Craig points out that good writers sometimes use the same start in five sentences in a row.  When our lower-level students do this, is it because they feel that this style is most effective for expressing their ideas, or is it because they are unaware of alternative possibilities?

 

Craig also points out that "given is almost always first and new is almost always last."  Can't this be done using a variety of styles?  Using Craig's sample about the sick dog and grades, a student could write, "My dog is sick.  His sickness is worrying me.  This is affecting my grades."  We could encourage the student to use variety, in which case she might write, "My dog is sick.  Because of its condition, I am worried.  As a result, my grades are getting worse."  Unless we make students aware that there are a variety of styles to choose from and how they can be effectively used, they will never get to the point of realizing that there are situations in which starting five sentences in a row with a subject may be their optimal choice.

 

I agree with Susan in that students need exposure to and practice with a wide variety of sentence beginnings.  We may even tell them that for practice (in, for example, an isolated paragraph-level task), the majority of their sentences should not start with the subject.  After they have learned these, they'll be able to decide which structures are most effective for explaining their ideas.

 

 Dave Kehe

Bellingham, WA

 

 


________________________________

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of Craig Hancock
Sent: Tue 5/26/2009 5:47 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Sentences beginning with conjunctions



Susan,
   I believe our teaching practices should be based on a solid
understanding of how language works. If we tell students that varying
sentence openings (using something other than the subject as opening)is
a goal of good writing, then we should find a high number of those
variations in excellent writing. The truth is that we don't.
    As an explanation for your motivation, you mentioned that students
sometimes keep the same subject for as much as five sentences in a
row. Again, I tried to point out that good writers do this quite
often. I mentioned Frost's "Acquainted with the Night", which starts
every sentence with "I have", copied in the opening to Leslie Silko's
much anthologized "Yellow Woman" to show that the great majority of
the sentences started with "I", many of them consecutively, and copied
a passage from Obama's heralded speech on race to show how he
effectively repeats the same subject or same subject opening for long
stretches of text. I don't mean to imply that you are dealing with
mature writers, but starting sentences with the subject and repeating
sentence openers can be thought of as the mark of a mature style.
   There are good reasons for this. If you look at information flow in a
text (given/new), given is almost always first and new is almost always
last. The most important function of a sentence opener (usually the
subject for good writers) is not variation, but continuity. The opening
establishes connection with what went before. One obvious way to
accomplish that is to repeat openings. Good writers exploit repetition
for these purposes. Inexperienced writers tend to move on much too
quickly.
   The one place we agree, I think, is that a number of different
structures can act as the subject of a sentence and students should
have those available as resources. I believe they should be used for
continuity, though, not for variation.
   I think we have gotten confused from time to time about what kind of
variation we are talking about. A variation of subject is one. A
variation of the kinds of structures that can act as subject is
another. A variation of the kinds of structures that open sentences is
another.
    Christensen's essay seems to me good argument for expecting that most
sentences will start with the subject and that when we have variation
form that (about 25% of the time), those will usually be simple
adverbials.
   As a more direct answer to your question, I believe it is harmful to
imply to students that good writers try to vary their sentence
openings. I spend more time with my students trying to get them to see
how good writers use repetition, including a repetition of subjects, to
build coherence into texts.
   I'm glad you can understand this as a discussion about good teaching
practices, not a personal criticism.

Craig

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