Grammar to Get Things Done

<p><strong>CO-PUBLISHED BY ROUTLEDGE AND THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH</strong></p><p><em>Grammar to Get Things Done</em> offers a fresh lens on grammar and grammar instruction, designed for middle and secondary pre-service and in-service English teachers. It shows how <i>form, function, </i>and <i>use</i> can help teachers move away from decontextualized grammar instruction (such as worksheets and exercises emphasizing rule-following and memorizing conventional definitions) and begin considering grammar in applied contexts of everyday use. </p><p>Modules (organized by units) succinctly explain common grammatical concepts. These modules help English teachers gain confidence in their own understanding while positioning grammar instruction as an opportunity to discuss, analyze, and produce language for real purposes in the world. An important feature of the text is attention to both the history of and current attitudes about grammar through a sociocultural lens, with ideas for teachers to bring discussions of language-as-power into their own classrooms. </p> <p>Preface</p><p>Acknowledgments</p><p>Chapter One: Introduction</p><p>Defining Grammar</p><p>Grammar</p><p>Usage</p><p>Mechanics</p><p>A Very Short History of Grammar and Usage in the English Language</p><p>A Very Short History of Modern Grammar Instruction</p><p>Approaches to Grammar: Prescriptive, Descriptive, and Rhetorical</p><p>Prescriptive and Descriptive Grammars</p><p>Rhetorical Grammar</p><p>How We Address Grammar(s) in This Book</p><p>Why Definitions?</p><p>Form, Function, and Use</p><p>Parts of Speech or Lexical Categories?</p><p>The Goal For All: Metalinguistic Awareness</p><p>References</p><p>Chapter Two: Grammar and Power</p><p>What is Standard English?</p><p>Moralizing Language</p><p>Grammar(s) and Power, Society, and Identity</p><p>Power</p><p>Society</p><p>Identity</p><p>Critical Awareness and Grammar Instruction</p><p>Further Reading</p><p>References</p><p>Chapter Three: Teaching Grammar Intentionally</p><p>Grammar as an Integrated Element of Broader Design</p><p>Authority, Control, and Punishment (Sample Integrated Unit #1)</p><p>Specific Grammar Concepts for This Unit</p><p>Passive (and Active) Voice</p><p>Sentence Modifiers: Absolute Phrases</p><p>What Counts as Intelligence (Sample Integrated Unit #2)</p><p>Specific Grammar Concepts for This Unit</p><p>"To Be" Verbs and Sentence Forms</p><p>Complex Sentence Structures</p><p>How to Plan for Specific Grammar Integration</p><p>Correction and Grammar Instruction: Using Student Work Diagnostically</p><p>General Issues and What They Mean</p><p>Passage- and Paragraph-Level Patterns and What They Mean</p><p>Choppy</p><p>Awkward or Disorganized</p><p>Vague or Underdeveloped</p><p>Context Unclear</p><p>Redundant</p><p>Wordy</p><p>Sentence-Level Patterns and What They Mean</p><p>Run-Ons, Splices, and Fragments</p><p>Agreement Issues</p><p>Word Choice</p><p>Punctuation Issues</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>References</p><p>Chapter Four: Grammatical Concepts</p><p>Introduction: What It Is, and What It Ain't</p><p>Structure of Chapter Four</p><p>Limitations of Chapter Four</p><p>Unit One: Sentences and Sentence Types</p><p>The Sentence</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form and Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with the Sentence</p><p>Scenario 1: Food Fight</p><p>Scenario 2: Gotta Get That Money</p><p>Scenario 3: Different Kinds of Bosses</p><p>Non-Sentences and Their Uses</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Fragments and Function</p><p>Single Words</p><p>Phrases and Other Phenomena</p><p>Clauses</p><p>Fragments in Use</p><p>Run-ons and Function</p><p>Run-ons in Use</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Non-Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Fragments and Run-Ons</p><p>Scenario 1: Ghost Stories</p><p>Scenario 2: Thirty Seconds of Face Time</p><p>Scenario 3: Advertising Your Town</p><p>Scenario 4: Remixing the Mocking Run-On</p><p>Simple Sentences</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Simple Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Simple Sentences</p><p>Scenario 1: Testify</p><p>Scenario 2: Honest and Direct</p><p>Scenario 3: A Real Apology</p><p>Scenario 4: Ending a Relationship</p><p>Compound Sentences and Conjunctions</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Yet, For, and Nor</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Compound Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Compound Sentences</p><p>Scenario 1: Justice For All</p><p>Scenario 2: Science Fiction Point-Counterpoint</p><p>Scenario 3: Making a Deal</p><p>Scenario 4: The Ironic "Yet"</p><p>Scenario 5: The Memorable Well-Balanced Line</p><p>Scenario 6: The Dramatic Reason or Consequence</p><p>Complex Sentences</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Complex Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Complex Sentences</p><p>Scenario 1: Friday Night Plans</p><p>Scenario 2: Carlee’s Concoctions</p><p>Scenario 3: Spirit Friday</p><p>Scenario 4a: Storybook Summarizer</p><p>Scenario 4b: Album Blurbs</p><p>Compound-Complex