ERIC Number: EJ1112267
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1535-0517
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Available Date: N/A
"Glue": A Technique for Eliminating Fragments and Run-Ons
Marshall, Helaine W.; DeCapua, Andrea
CATESOL Journal, v21 n1 p175-184 2009-2010
Many students who are nonnative speakers of English, yet highly proficient, are placed into basic writing or English as a Second Language courses when they enter college. While these students may have advanced oral English proficiency, their writing frequently suffers from a lack of training in academic writing and commonly contains fragments and run-ons, a frustrating sentence-level problem for these students. A review of current writing texts uncovered a general failure to treat these problems as a sentence-boundary issue. The approach taken here is that such students will be able to monitor their writing for incorrectly formed sentences if given a system designed to help them understand English sentence structure. The key concept is "Glue," a term used for all clause markers. Working through exercises, in which they label the "Glue" and systematically identify fragments, run-ons, and complete sentences, students see a system emerging, which brings them to an understanding of English written conventions. Using "Glue," the students gain control of their writing and are able to avoid fragments and run-ons.
Descriptors: English Language Learners, Writing Instruction, Sentence Structure, Two Year College Students, Community Colleges, Writing Exercises, Teaching Methods, College Instruction
CATESOL. P.O. Box 9200-338, Fountain Valley, CA 92708. Tel: 714-907-4033; Fax: 888-832-0501; e-mail: catesoljournal@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.catesoljournal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Two Year Colleges; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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