Thinking Through Grammar uses sentence combining to teach grammatical elements and how they can be used to effectively express ideas.

The recent Writing Next Report, published by the Alliance for Excellent Education with the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, examines elements of effective adolescent writing instruction.  Among these elements the report recommends sentence combining, especially as a means for teaching grammar.  Here is what the report says:

“. . . other instructional methods, such as sentence combining, provide an effective alternative to traditional grammar instruction, as this approach improves students’ writing quality while at the same time enhancing syntactic skills.  In addition, a recent study (Fern & Farnan, 2005) found that teaching students to focus on the function and practical application of grammar within the context of writing (versus teaching grammar as an independent activity) produced strong and positive effects on students’ writing.  Overall, the findings on grammar instruction suggest that, although teaching grammar is important, alternative procedures, such as sentence combining, are more effective than traditional approaches for improving the quality of students’ writing.”

One of the earliest innovations in the use of sentence combining to teach grammar is Arthur Whimbey’s Analyze, Organize, Write (1987, Lawrence Earlbaum Associates).   Since this early publication, Arthur Whimbey and writing partner Myra J. Linden have refined the method, most recently publishing Thinking Through Grammar (2006, BGF Performance Systems, LLC.), the most complete and effective program available that uses sentence combining to teach grammar.

With the introduction of new high school and college entrance exams, an emphasis has once again been placed on the grammar, proofreading, and editing skills of students. But, the focus on the importance of these skills does not stop at school.  In fact, “about half of private employers and more than 60% of state government employers say writing skills impact promotion decisions.” (National Commission on Writing, 2004, 2005).

Here are some examples from Thinking Through Grammar that show how sentence combining is used to teach grammar effectively.  The first is a sample intended to teach students to use adjectives to make their sentences more informative:

In the following exercise, rewrite the first sentence with the adjectives from the other sentences inserted before the nouns they modify.

The aroma of coffee in the morning helps awaken my brain.
The aroma is wonderful.
The coffee is fresh.
My brain is sleepy.

Answer: The wonderful aroma of fresh coffee in the morning helps awaken my sleepy brain.

Notice how the directions use the names of the parts of speech and the language of writing (adjectives, nouns, and modify). By the time students encounter this exercise they have already learned what these three terms mean. Therefore, teachers and students begin to share a common vernacular used to discuss writing.

Unlike in traditional grammar, students are taught conventional punctuation and capitalization in context, not in isolated chapters.  For example, many students have difficulty recognizing and punctuating appositives correctly.  However, after working through sentence combining exercises on appositives such as the one below, they master the standard conventions of appositive use.

Rewrite the first sentence with the information from the second sentence added as an appositive.

Mark Twain strengthened his writing skills by working as a newspaper reporter for many years.
Mark Twain is the author of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Answer: Mark Twain, the author of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, strengthened his writing skills by working as a newspaper reporter for many years.

Likewise, some students are not sure how to punctuate compound sentences.   But after learning to punctuate such sentences through doing sentence combining exercises like the one below, they master this punctuation concept as well.

Create a dependent clause from the first sentence by inserting when at the beginning.  Then combine the sentences with the dependent clause first.

The magician began sawing through the box containing his partner.
The audience became completely silent.

Answer: When the magician began sawing through the box containing his partner, the audience became completely silent.

Utilizing such a sentence combining program as Thinking Through Grammar relieves teachers from the extra work of having to come up with many hundreds of examples on their own and ensures that students are going to master the skills necessary to become effective writers.

Copyright © 2009 BGF Performance Systems LLC.