the bell rang., .
Adverb clausesipf reason:, resultiltated before
reason.,
We stopped for-lunch bleuse we were hungry.
r
Level II Adveyb clauses of time: clause order does not match1
time order.
Weivent to the library after class was over.
Adverb clauses of reason: ,reason stated before
result.
.
Because,my brother was late, we had to stag
without him.
Prepositional phrases of time.
Jim visited the zoo on Saturday.
Adverb clauses of condition.
We'll go on a hike if the rain stops soon. 4
Appendix B (continded)
Adverbial infinitives.
Rick is waiting to .hear from you.
Level 111, PreposiiiOnal phrases of cause, manner-I/and
concession.
The picnic was cancel led_because p_f bad weather.