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Syntax is the formation of sentences and grammatical rules (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2022)

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Syntax is important for ELL students for both conversation and academic learning, as the more correct a student's syntax is, the more a student's meaning can be understood. Syntax helps to make a student's oral and written language clearer and "sound right" (Weebly, n.d.). While it may be easier to orally understand an ELL with incorrect syntax, it is more difficult to understand written language of incorrect syntax.

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Syntax is important for ELL students to slowly master as they gain English language acquisition skills. ELL students will begin with minimal English syntax, as the primary purpose of oral language at the beginning of learning English is to communicate socially. Teachers can offer minimal corrections to the beginner syntax of ELL students that would change the meaning of the conversation. As the ELL students gain more oral communication skills, the teacher can begin correcting more syntax including pronouns (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2022)

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1. According to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, (2022), one activity that can be used to teach syntax, particularly pronouns, is by asking students a series of questions about a sentence. The example given by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, (2022) is the sentence "Our wet, hairy dog crawled under my bed during the thunderstorm". The purpose of asking questions is to determine if students understand word functions and to help correct students if they don't. Such questions include, "Who or what did it?", "What did it do?", "How many, which kind, which one?" and "Where, when, and how?" These questions can help students identify parts of a sentence necessary for speaking and writing a sentence with correct syntax. For students with lower English language acquisition, it might be helpful to only focus on one question, such as identifying the noun in a sentence, before moving on to the other parts of a sentence.

2. Another classroom activity that can help ELL students gain an understanding of syntax is by teaching students to elaborate sentences as well as combine choppy sentences Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, (2022). This is a more complex skill for ELL students, and students must be able to write sentences. For students with limited English language acquisition, it would be more beneficial to correct students orally, by asking them to elaborate on their sentence orally instead of writing.

3. One of the teaching activities that can be used for teaching syntax for students with a lower level of English language acquisition is encouraging students to listen and engage in English conversation, including read-alouds, peer work, play, and watching videos. Immersing students in the English language and encouraging the ELL students to practice their English among peers is a suggestion by

Weebly. (n.d.). However, while students are communicating in English, it is important that the teacher offers syntactical corrections based on the child's level of language acquisition. Students with limited English language acquisition should only be offered corrections that change the meaning of the conversation, while students with more language acquisition can be corrected based on sentence structure.

4. Another suggestion to teach syntax to ELL students bye

Weebly. (n.d.) is the exlplicit teaching of syntax through prepositions. Prepositions are often a difficult concept for ELL students to understand and would be a topic of discussion, not for early learners of English, but for students with a more advanced English language acquisition. Weebly, (n.d.) suggests teaching prepositions by the example of giving ideas of where a squirrel can go. For example, the squirrel can go in the tree, under the tree, on top of the tree, around the tree, etc..

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One at-home activity for ELL students and families is to explore literature, film, and audio-tapes, of the ELL family's ethnic and community dialects. Students and families can then translate the language from the literature or videos into English and look for similarities or differences in the syntax of both languages (Weebly, n.d.).

One free website that can be helpful for ELL students at home or at the library is called "Easy English Grammar Help." This website allows the student to explore syntax through various levels of difficulty.

https://www.englishgrammarhelp.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=274442109&gbraid=0AAAAADjGeGsS29yP8SpDv0D3V0dXl-8q0&gclid=CjwKCAjwqKzEBhANEiwAeQaPVZULkflpiqb9m2qHFBTeW1sL3mkDQ4P4iIBRbOtLUoejmTWhh_IILBoC3z8QAvD_BwE

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EnglishGrammarHelp.com teaches the basics of standard English grammar used in writing. It demonstrates the use of sentence structures, parts of speech, common errors, punctuation, clauses, and verb use.

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Semantics is the study of the meaning of language (Weeby, n.d.).

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Why Semantics is Important for Language and Academic Learning of ELLs

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Why Semantics is Important for Language and Academic Learning of ELLs

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Semantics is important for ELL students as the more they understand the meaning of English words, the clearer their meaning will be when communicating (Weebly, n.d.). According to Weeby, (n.d.) it can take 1-2 years for ELL students to be able to orally express themselves in English, but it can take 7 or more years for an ELL student to be able to express themselves in an academic language setting. With so many aspects of language meaning, it makes sense that it would take awhile for ELL students to fully be able to express themselves in both conversational and academic language settings.

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Classroom Activities to Practice Semantics

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Classroom Activities to Practice Semantics

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1. Idioms are extremely difficult for ELL students to understand. So when encountering idioms in text, these should be explicitly taught before reading text with idioms (Weebly, n.d.). Texts should be previewed for difficult vocabulary and language structures, such as idioms, and explicitly taught before reading. Weebly (n.d.) suggests that Amelia Bedelia books are an excellent resource for presenting and exploring idioms.

