Describes an etymology lesson in which students study the derivation of their surnames. (FL)

Offers a writing exercise, based on a comic-strip theme, that teachers can use to relieve tensions between them and their students while developing students' expressive writing skills. (RL)

Describes the use of a modified maze approach to teach why some words are more appropriate than others in a poem. (MKM)

Provides examples from two classroom exercises: an exercise in which the opening verses of the King James Bible are rewritten in various modern styles, and an exercise in which words in well-known book titles are changed to show the power of the original titles. (GT)

Illustrates opportunities to improve students' English in the course of teaching elementary and intermediate German. Four examples are presented: lie vs lay, who(ever) vs whom(ever), reflexive vs intensives, and plural formation. (EJS)

Suggests that the works of Ernest Hemingway can introduce young readers to (1) an intense expression of the joy of life, (2) heroic models, (3) original use of language, (4) a sharp sense of time and place, and (5) literature that can be understood at many levels. (MM)

Explains several techniques for improving students' vocabulary through increasing their interest in and sensitivity to language. (JL)

The theory and practice of analyzing jokes, with implications for class discussions. (RL)

Describes a lesson designed to lead students to explore the language structure of the language rather than merely memorize grammatical rules. (FL)

Describes the characteristics of academic language (mature expository prose; the formal English of college textbooks). Discusses theoretical and practical issues involved in the procedures for selecting and teaching academic vocabulary, and suggests teaching ideas, techniques, and materials. (RL)

Intended to introduce students to the most dynamic aspects of language and to help them see the metaphors of poetry from a perspective beyond poetry, this book offers background information for class discussion on the pervasiveness of metaphors, giving examples of how metaphors underlie folk expressions, proverbs, riddles, cliches, and slang, and…

Describes students' work during a 12-week course on fantasy offered to talented and gifted high school students. Illustrates how the students learned about metaphor and inference. (SRT)

Presents a method for impressing upon students the need for more precision in language usage. (FL)

Presents responses from 22 teachers on activities used to increase student awareness of language usage and language patterns and to heighten student appreciation for specific works of literature. (RL)

Presents data which shows, in a systematic and objective way, how the same speaker can express the same meaning in a variety of ways depending upon the social situation. Such data offer the teacher of English a basis for discussing some of the linguistic features involved in this variation. (Author/PJM)