I. Introduction: Thinking in Terms of Linguistics

• What are the goals of this course?

• What is linguistics and syntax?

• What does Noam Chomsky’s Syntactic Structures tell us about the nature of language?

• What is the difference between descriptive and prescriptive grammar?

 

II. Parts of Speech

• What is a noun, adverb, pronoun, adjective, conjunction, and how do we identify them?

• How are parts of speech used in writing vs. in speech?

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III. Phrases, Clauses, Conjunctions

• How do we group words together?

• According to our sentences, how do we choose the right punctuation? Dashes? Colons? Commas? 

 

IV. New/Old Flow: Insights from Semantics

• How does the placement of the subject or object affect the role of a sentence?

• What is the role of a pronoun?

• How do we deliberately use passive and active voice?

• How do we judge whether or not antecedents are overt?

• How do we remedy the curse of knowledge?

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V. Groups of Sentences

• How do parallel structures increase cohesion and clarity?

• How do we use our knowledge of POSes to use repetition?

• How do the lengths of sentences in a paragraph impact their coherence?

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VI. Sentences at the Service of your Essay

• Why are the introduction and conclusion sentences crucial in maintaining coherence?

• How do we frame our essay to fit an argument?

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