Readers really do need some level of awareness of syntax to get themselves out of fixes when things aren’t clicking, moments when sense-making is disrupted, confusing, disturbing our customary fluency and progress. But I’m not sure how often or how deeply typical readers make full use of this cueing system. Part of it is the bad rap grammar instruction out of context has gotten in research on composition. Nowadays it’s illegal to teach syntax as a cueing system in reading. Paradoxically, especially for microprocessing during comprehension, syntax can often be the last line of defense between helplessness and productivity during confusion.
Readability and Syntax
Readability and Syntax
Readability and Syntax
Readers really do need some level of awareness of syntax to get themselves out of fixes when things aren’t clicking, moments when sense-making is disrupted, confusing, disturbing our customary fluency and progress. But I’m not sure how often or how deeply typical readers make full use of this cueing system. Part of it is the bad rap grammar instruction out of context has gotten in research on composition. Nowadays it’s illegal to teach syntax as a cueing system in reading. Paradoxically, especially for microprocessing during comprehension, syntax can often be the last line of defense between helplessness and productivity during confusion.