Of course, this is correct. 

*******************************************
We expect any piece of good writing to "hold together" as a text, and to
be recognizable as fulfilling the functions that readers expect that
type of text to fulfill in a way they can process (and, one hopes,
like).
*****************
And, of course, nobody, not even our students, thinks that their texts
don't "hold together."
Part of the problem is that our students don't have a good sense of
being a reader who doesn't have all the knowledge the writer has.  It is
for this reason that the notion of audience awareness is important in
writing instruction.

If we try to read our students' texts from their perspective (and I
would argue that we must if we are to comment on their grammatical
choices), then there is a problem with the following statement.

**************************************
 A lot of that has to do with grammatical choices - and (partly
contra Yates, here) they're the type of grammatical choices that go well
beyond what we normally think of as instinctual knowledge of language.
*************************************

To label the grammar choices students make as inappropriate, wrong, or
unprincipled is based on our perspective as writing teachers; however,
from the writers' perspective, the grammar choices seem perfectly
appropriate and principled.

***************************
Native English-speakers know to put "the" before a noun, not after, and
know implicitly how to make passives, but they frequently don't know
whether using one or not is the best idea in a particular paragraph.
 ******************************

I have been looking at the inappropriate passive constructions (in other
words, constructions that I would have made active) in my students'
writing this semester.  I find their passives principled, but it is not
a principle that is the one to apply in this particular context.  For
the most part, the passives that I have commented on seem to be ways for
the student to announce a new topic in the text.  The passive allows
this new topic to be in a focused position.  

The point here is that we MUST see our students as principled language
users.  When we find their grammar choices are not appropriate from our
perspective, we have to figure out what inappropriate principles they
have that lead them to these inappropriate choices.  After all,
instructions has to begin where the student is at and not where we would
like the student to be.  

Bob Yates, Central Missouri State University

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/