Describes a writing assignment in which a teacher asked students to prepare a one-page autobiography written in E-Prime, a form of English deleting all forms of the verb "to be." Presents student comments that suggest that the assignment was highly beneficial. (HB)

Discusses teaching students to be sensitive to the nuances of word choice, intonation patterns, slang, and grammatical deviations in a second language. Suggests some classroom techniques to develop this awareness. (EKN)

Proposes making minimal translations of Shakespeare's works to restore his literature to modern readers' attention. Considers four types of passages requiring such translations: complicated exposition, thick stylization, the high dramatic moment, and the passing trifle. Presents guidelines for further translations. (RL)

Presents a perspective on the system of language levels and logical operations that effective language users employ. Offers a rational for teaching this language system. Suggests activities for "moving language around" to help students develop concepts about language structures. (RL)

Describes a successful unit on language that involved having students describe a specialized use of language they had personally experienced. (DD)

A stylistics-based approach to teaching poetry in the English as a foreign language classroom is examined. Since students may not have the linguistic skills to appreciate a poem, an analytical framework is proposed that includes the elements of repetition, confusion, and surprise. Reference is made to two poems, "In a Season of Unemployment"…

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…

Four ideas for classroom French instruction are described, including a lesson in the use of indicative and subjunctive moods; creative writing exercises; a comparison of the text styles of letters with different purposes; and a beginning French geography lesson. (MSE)

A lesson designed to teach usage of pronoun case within a communicative paradigm in English as a Second Language is presented. The target population consists of adult, intermediate-level ESL students. The lesson begins with a chant to gain students' interest and create a relaxed learning atmosphere. Next follows a pantomime that illustrates the…

Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet focuses on how children and young adults make meaning in speech and writing and on ways teachers can encourage their language development. Following a brief introduction, the first major section of the booklet…

An English-for-Special-Purposes (ESP) text embodies structure and conventionalized features that play important roles in conveying its message to members of the specific discourse community. This means that such a text should not be simplified or otherwise subjected to loss of its generic integrity, yet these texts are often difficult for…

This study analyzed the discourse of electronic mail (e-mail) exchanges between students of English as a second language (ESL) and other ESL learners from other cultures and at varying proficiency levels (keypals), focusing on what these exchanges may reveal about learners' progress through the "Zone of Proximal Development," a…