SENTENCE PATTERN 1

Sentence Pattern 1 - Learning Activity for ESL Learners

Name of the Writers

Name of the Institution

Sentence Pattern 1 - Learning Activity for ESL Learners

Introduction

The ways and teaching of learning vary from one community to other community. Most of the researchers and practitioners overlooked the importance of methods of TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages). Although, the students undergo a number of challenges while acquiring second language. On the other hand, teachers are also required to devise effective learning activities for ESL learners based on characteristics of ESL learners to ensure that they acquire language.

ESL (English Secondary Language) students face many difficulties in understanding and acquiring the second language - English. The most prominent difficulty ESL learners' face is in understanding sentence patterns in the English language. Similarly, learners demonstrate varying styles, rates and patterns of acquisition.

The characteristics of learners are those that are specific to the ESL learners, such as personality, motivation, attitude, and learning strategies and styles. ESL learners have diverse cultural backgrounds and speak different languages, along with different educational backgrounds which reflect on their learning styles; for instance, some learners came into the category of auditory, visual, impulsive, reflective, kinesthetic learners. However, these learners do not or less knowledge regarding English grammar or sentence pattern.

Often, self-confident learners with extrovert personalities will try verbal communications in another language more rapidly than in shy persons, acceleration social change in the new setting. Characteristics of learner also influence the way a student reacts to a teaching setting and style, including the instructional style of the teacher and the informal/formal nature of the activities or classroom.

Discussion

English Sentence Pattern

In order to gain acquire any language (English), one of the basic steps is to have an understanding of sentence patterns. The key terms used in the sentence pattern are subject (S) - topic in a sentence; transitive verb (TV) - verb with a direct object; intransitive verb (IV) - verb without a direct object; direct object (DO) - pronoun or noun where the verb action is directed; indirect object (IO) - pronoun or noun obtaining the direct object; linking verb (LV) - verb that connects subjects and complement; subjective complement (SC) - a noun and adjective that explain the subject; and objective complement (OC) - a noun or adjective which explains the direct object (Halliday, 2002, pp. 18-98).

There are many sentence pattern based on types of verb such as, pattern of be, linking verb, transitive verb and intransitive verb. To instruct ESL learners, the learning activity starts with the “be” pattern. For example,

1.Learnersaredownstairs

(Subject)(Predictive verb) (Adverbial place)

NPbeADV/TP

2.The learnersarehard-working

(Subject)(Predictive verb) (Subject complement)

NPbeADJ

3.The learnersarescholars

(Subject)(Predictive verb) (Subject complement)

NP1beNP1

The “be” pattern is divided into three slots. The first slot contains the subject of a sentence, which functions as a subject topic and refers to a noun phrase. For instance, She is . . . , and The children are . . .

The second slot contains “be.” The “be” verb includes will be, was, are, or is.

Lastly, third slot include an ...