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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