Using commas in relative clauses

I’ve noticed that a couple of very proficient German students of mine are not sure when to use commas in long sentences in their English essays so today I am referring you all to a helpful page from that great site The OWL at Purdue University which talks about commas. There are a few rules, but I don’t think they are too complex. One of the simpler rules which students often forget about is the one about using commas with non-essential elements in a sentence, and not using commas with essential elements in a sentence.

Let’s have an example:
1. My sister, who works in IT, is coming to visit me tomorrow.
2. The person who is speaking is my sister.
In sentence 1 I hope you can see that the clause ‘who works in IT’ is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. It is just a bit of extra information about my sister, the important information is that she is coming to visit me. Because this is a non-essential element in the sentence we use commas (this is called a non-defining relative clause). In sentence 2 the clause ‘who is speaking’ is essential to the understanding of the sentence as it defines which person is my sister. It is an essential element in the sentence (called a defining relative clause). Take a look at this good page from Purdue and read about this and other uses of commas. Enjoy!

More about articles

I have been reading, marking and correcting a lot of student work recently and I continue to be interested in the mistakes that students make with articles. Unfortunately my students do not seem to be quite so entertained with the use of articles in English! Really high level students often have gaps in their understanding of the article system in English and sometimes mistakes with articles are the only ones they make. The webpage I am showing you today offers an interesting approach to the study of articles. What I like about this page is that it does not try to tell you lots of rules which you won’t be able to remember. First of all it says that an understanding of the article system develops over a long period of time. This development can be stimulated by noticing what you read and referring to the notes on this page as you read. There are some interesting thoughts on how articles are used depending on your meaning and the type of noun. There is also a flow chart which you can follow to help you find which article you should be using. The page, which comes from the University of North Carolina, is here.

Have a good holiday!

Today’s link is NOT to a site where you can practise your Academic English skills. It is a site where you can practise listening to everyday British English and get a better idea of what the British are like. Many of the students I meet at university find it difficult to meet and interact with British students for a number of reasons -for example they don’t feel confident with their English or they don’t know what to talk about. The site that I am showing you today is a BBC site called Video Nation just packed full of British people talking about themselves. It’s a fascinating glimpse into British people’s lives and their outlook on the world. It’s great language practise and a culture lesson too. Video Nation is here.

Your language skills are better than ours!

Today I am showing you another study skills link. Do read it carefully. What I’ve noticed about students who are successful at university is that they have good habits. Let me give you an example of this. The other day in one of my classes we discussed the arguments for and against capital punishment. I encouraged each student to give his or her opinion and to justify it. I noticed that one student in particular was listening really carefully and making notes of what the other students were saying. This student was collecting ideas all the time! Language teachers often rephrase things that students have said, putting them into words that native speakers would use. I noticed that this student was making notes when I did this too, but some students were simply listening, while another couple were looking out the window! Who do I think will write the best essay?! My point is that getting good marks is not a matter of chance, but a result of good study habits which anyone can adopt. Check out the study skills self-help pages at Virginia Tech.