Grammar and Syntax Enhancement

Improving students' syntax requires explicit instruction, modeling, and practice. Here are some strategies I have used that align with evidence-based practices:  𝟭. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 🧩  • Scrambled Sentences: Teach parts of speech through directly working with sentences!  • Sentence Types: Guide students through simple, compound, and complex sentences.   • Syntax Manipulation: Show how changing word order affects meaning.  𝟮. 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴  ➕ • Sentence Expansion: Start with a simple sentence and have students add details. (e.g., “The dog ran.” → “The big brown dog ran quickly down the street.”)   • Sentence Combining: Provide two short sentences and guide students in combining them using conjunctions or relative clauses.  𝟯. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿-𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 🌈 • Use color-coded parts of speech to help students visually organize sentence elements.   • Provide sentence frames and stems to support structured writing.  𝟰. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 📋  • Use cloze exercises where students fill in missing words.   • Have students correct sentence errors in a controlled setting before applying the skill in writing.  𝟱. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 🏃♀️  • Teach how prefixes, suffixes, and word roots affect syntax. (e.g., “She runs” vs. “She is running.”)   • Work on subject-verb agreement and tense consistency systematically.  𝟲. 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 🗣️  • Use dictation exercises where students listen and write grammatically correct sentences.   • Encourage recasting, where you model grammatically correct versions of students’ oral responses.  𝟳. 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 👷♂️  • Have students imitate well-structured sentences from mentor texts.   • Teach sentence deconstruction, where they break down complex sentences to understand structure.  𝟴. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 🧠 • Guide students through sentence-level revision activities.   • Provide sentence variety checklists to encourage diverse structures in writing.  🤔❓What are some of your favorite strategies or activities for teaching syntax?

Often my first year BBA students who scored in 90s and 80s in english in class 12 feel surprised when I give them constructive feedback on their writing and they realise there is so much to work on. Academic writing as a professional is all about creating an impact via using clear and concise sentence structures and working towards bringing emphasis, unity and coherence in your writing. Here are five basic tips to Improve your academic writing: 🎯1. Use ACTIVE VOICE: Don’t Write: “This policy has been supported by our organization.” Instead write: “Our organisation supported this policy.“ 🎯2. Avoid ROUNDABOUT sentence constructions: There are many ways to write a thing. Use direct and shorter ways instead of roundabout constructions. Don’t write: “The president is of the opinion that the tax was paid.” Instead write: “The president believes the tax was paid.” 🎯3. Avoid REPETITION: Sometimes to add length or out of habit also we repeat words or ideas, also known as redundancies, must be avoided. Don’t write : "We must assemble together at 10:30 AM in the morning.” Instead write: “We must assemble at 10:30 AM.” 🎯4. Use the WORDS you know: We don’t need to to use big words to influence our readers. It is always advisable to be clear and use simple language rather than showing off fancy words you aren't sure about and probably misusing them. However, that does not imply, you should settle for very weak vocabulary choices. 🎯5. GRAMMAR matters: Working towards grammar and punctuations in your writing will make your work clearer, more readable and credible. Happy Learning🍀✨ #academicwriting #businesscommunication #corporatecommunication

This one's for writers and editors alike. Because we all want to make our sentences readable, don't we? ⭐️ Turn noun phrases into verbs. ⭐️ Think: management of > managing automation of > automating development of > developing ▶️ Use cases include management and exploitation of data. ✅ Use cases include managing and exploiting data. ▶️ We are responsible for the automation of tasks and the development of incentive models. ✅ We are responsible for automating tasks and developing incentive models. (I'd cut this further: We automate tasks and develop incentive models.) ⭐️ The verbs are easier on both the eye and the ear, aren't they? ⭐️ (This will also help you if you're close to your total word count.) I've just come across "ownership of a mobile phone" in a piece I'm working on. The content is technical, but the organisation don't have a stiff tone, so I changed it to "owning a mobile phone". If you're a non-restricted writer and editor: 💃🏻 Let your readers sashay through your syntax!

Overcoming Language & Grammar Barriers in Academic Writing Strong academic writing is essential for ensuring your research is understood, respected, and impactful. However, language and grammar barriers can often stand in the way of clear communication. Here’s how you can improve your academic writing: ✅ Recognize the Importance of Clear Writing Effective writing enhances clarity, credibility, and publication success. 💡 Example: A non-native English speaker refining their manuscript for clarity before submission. ✅ Use Writing Tools & Resources Leverage AI tools and style guides to improve your grammar and structure. 💡 Example: Running your research paper through Grammarly for grammar checks. ✅ Seek Feedback from Peers & Experts External feedback helps refine complex concepts and improves readability. 💡 Example: Collaborating with a mentor to enhance scientific clarity. ✅ Continuously Improve Your Writing Skills Practice makes perfect! Regular reading, writing, and academic courses can strengthen your skills. 💡 Example: Taking an online writing course to refine academic writing. 🚨 Pitfalls to Avoid: ⚠️ Overusing complex jargon instead of writing concisely. ⚠️ Relying solely on translation tools without proofreading. ⚠️ Ignoring journal-specific formatting and style guidelines. 👉 What are your go-to strategies for improving academic writing? Share in the comments! Follow Muhammad for more tips