Sentences</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Compound-Complex Sentences are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Compound-Complex Sentences</p><p>Scenario 1: Junk Food in School</p><p>Scenario 2: Whiffleball Guidelines</p><p>Scenario 3: Youth Court Judge</p><p>Scenario 4: Who’s the Winner</p><p>Active and Passive Voice</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Verb Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Active Voice is Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Passive Voice is Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Avoiding blame or guilt</p><p>Emphasizing a different subject for a particular reason</p><p>News reporting</p><p>Distancing the doer intentionally for political reasons</p><p>Experimenting with Passive Voice</p><p>Scenario 1: Grandpa’s (Formerly) Fine Ride</p><p>Scenario 2: Party Post-Mortem</p><p>Scenario 3: Fixing Headlines</p><p>Scenario 4: Apology or Non-Apology?</p><p>Unit Two: Clauses</p><p>Dependent Clauses</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Adverbial Clauses</p><p>Dependent Clause Relationships</p><p>Punctuating Adverbial Clauses</p><p>Adjectival Clauses</p><p>Punctuating Adjectival Clauses</p><p>Nominal Clauses</p><p>Subjects</p><p>Objects of the Preposition</p><p>**A Quick Refresher: Definitions of Direct Objects and Subject Complements**</p><p>Subject Complements</p><p>Direct Objects</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Dependent Clauses are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Dependent Clauses</p><p>Specific Function: Concession</p><p>Scenario 1a: Lucas Needs Help</p><p>Scenario 1b: Pleading For Leniency</p><p>Specific Function: Contrast</p><p>Scenario 2a: You’re Wearing That?!</p><p>Scenario 2b: Adopting a Role</p><p>Specific Function: Reason</p><p>Scenario 3: Let’s Make a Deal</p><p>Specific Function: Condition</p><p>Scenario 4: No More Bankrolling</p><p>Unit Three: Phrases</p><p>Appositive Phrases</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form and Function</p><p>Punctuation and Appositives</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Appositive Phrases are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Appositive Phrases</p><p>Scenario 1: Exposing the Truth</p><p>Scenario 2: Condensing the Details</p><p>Scenario 3: Piling on the Description</p><p>Participial Phrases</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Punctuation and Participial Phrases</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Participials are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Implication</p><p>Specificity</p><p>Causation</p><p>Experimenting with Participial Phrases</p><p>Scenario 1: Game Designer</p><p>Scenario 2: Stage Director</p><p>Scenario 3: The Impact of Experience</p><p>Scenario 4a: Helping People Make the Connection, Part 1</p><p>Scenario 4b: Helping People Make the Connection, Part 2</p><p>Absolute Phrases</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>What to Remember</p><p>Function</p><p>Explaining a Cause or Condition</p><p>Adding Detail or a Focal Point</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Absolute Phrases are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Absolute Phrases</p><p>Scenario 1: Game Designer</p><p>Scenario 2: Encounter with Fame (A Celebrity, Politician, or Athlete)</p><p>Scenario 3: Moment of Growth</p><p>Gerunds</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Gerunds are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Gerunds</p><p>Scenario 1: Xtreme Adventures</p><p>Scenario 2: Viral Meme Creation</p><p>Scenario 3: Helping the Noobs</p><p>Infinitives</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Dangling Infinitives</p><p>Function</p><p>Infinitives as Adjectives</p><p>Infinitives as Adverbs</p><p>Infinitives as Nouns</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Infinitives are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Infinitives</p><p>Scenario 1: Sometimes Tentative is Good</p><p>Scenario 2: The Villain’s Speech</p><p>Scenario 3: The Artist Inside</p><p>Prepositions</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>The Prepositional Phrase</p><p>Common Prepositions</p><p>Function</p><p>Adverbially and Adjectivally</p><p>Prepositions or Subordinating Conjunctions?</p><p>Never End a Sentence With a Preposition…</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Prepositions are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Prepositions</p><p>Scenario 1a: The Secret Party</p><p>Scenario 1b: The Virtual Reality Challenge</p><p>Scenario 2: How to Respond?