| Show JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT By Frank Colby Q My ry English class is intensely stimulated by your lively commonsense comI commonsense com com- I sense mon-sense way of teaching Now I will you please give us a lesson on sentence coherence coherence 1 Mrs T. T I Answer The subject is too inI involved in- in I for complete coverage in inI inthis I this thi modest space Let us then I discuss the commonest fault that fault that of misplacing words or phrases so as to produce sentences which I describe as loony logics News It Item e m Mrs Irs W. W was I trea treated ted at the hospital two hours before she fell for an overdose o of sleeping tablets Correct and logical logical logical log log- ical Two 1 hours before she fe fell Mrs rs W. W was treated Magazine story Calling the dog to his side Larry took the bird birdI I from Crom his mouth and placed it in inI I his pocket Better Calling Rover Roverto I to his side Larry took the bird from the dogs dog's mouth United Press Pres item Ruby Keeler Keeler Kee- Kee ler former movie dancer became a mother for the third time this week Correct This week Ruby Keeler former movie mO dancer gave birth to her third child Suggestion to teachers It Isn't necessary ary to go into a lot of in involved involved involved in- in grammar about antecedents antecedents antecedents dangling participial phrases misplaced gerund phrases etc Itis It Itis Itis is far more effective e to simply present a number of ot amusing I errors as found in various publications publications I point out the illogic of wild ild ildI I animals at the Rotary club etc I and have the students place the words in the proper order The Themore Themore Themore more ridiculous the errors are the themore themore themore more fun the class clas will have in correcting them What fun in the classroom By all means Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge Knowl Knowl- edge gained enjoyably always sticks slicks icks Incidentally a little fun would make t teachers teacher's e ch e 1 S day brighter too |
