Foundations of Adult Learning Theory -week 6

How to deconstruct a sentence/A Syntactical Analysis

While effective communication is the glue that binds civilization, bad grammar and syntax damage a professional’s credibility (Collier, 2015). Effective written communication includes clear and concise sentences free from dangling modifiers, run-on sentences, comma splices, and other annoying grammar errors. This course presents a procedure for deconstructing a sentence, identifying the elements of the sentence, and determining the most effective means of reconstructing the sentence to eliminate grammar errors and maximize its effectiveness.

Learning Outcome and Benefits

Although the basics of effective written communication is taught in high school, many adults leave high school and enter college or the workforce with inadequate written communication skills. Both reading and writing require a good understanding of the rules of grammar, especially syntax. This course is designed for those participants who strive to improve their reading comprehension and writing skills. By the end of this course, participants will be able to read any sentence and identify the clause or clauses of the sentence, recognize the subject and predicate of the sentence, and pinpoint the phrases that modify the other elements of the clause. With this knowledge, the participants will be able to analyze their own writings, determine the most effective way of arranging the words and phrases of the sentence, and revise the sentence accordingly.

Method Of Delivery

This course is designed as an asynchronous, video-based course with online quizzes to measure progress. A forum will be available for participants to ask questions, share ideas, and learn from each other. The asynchronous nature of this course will allow participants to participate at their own convenience. The online quizzes will permit the participants to track their progress and identify areas needing additional attention. Participants can review any material in the course that they feel needs more attention.

Technology and Material

Participants of this course will need to connect to the internet, register for the course, and login to a WordPress Learning Management System (LMS). After logging in, the participants begin the first lesson or work on the last lesson taken. Participants may retake and review any previous lessons or jump ahead to more advanced lessons depending on the individual participants’ level of understanding.

A step-by-step procedure will guide the participants to logically deconstruct the sentence by first identifying the conjugated verbs, determining the subject of the conjugated verbs, and breaking the sentence down to its clauses. Next, the main clause will be identified, and the subordinate clauses will be analyzed to determine their purpose to the main clause. Each subordinate clause intends to modify either a verb or noun in another clause.

The analysis will continue with each clause. Each phrase within each clause will be analyzed to determine its purpose. If the phrase modifies a noun or pronoun, then it is an adverbial phrase. If the phrase modifies a noun, then it is an adjective phrase.

Participants will read a piece of text or watch a corresponding video while pondering the questions posed in the lesson. For example, the text or video will present a sentence (e.g., “Jack and Jill ran up a hill to fetch a pail of water”) to analyze and then ask questions such as: What is(are) the conjugated verb(s) in this sentence? The participants are asked to ponder this question before learning the answer. The answer in the above example sentence would be – ran. The next question might ask: What is(are) the subject of the conjugated verb(s). Of course, the correct answer would be – Jack and Jill.

As the lesson progresses, the sentences become more complicated. Complex sentences with many clauses will challenge the participants to think about their own understanding of the text. Many sentences will be taken from famous writings in the public domain. Other sentences will be taken from writings of the designer of this course. By understanding the elements of sentences written by famous writers, participants will be able to emulate those great authors and develop a writing style that will make writing more effective and entertaining.

Finally, participants will be asked to deconstruct poorly written and erroneous sentences, and then reconstruct those sentences to make them error free and more effective. They will be able to identify dangling modifiers, run on sentences, sentence fragments and vague or otherwise ineffective sentences.

By the end of this course, participants can expect to be able to write professionally without errors or awkward sentence structure. Participants can expect to become great writers like the authors they emulate in the exercises. Furthermore, by taking this course, participants will gain a solid understanding of language in general. Participants will understand the essence a conjugated verb, the difference between direct and indirect objects, the purpose of relative clauses and subordinate clauses, and the different parts of speech. Such linguistic understanding will prepare participants to learn other foreign languages, thus breaking the language barriers, expanding cultural appreciation, and enriching their lives to the many fantistic people and cultures of this world (Nelson, 2020).

References

Collier, H. (2015). Bad grammar puts effective communication and your professional credibility at risk. Journal of Aesthetic Nursing, 4(1), 50.

Nelson, D. (2020, April 24). A guide to learning a new language. UWIRE Text, 1.