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Syntax: Teaching Activities
Once you get in the habit, yourself, of looking at word order, you will realize how much the placement of a word in a sentence really does matter. Help your students see this. Make a game out of syntax. Consider the following two examples that appeared in an essay that was being read and discussed:
(1) His eyes retreated to the floor.
(2) They thought he was the teacher's pet.
Put your students into teams.
Ask questions such as, "What part of speech is the word retreated based on its placement in the above sentence?" (verb) "What part of speech is the word pet based on its placement in the above sentence?" (noun)
Then mix things up.
Ask questions such as, "What part of speech is the word retreat based on its placement in the following sentence: He went on a retreat." (noun) "What part of speech is the word pet based on its placement in the following sentence: "We pet the dog." (verb)
As you can see, a conversation about syntax works hand in hand with a discussion about grammar and vocabulary.