Poor writing style among academics, particulary those in the behavioral sciences, stems from a lack of linguistic sophistication, the linguistic customs of academia, and the linguistic customs of the behavioral science disciplines. The article offers remedies for errors in each category. (SB)

Describes and suggests the significance of syntactic imagery, poetic effects created through expressive grammatical structures. (MM)

The use of second language students' existing understanding of grammatical forms in their native language for second language instruction is examined, and the importance of knowing when to replace grammatical analysis with use of the target language is discussed. A slow process of discovering appropriate teaching techniques is foreseen. (MSE)

The history of computer assisted language instruction is briefly reviewed, highlighting several major projects. Computer functions compatible with language instruction include information storage and retrieval capacities, ability to analyze input, and interactiveness. Language skills that can be developed by computer include grammar, vocabulary,…

Compares the written English of Chinese ESL students and native English-speaking Australian students. Analyzes the texts for four semantic components: experiential; interpersonal, textual, and logical. Also analyzes the errors made by both groups. (EKN)

The use of poetry is recommended in language classes to develop both students' knowledge of English and their appreciation of literature. Poem extracts are presented that illustrate features of phonology, vocabulary, grammar, meaning, colloquialisms, and style. (MSE)

Recent sociolinguistic research is used to show that the American Sign Language (ASL)-English contact situation does not result in the emergence of a pidgin as supposed. Variation along the ASL-English continuum can be accounted for by interplay of foreigner talk, judgments of proficiency, and learners' attempts to master the target language.…

Discusses the underlying theory and pedagogical rationale of sentence combining and of accessibility, the relative ease with which a text can be read. (HTH)

Described are six language arts games for elementary school students in the areas of grammar, mythology, debate, spelling (silent "e"), poetry, and classification (word lists). (CJ)

Reports on the success of a writing center's phone service, which answers questions about English usage, grammar, punctuation, diction, and documentation. (RL)

Offers arguments for and against the teaching of grammar in the English classroom. (RL)

Illustrates the pitfalls of French grammar and syntax by reproducing a student's composition, which mangles the language. Draws from similarly frustrating experiences and from a "New York Times" article entitled "The Fumble-rules of Grammar" to compile a list of "General Principles for the Improvement of Oral and Written French Expression." (MES)

Describes a language program designed to allow a 4-year old autistic child to acquire skill across a variety of sentence types. Training focused on teaching combinatorial and semantic properties of grammatical morphemes, thus enabling the child to use sentences, instead of single words and rote phrases. (Author/PJM)

Discusses problems encountered in teaching French relative pronouns and proposes norms for grammatical presentations at three levels of learning: elementary, intermediate, and advanced. Selection of the relative pronouns to be taught at each level is based on an analysis of frequency lists, on students' age and aptitude, and course goals. (MES)