2. Cognates are a strategy that can be used when teaching semantics. Cognates are words that sound the same in two languages and also have similar meanings. When teaching cognates, this gives the ELL student a sense of confidence that they have knowledge of more words than they realize. However, Weeby (n.d.) warns against false cognates; words that sound similarly but have different meanings. For example, "embarrassed" (English) & "embarazada" (pregnant- in Spanish)) are false cognates as the words sound the same but have different meanings.

3. Weeby (n.d.) suggests that providing a variety of vocabulary activities can increase ELL students' knowledge of English words. The teacher should introduce new words and refer to them in everyday meaning, show pictures, use gestures to explain (for example, moving hands to explain "waves"), and involve students in the dissection of the word and finding it within a text (Weeby, n.d.) For students with low English acquisition skills, gestures and hand motions can be extremely beneficial. For example, if one is teaching animal parts, using one's hands to show antlers or an elephant's nose can be very successful in teaching.

4. When defining a word Weeby (n.d.) suggests that the word's semantic relationships should be discussed as well, giving the student a more in-depth understanding of the word. These include hyponyms, meronyms, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms. Hyponyms and meronyms can be successful in teaching younger ELL students. For example, when explaining "dog" the student can identify each part of the dog's body; snout, paws, tail, fur. Once a student has a better English language acquisition, they will be able to identify synonyms and antonyms, and also understand homonyms.

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At Home Activity and Website for Semantics

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At Home Activity and Website for Semantics

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One suggestion for an at-home activity for families of ELL students is to identify meronyms whenever possible. Meronyms are described as a "whole part to a hierarchical relationship" Weeby, (n.d.). This means that one would take a noun and identify the parts of the noun. For example, when discussing a whale, the student can name the parts of a whale, including fins, skin, tail, and blowhole.

Word Frog https://www.arcademics.com/games/frog is an online website that encourages students to practice synonyms, antonyms, and homophones. The more the student answers correctly, the more their frog will eat.

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Pragmatics is how language is used in real settings, in spoken and written forms, and influenced by cultural and social contexts (Weebly, n.d.).

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Why is Pragmatics Important for Language and Academic Learning for ELLs

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Why is Pragmatics Important for Language and Academic Learning for ELLs

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Pragmatics is the use of language in social and formal settings. For ELL students, knowing when it is appropriate to use certain words in each setting is an important step in becoming an English speaker. One would not want to use inappropriate language when speaking to someone to be respected, while this social jargon may be appropriate for a social setting.

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Classroom Activities to Practice Pragmatics

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Classroom Activities to Practice Pragmatics

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1. One thing that a teacher can do to help students understand the pragmatics of English usage is to understand the cultural aspects of the students' native language and how it can be used as a reference point for speaking English (Weebly, n.d.). For example, in my classroom, I have found that students use the word "damn" a lot and do not understand that this is a swear word in English. I have had to explain to them that while this word may be appropriate for home, it is not appropriate for school, and then I have given them alternative words to use.

2. Another important resource that can be used within the classroom is the use of push-in by the TESOL teachers as much as possible. The TESOL teacher can get a feel for the culture of the classroom, and help navigate ELL students' language through play and language immersion (Weebly, n.d.).

3. Kagan organizational charts are another great tool for helping ELL students navigate pragmatics. One particular Kagan strategy that can be helpful is that of sentence frames. Students work with another student to complete a sentence, such as "I like ___". Student discourse through a framed structure can help an ELL student practice spoken language skills and engage in social language immersion (Weebly, n.d.).

4. Another strategy to teach pragmatics within the classroom is to focus on explicit instruction of politeness (Weebly, n.d.). At the beginning of the year, the teacher should discuss the rules and expectations of the classroom. However, as situations arise that require politeness, the teacher should use these opportunities to teach the ELL students the meaning, purpose, and appropriate language of politeness within the classroom while comparing it to their cultural background.

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At Home Activity and Website for Semantics

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At Home Activity and Website for Semantics

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One activity that can be used very easily at home for an ELL student is that of sentence starters. The teacher can send home a list of sentence starters for ELL students to practice with their families. This will help build the ELL and the families' English vocabulary. Some sentence starters can be, "I like ____", "The crayon is _______", I have ____ pets".

ESLKidGames https://www.eslkidsgames.com/online-esl-games#google_vignette offers a variety of ESL games for students. In particular, there is a plethora of vocabulary games, including "Guess the word", "ESL Scattegories," and, "Would You Rather."

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Please find below a comprehensive list of our online ESL games. These games are perfect for face-to-face teaching with an interactive digital board or conducting online classes through Zoom. We have many more online games coming soon, so be sure to check back frequently.

ESL Say It! - A simple no prep warmer/cooler or quick break for students. In this activity students have to say a word from a category that begins with a letter.

