Paul,
I was
referring to Len in specific when I suggested that we continue off line.
By all means, let's continue the general discussion on line--if this group
doesn't voice objections in areas like this, we fail in our
obligations.
I did
not mean to imply that reading out loud is ineffective as a tool for checking
one's writing. There are places, as you so correctly note, where it is
very beneficial. My point is that it does not help when students are
trying to see if they need end-of-sentence punctuation or end-of-clause
punctuation because there is absolutely no differentiation between the two when
speaking.
Also,
as you correctly note, pauses or breaths are not reliable markers for
commas. Intonation, however, in conjunction with pauses, is much more
reliable. The voice drops before a comma and picks up afterwards.
Nevertheless, I am reminded of Oscar Wilde's quote: "I have spent most of
the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it
out."
John
I know John said to contact him off the list to continue this discussion,
but I thought this would be better continued on the list, unless you all
object. One point that John brings up in Item #2 below is that the test asks
students to read the sentences out loud. Generaly, this is not a bad idea --
I'm sure that I'm not the only teacher who recommends that the students read
their writing aloud; however, this is NOT a good way to check for punctuation
as several of the test prep models recommend.
If I had a dime for each time I reminded my students that
punctuation exists more for the eye than the ear, .......... !
Students make so many errors with commas, many because they think that a
comma should be placed wherever you take a pause or a breath, that bad
information like that supplied in the CAHSEE test-prep booklet is
counterproductive.
California, by the way, is notorious for these klinds of errors (no
offense to any of you California teachers -- I'm sure you did not write the
standards, these tests, this bad legislation, or the test-prep booklet). Has
anyone out there read Susan Ohanian's little book, _One Size Fits Few_? It has
a chapter on the California standards that she titles,
"Californication." It's a fascinating book.
Keep fighting to save education and our students from the
bureaucrats!
Paul