University-level foreign language courses do not usually prepare the future language teacher for the task of correcting students' work. Using student papers as an example, general questions on the subject of errors are discussed, and appropriate procedure is suggested. (IFS/WGA)

This article proposes use of one aspect of transformational-generative grammar as a simple explanation of the use of English articles. In this method, nouns are analyzed to determine their definiteness and whether they are countable, as tests for using "a" and "the." (CHK)

This study has as its point of departure the nature of the passive and the linguistic point of view on it taken by textbooks. Topics treated are; passive voice or sentence; surface and deep structure; passive transformation; its relationship to the message; textbooks and their function. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Reports analysis of 1,892 essays written by 11 graders in a district-wide writing assessment. Scored for ability to (1) use conventions of standard written English and (2) support an argument, the papers show that 17-year-olds have trouble supporting an argument despite proficiency in mechanics. Argues against teaching superficial correctness. (JG)

Four classroom language activities aimed at different audiences and developed for honing different skills are described. These activities include an exercise in art appreciation, reconstruction of a fragmented text, a verb use exercise, and study of street art and slogans. (MSE)

Argues that parents can help their children take more pleasure in writing and thus build their confidence and competence in mastering composition skills. Describes the Parents-as-Tutors Program and some of its methods, which include teaching the student to edit message, punctuation, and spelling. (AEW)

The teaching of grammar provides more options for teacher strategies than almost any other area of language teaching, but because of the nature of grammar and classroom language instruction, using a variety of approaches is a more appropriate strategy. (MSE)

Discusses main ideas of papers presented that reflect the new directions explored in the field of Chinese linguistics. Current areas of study include tonal distinctions in dialect studies, contrastive analysis of Taiwanese and standard Chinese verb phrase structures, and the application of old Chinese morphological grammar to characteristics of…

Compares the efficacy of modelling versus feedback in second language instruction. Findings reveal that the feedback condition was clearly superior to the modelling condition in teaching and reviewing grammatical structures. (CB)

Describes the system a writing teacher developed to keep track of student errors. (ARH)

Gives a short grammar of the Lisp computer language. Presents an introductory English parser (Simparse) as an example of how to write a parser in Lisp. Lists references for further explanation. Intended as preparation for teachers who may use computer-assisted language instruction in the future. (LMO)

A theory of the origin of the Chinese copula "shi," originally introduced into the language as a particle of affirmation, is presented. This theory also accounts for the contrastive and assertive use of the word when introduced into the language during the same period. (Author/CB)

Investigation of the degree to which cue validity predicted the actual strength of grammatical cues as they are used by speakers of Hebrew revealed strong positive correlations between estimated cue validities and actual cue strengths for all but the youngest age groups of speakers. (Author/CB)

Investigates the availability of surface representations for the interpretation of verb-phrase ellipsis. Results show that an elliptical verb phrase is most easily interpreted if its antecedent is in the immediately preceding sentence and that this can not be explained in terms of the unnaturalness of the passages with distant antecedents. (MM)

The study analyzed oral reading miscues in both first and second reading languages of 20 Hispanic successful and 20 learning disabled readers in the intermediate grades. Significant differences were found for English reading in grammatical relationships, comprehension, and grammatical function. (Author/DB)