Scott,

I believe passive voice is one of those constructions, too.

Children at 5 or below see the grammatical subject as the actor---which makes some sense considering the nature of most English syntax.

Marshall

________________________________
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Woods
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 11:53 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Developmental phases of grammar knowledge

Dear List,

I have read that some constructions do not appear in student writing until they are at the right age.  I do not recall where I read this, but it seems to go against my experience, specifically, as I recall, the claim that absolute phrases do not show up until students are around 16.   Has anyone else read anything like this?  Does anyone have any references for this? Is this a widespread idea?

Scott Woods


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