Further pondering on grammar and language.....

[Mommybostic]

After reading a very interesting thread about sentence diagramming, I started thinking about my own love of language arts, and my son's indifference to the same.

 

When you have been exposed to a lot of literature and studied (and loved) grammar, you gain the ability to look at a sentence, paragraph, etc., and know if it "sounds right." There was some discussion in the thread about good sentences. Like I said, a lot of the time one can simply read something and KNOW if it's a good sentence. So, here's my thought...can you teach that? I think of it almost like a naturally gifted musician who can hear a song and know the key, or know if something is not in key.

 

So how is this taught? For example, I think the following sentence is wonderful:

"We were old foes, this gate and I, and we faced each other for some moments in the silence."

 

I love the flow, the wording, the tone, everything. I read this to my son, and he says, "Ok, so what?" Is it something that can even BE taught, or do you simply teach the concepts and concede that your child will never love language the way you do? I intend to provide with him with all of the skills and knowledge necessary to use the English language effectively, but I'm still wondering about teaching enthusiasm and true love of a subject.

[Kalmia]

Here's my favorite (the best part is underlined): "The restive waters, the cold wet breath of the fog, are of a world in which man is an uneasy trespasser; he punctuates the night with the complaining groan and grunt of a foghorn, sensing the power and the menace of the sea." Rachel Carson.

 

What a strong and novel way of using the word punctuate!

 

My son loves playing with language and notices unusual and powerful structure and wording. I think it is because he is a rabid reader and not because of anything I have taught. If I had a more left-brained kid I'd try two things:

 

1. Begin each day with a short powerful quote from literature chosen for its beauty.

2. Tell jokes that hinge on a play on words

[Colleen in NS]

When you have been exposed to a lot of literature and studied (and loved) grammar, you gain the ability to look at a sentence, paragraph, etc., and know if it "sounds right." There was some discussion in the thread about good sentences. Like I said, a lot of the time one can simply read something and KNOW if it's a good sentence. So, here's my thought...can you teach that? I think of it almost like a naturally gifted musician who can hear a song and know the key, or know if something is not in key.

 

So how is this taught? For example, I think the following sentence is wonderful:

"We were old foes, this gate and I, and we faced each other for some moments in the silence."

 

I love the flow, the wording, the tone, everything. I read this to my son, and he says, "Ok, so what?" Is it something that can even BE taught, or do you simply teach the concepts and concede that your child will never love language the way you do? I intend to provide with him with all of the skills and knowledge necessary to use the English language effectively, but I'm still wondering about teaching enthusiasm and true love of a subject.

 

I think that kids can learn to appreciate nice-sounding language, through excellent reading and through hearing excellent reading read aloud, excellently. :D My kids listen to "books on CD," and I try to find literature that is a bit above their own silent reading level, but that they will enjoy listening to. Good read-alouds draw them in, esp. if they like the way the narrator reads.

 

I find that since my kids have been exposed to good books and read-alouds, the grammar and writing training both reflect and support knowing a good sentence.

[Kuovonne]

So how is this taught? For example, I think the following sentence is wonderful:

"We were old foes, this gate and I, and we faced each other for some moments in the silence."

 

I love the flow, the wording, the tone, everything. I read this to my son, and he says, "Ok, so what?" Is it something that can even BE taught, or do you simply teach the concepts and concede that your child will never love language the way you do?

 

I think the key in being able to *teach* an appreciation of a subject is truly understanding why it works. For example, you like the flow of that sentence. However do you know *why* the sentence flows? If you can explain why the sentence works, instead of just giving examples of sentences that work, it will be easier for your student to understand and create his own beautiful sentences.

 

One of my best English teachers had his students make comments on each others papers. However, we couldn't just say we liked a paper; we had to give explicit reasons why we liked it. We couldn't just say something "sounded neat," we had to say we liked the alliteration or the parallel structure. Coming up with the reasons was incredibly difficult, but also incredibly helpful.

 

Many people will pick up an appreciation for good literature simply through repeated exposure, but you can accelerate the process, especially with an older student, by explaining what makes the great ones great.

Edited January 27, 2011 by Kuovonne

[Capt_Uhura]

Kuovonne, That is what struck me when listening to SWB explain about the Hobbit's sentence "In a whole in a ground lived a hobbit." I knew I loved the sentence but I didn't know why. Parsing the sentence and diagramming it, which made me then see the alternate sentence "A hobbit lived in a whole in the ground," really helped me to see why I love that sentence.

[Another Lynn]

I think that kids can learn to appreciate nice-sounding language, through excellent reading and through hearing excellent reading read aloud, excellently. :D My kids listen to "books on CD," and I try to find literature that is a bit above their own silent reading level, but that they will enjoy listening to. Good read-alouds draw them in, esp. if they like the way the narrator reads.

 

I find that since my kids have been exposed to good books and read-alouds, the grammar and writing training both reflect and support knowing a good sentence.

 

:iagree: Just as someone who never learned an instrument and never learned music theory might learn to appreciate beautiful music because they have listened to it so much.... so will kids appreciate beautiful language (at least to some degree) when they have heard it/read it continually. I agree with stretching them through read alouds or books on CD.

[Mommybostic]

I think the key in being able to *teach* an appreciation of a subject is truly understanding why it works. For example, you like the flow of that sentence. However do you know *why* the sentence flows? If you can explain why the sentence works, instead of just giving examples of sentences that work, it will be easier for your student to understand and create his own beautiful sentences.

 

One of my best English teachers had his students make comments on each others papers. However, we couldn't just say we liked a paper; we had to give explicit reasons why we liked it. We couldn't just say something "sounded neat," we had to say we liked the alliteration or the parallel structure. Coming up with the reasons was incredibly difficult, but also incredibly helpful.

 

Many people will pick up an appreciation for good literature simply through repeated exposure, but you can accelerate the process, especially with an older student, by explaining what makes the great ones great.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head by saying that explaining why it is a good sentence is very difficult. For example, there really isn't a lot of descriptive language in the sentence I gave as an example. There aren't adverbs or adjectives that jump out at you. It's just the tone--and the personification of the gate--that I like. That's difficult to explain, especially to my son.

 

I thought about having him pick some favorite passages or sentences out of whatever he might be reading at the time, and then we could talk about why he likes them. Right now he's reading The Silver Chair, so there should be some nice descriptive writing in there.

 

Another point to ponder--depending on the person, I suppose taste is always a factor, just like music!