This article examines voluntary use of Grammarly in online Composition courses, including its effect on student writing, how students feel about using it, and what challenges arise when teaching with it. This will also discuss strategies to help educators overcome these challenges and describe appropriate uses of Grammarly.

With the recent rapid technological advance, second language (L2) educators have increasingly incorporated technologies into writing pedagogy. Two of the major technologies to promote L2 writing are e-portfolios and automated written corrective feedback (AWCF). Notably, feedback-rich portfolios facilitate L2 learners' self-regulation and writing…

Writing and writing clearly is a highly complex activity that requires the coordination of several processes and subprocesses for it to be effective and purposeful. Across those demands, syntax and the ability to express ideas with clarity can significantly affect a writer's ability to communicate (Berninger, Nagy, & Beers, 2011) and the…

Machine translation (MT) provides a seemingly accelerated alternative way to communicate in the target language (L2). A convenient service to the public, MT renders a potential disservice to language learners. In this pedagogically focused article, we show concrete and detailed examples of how language instructors can turn MT and other electronic…

In this paper, we discuss the benefits of using online translators in the foreign language classroom. Specifically, we discuss how faulty online translator output can be used to create activities that help raise metalinguistic awareness of second language grammar and of the differences between grammatical constructions in the first and second…

X-Word Grammar provides an editing technique for students that is more reliable than trying to identify sentences as complete thoughts. A sentence is redefined as "a group of words that can be turned into a yes-no question with no words left over; starts with a capital letter, and ends with a terminal punctuation mark." Twenty auxiliary…

English as a second language (ESL) students pose a challenge in the classroom because teachers' assumptions about the languages and cultural information in students' heads may be wrong. Students' assumptions about teachers, courses, and subjects may likewise be faulty. In this article, the authors offer teaching tips and assignment ideas for ESL…

Drawing on theory and practice, the authors argue that, rather than trying to "cover" all grammatical skills, something traditionally done in many classrooms, and with limited results, teachers can more successfully teach less grammar with better results by focusing on key grammatical options and skills in the context of actual writing, throughout…

Describes a 14-hour course designed to teach grammar to adults in the business world. Describes the kinds of students in the course and why they have not learned grammar previously. Presents 10 suggestions on how a similar course might be taught. (RS)

Grammar, historically, has been taught in a manner that leaves young learners wondering why they need to learn it. The problem has been partly that teachers have not been provided the insights needed to move the teaching of language conventions and grammar from the position of "textbook exercise" to that of "tools of the trade"…

Discusses benefits and drawbacks to advising a student newspaper, for instance, the difficult balance that must be negotiated between intervening too much or too little, as the case may be, in matters such as usage and spelling. Examines the means an advisor has or does not have to encourage or insist on responsible, ethical standards and…

Describes the peer-editing behaviors of eight undergraduate students in a third-year Spanish composition and grammar review course. Data collected over four months through interviews, participant observation, artifact inventories, and questionnaires revealed a strong tendency among informants to define the peer-editing process in social and…

Discusses the appropriate bases for using instructional materials for English-as-a-Second-Language classes and points to student writing as a previously overlooked source for teaching materials. The article emphasizes the importance of handling legal and ethical issues properly when using student materials and lists guidelines for editing the…

A computerized grammar checker was developed to assist teachers of English as a Second Language in editing student compositions. The first stage of development consisted of an error analysis of 125 writing samples collected from students. The 1,659 errors found were classified into 14 main types and 93 subtypes. This analysis served as the basis…

Analyzes the computer program, "Question Mark," produced in England and designed to be a testing tool for large second-language classes. Using this tool, it is possible to create and edit up to 500 questions using any one of 8 different question types. The program also can provide a running score for students using it. Notes that student…