</p><p>Scenario 3: The Suggestive Title</p><p>Unit Four: Lexical Categories</p><p>Nouns</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Subjects</p><p>Objects of the Preposition</p><p>Direct Objects</p><p>Indirect Objects</p><p>Object Complements</p><p>Subject Complements</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Nouns are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Nominalization</p><p>Noun Versatility</p><p>Adjectives Acting as Nouns</p><p>Verbs Acting as Nouns</p><p>Experimenting with Nouns</p><p>Scenario 1: Titles That Pop</p><p>Scenario 2: The Power of Summary</p><p>Scenario 3: A Primer for Beginners</p><p>Action Verbs</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form and Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Action Verbs are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Verbs for Precision and Connotation</p><p>Atypical Verbs and Their Possibilities</p><p>Proper Nouns Used as Verbs</p><p>Experimenting with Action Verbs</p><p>Scenario 1: Communicating the Intangibles</p><p>Scenario 2: Degrees of Exaggeration and Understatement</p><p>Scenario 3: Meme Hunting</p><p>Scenario 4: Energetic Film Titles</p><p>Scenario 5a: Sports Writing</p><p>Scenario 5b: Reporting on a Sporting Event</p><p>Scenario 5c: Researching Sports Reporting Language</p><p>Other Verbs</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Active Verbs: Transitive and Intransitive</p><p>Transitive Verbs and Direct Objects</p><p>Transitive Verbs and Indirect Objects</p><p>Intransitive Verbs</p><p>Linking Verbs</p><p>Modals (one type of Helping Verb)</p><p>Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Verbs are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Other Verbs</p><p>Scenario 1: Remixing Slogans</p><p>Scenario 2: Careful with Advice</p><p>Scenario 3: Softening the Criticism</p><p>Adjectives</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives (Gradable Adjectives)</p><p>Funner, or More Fun?</p><p>Function</p><p>Subject Complements</p><p>Object Complements</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Adjectives are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Moving from Adjectives to Participles (Academic Language)</p><p>Converting Adjectives to Action Verbs</p><p>Getting More Precise</p><p>Proper Nouns as Adjectives</p><p>Experimenting with Adjectives</p><p>Scenario 1: Wild Water</p><p>Scenario 2: Family Style</p><p>Scenario 3: Saucy Business</p><p>Adverbs</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form and Function</p><p>Adverbs of Manner</p><p>Adverbs of Place</p><p>Adverbs of Frequency</p><p>Adverbs of Time</p><p>Adverbs of Purpose</p><p>Adverbs of Condition</p><p>Modifying More Than Verbs</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Adverbs are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Adverbs</p><p>Scenario 1: Science Lab with Chet</p><p>Scenario 2: Refining Your Career Interests</p><p>Scenario 3: Kebe is So Mysterious</p><p>Scenario 4: It’s Over</p><p>Pronouns</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Personal Pronouns</p><p>Its and It’s, Me and I</p><p>Demonstrative Pronouns</p><p>Reciprocal Pronouns</p><p>Interrogative Pronouns</p><p>Indefinite Pronouns</p><p>Reflexive Pronouns</p><p>Relative Pronouns</p><p>The Trouble with Whom</p><p>Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Pronouns are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Repetition, Tone, and Voice</p><p>Determiners</p><p>Experimenting with Pronouns</p><p>Scenario 1: Bringing the People Together</p><p>Scenario 2: Updating the Creed</p><p>Scenario 3: Shaping the Scene</p><p>Unit Five: Punctuation</p><p>Colons</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form and Function</p><p>Colon Function #1</p><p>Colon Function #2</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Colons are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Colons</p><p>Scenario 1: The Power of Lists</p><p>Scenario 2: Defining a Term</p><p>Scenario 3: The Final Reason</p><p>Semicolons</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form and Function</p><p>Semicolon Function #1</p><p>Semicolon Function #2</p><p>Semicolon Function #3</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Semicolons are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Semicolons</p><p>Scenario 1: Deep Dive Into Detail</p><p>Scenario 2: Defending Your Honor</p><p>Scenario 3: Elaborating on an Idea</p><p>Scenario 4: Analyzing Political Posturing</p><p>Dashes</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Dashes and Parentheses</p><p>Dashes and Dialogue</p><p>Dashes vs Hyphens</p><p>Function</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Dashes are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Dashes</p><p>Scenario 1: Recreating the Moment</p><p>Scenario 2: It’s All in the Details</p><p>Scenario 3: Defending Donnie</p><p>Hyphens</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form</p><p>Function</p><p>Modifying Nouns</p><p>Connecting Numbers</p><p>Describing Age</p><p>Joining Words to Create a New Concept</p><p>Adding Affixes</p><p>Hyphen Caveats</p><p>Typical Form Exercises</p><p>Focusing on Use: How Hyphens are Useful in Actual Communication</p><p>Experimenting with Hyphens</p><p>Scenario 1: Harry Hates Hyphens</p><p>Scenario 2: Destroying Some Stereotypes</p><p>Scenario 3: Gaming Lingo</p><p>Commas</p><p>Overview</p><p>Form and Function</p><p>Specific Comma Functions</p><p>References</p><p>Appendix</p><p>Innate Understandings</p><p>Suffixes</p><p>Grammar Rants</p><p>Language and Power</p><p>Language and Society/Language and Identity</p><p>Grammar(s) of Their Worlds</p><p>Open and Closed Word Classes</p><p>Analyzing Grammar in Chunks</p><p>Punctuation</p><p>More Thematic Units</p><p>References</p>