Noguchi, Rei R野口勇REI R..pptVIP

The Emphasis Principle “Rethinking the Teaching of Grammar” by Rei R. Noguchi The English Record, Vol. 52(2), 2002, pp. 22-26 Teaching Grammar, especially the “drill and kill” type of instruction, may not improve the quality of grammar. Principles of Writing, Not Rules of Grammar, should be stressed when teaching expository writing. Grammar rules have limited effects. “Never place a preposition at the end of a sentence.” “Never use the passive voice.” Principles of Writing, however, hold true in many situations. The Emphasis Principle guides the entire writing process, from start to finish. The Emphasis Principle: A key idea is given emphasis by placing it at the end of a sentence. Key Ideas are accentuated Bill ate a ham sandwich yesterday for lunch. For lunch, Bill ate a ham sandwich yesterday. Yesterday for lunch, Bill ate a ham sandwich. The Emphasis Principle: When the key idea needs to be placed at the end of a sentence, the passive voice is permissible. Active versus Passive Voice The active voice is not always right. “Don’t write in the passive” can violate the Emphasis Principle. Active versus Passive Voice CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER: The audience wondered who would get the science award. Maria won it. It was won by Maria. Answer B is correct b. It was won by Maria. It refers to the science award, which is old information. Maria refers to the winner, which is new information. Prepositions and Emphasis Pre + position means “not last in the sentence.” This is the old Latin rule. Prepositions and Emphasis “Where is he at?” violates this Latin rule. “Where is he?” seems to solve the mystery. Prepositions and Emphasis Yet, “Where is he?” can be vague or ambiguous. “Where is he near?” “Where is he behind?” “Where is he next to?” The Emphasis Principle is an overarching principle that: (1) overrides Latin grammatical rules (2) guides sentence formation The Emphasis Principle (3) guides information in a para