How important is it, really, to know how to parse words

[momofkhm]

by syllables?

 

Every time ds does this, he gets over 1/2 wrong. I understand you need to know so you can parse a word at the end of a line, but really, he's going to be typing so the program will send the word to the next line for him. He's 11, in 6th grade. He gets close, usually a letter off.

 

rec-ent-ly instead of re-cent-ly

ass-emble instead of as-sem-ble

ov-al instead of o-val

[Desert Rat]

I was confused a bit because my idea of parsing in finding the function of every word in the sentence. What you are describing is only relevent when writing long hand and needing to divide a word into 2 lines. I don't stress it here. I have a 6th grader, also. He tries to divide into syllables, but I don't mind if he doesn't get them all.

[forty-two]

IME it's important so that you can pronounce long words you only know from reading properly. I never learned how to divide syllables, and I'm forever having to censor my speaking because I don't know how to pronounce a word I learned from reading. Very frustrating and I feel so stupid every time. As I've been studying Latin and Greek, and learning to divide English syllables as I study up how to teach reading, I've gotten a lot better at getting the pronunciation right :thumbup:.

 

Dividing for pronunciation/spelling is a bit different than dividing for splitting the word at the end of the line - that specific application isn't so important to me, though I value dividing syllables in general.

[JenniferB]

I don't know if you "need" this skill, but I think it's nice to have.

 

If you know the rules, it's easier to divide words into syllables. Here's a website that explains them: http://www.phonicsontheweb.com/syllables.php