Explains how puns work and how they are formed. (RL)

Reprints an article originally published in 1932. Discusses the development of S. Leonard's book "Current English Usage." Suggests that the monograph stands as a symbol of a spirit and attitude in the teaching of English which will have far-reaching influence in determining the course of study and content of English instruction in the future. (RS)

Students need to learn the involved patterns of sentences in the English language as well as the inherent structure. First, the paper discusses five common sentence patterns in the English language, with examples. Next, the paper deals with modifiers to extend sentences, including adjectives, adverbs, appositives, and dependent clauses. Finally,…

Students speaking Black English should not be singled out or isolated. Their dialect, like that of others whose English is accented, can contribute to the cultural richness of American classrooms at the same time that the schools are teaching these students to read and write standard English. (Author/MLF)

Provides an overview and critique by a well-known proponent of E-Prime (a form of English that eliminates all forms of the verb "to be") of the articles included in this special issue. Advocates more widespread use of the E-Prime form, especially in English classes. (HB)

Argues that "E-Prime" (a form of English that eliminates all forms of the verb "to be") should not be woven directly into the fabric of today's system of English education. Reacts to arguments for E-Prime as espoused by David Bourland and states a case against E-Prime. (HB)

Offers an appreciation of the work of Ring Lardner, and especially of his humorous use of the vernacular. Laments that so much of Lardner's writing is no longer in print. (RBW)

Demonstrates that, in order to introduce students to literature, language must be examined as to the way it conveys messages. Relates the use of literary language to more normal uses. (NKA)

Novice poetry readers need to realize that there are limits to poetic license, specifically with regard to the order of words in a sentence of poetry. For example, the integrity of independent clauses is not violated--no word placed in one independent clause is meant to be read as an element of another independent clause. Although parenthetical…

A discussion of what functional linguistic research can offer teachers of composition and English is presented in this paper, which provides examples of different levels of analysis (phonology, morphology, and syntax) for the language of a variety of populations (including traditional freshmen, basic writers, English as a second language (ESL)…

The goal of instruction in mainstream dialect (MD) acquisition should be to expand students' oral communication skills to include skills needed for academic and economic success, thereby making alternate dialect speakers bidialectic. This implies recognizing students' home dialect as a valid linguistic system and a part of their identity. Although…