ESL Wordle - based in the popular English word game but with 8 categories to make the game easier to be played by language learners

ESL Guess Who - Practice describing people with this fun online game.

Circle Word - In this game students need to work out what the 3,4,5 or 6 letter word is to get the highest score. Great for teens and adults A2+

MIXUP - A simple quick fire vocabulary game. How many words can you guess in 90 seconds?

Word Wheel - Get class started with this fun vocabulary challenge. In this game students try and guess what the nine letter word is while also making words using the letters and the key letter. The team with the most words and points will win!

Learn to tell the time - Practice reading the setting the time with this fun interactive game to practice telling the time.

ESL Scattergories! - A classic quick thinking vocabulary where students need to think of vocabulary quickly to get the most words beginning with a letter.

Scattagories for Kids! - Now play with young learner and lower level students in this simplified version of our classic game.

Name 5! - Name 5! is a simple no prep vocabulary warmer. In this activity students need to say a number of words based on a range of topics. Can your students beat the clock!

5 Seconds! - Students need to say 3 words from a random category in 5 seconds to score a point.

Guess the Word - A fun game to practice reading, spelling and vocabulary. Students read the definition and try and guess what the word is. Ideal for A2 level students. 11 categories of words to practice with.

2 Pictures 1 Compound - Can you guess the closed compounds nouns from the pictures? Practice guessing the compounds nouns with this fun interactive game.

Interactive Board Games - Practice speaking, grammar and vocabulary with these interactive online board games. New board games added regularly.

ESL Vocabulary Fortunes - An online game for teens and adults that is a great way to practice vocabulary on a large number of topics.

Word Search - Who can find the words first? With this multiplayer word search game practice spelling, reading and much much more.

Animal Vocabulary Games - Practice animals with these four interactive online games. These fun games are a great way to revise animal vocabulary with your students.

Fruit and Vegetables - Practice vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation with this fun interactive word game.

Animals - Practice animal vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation with this fun interactive game.

Story Dice - Get your students making and telling stories with this fun online story tool.

ESL Countdown - Practice vocabulary and spelling with countdown.

Anagram Word Game - A simple word game. Suitable for teens and adults with an intermediate and above level of English.

Word Unscramble - Practice vocabulary and spelling with this unscramble game for young learners.

ESL Category Generator - Generate categories to get your students practicing vocabulary. Great activity to be used with a ball or in online classes to get students thinking at the start of class as a warmer.

Trivia Quiz Generator - Generate quizzes quickly with this simple tool. Ideal for teens and adults intermediate and above.

Random Letter Generator - Generate random letters from the alphabet with this simple letter generating tool.

ESL Idiom Generator - Generate over 100 of the most common English language idioms. Get students to draw or mime out the idioms as a way to introduce them to the most common idioms in English.

Random Noun Generator - Randomly generate over 200 of the most common nouns in the English Language. Great for Pictionary and other end of the class coolers.

Catchphrase - A quick fire word game where students explain as many words as they can within the time limit.

Pictionary - Automatically generate words from three different levels of difficulty and play Pictionary with your students in a flash.

ESL Boggle - Boggle is a great warmer that can be used in the classroom. With this online version get students writing words to be the top of the class.

ESL Quizzes - Our Quizzes are a great way to end class and practice key vocabulary for a wide range of themes. Check back regularly as we are adding new quizzes regularly.

Question Unscramble - Practice grammar and speaking by unscrambling these questions which cover 15 different grammar topics.

Would You Rather - A simple no-prep warmer or cooler to get students speaking about what they would rather do in different situations. Ideal for students B1 (lower-intermediate +).

Directions Game - Practice giving directions with your students with this interactive map or let students create their own map.

FCE Speaking Practice - Practice FCE Speaking Part 1 and 2 with this interactive tool. There are over 80 part 1 questions and 24 part 2.

ESL Guess Who - Practice describing people with this fun online game.

The Expert - In this speaking game students speak about a topic for 30/60/120 seconds to gain points for their team.

Interactive Board Games - Practice speaking, grammar and vocabulary with these interactive online board games. New board games added regularly.

Movers Spot the Difference - Practice for the Cambridge Movers Speaking exam with this free fun interactive online game.

ESL Brain Teasers - Do you want to get your students thinking? Practice lateral thinking and reading with this brain teasers for all ages and levels.

Describe the photo - Practice speaking about photos for B1 (PET) students.

Story Dice - Get your students making and telling stories with this fun online story tool.

Spot The Difference - Can you spot the differences? Levels 1 - 8 are now available, more levels coming soon.

ESL Odd One Out - An online game that is a great way to practice vocabulary and speaking with young learners. This activity is great to help students practice for the Cambridge Movers exam.

Irregular Verb Challenge - Practice irregular verbs with your students using this tool. This versatile game can be played in many different ways and is a great routine to master irregular verbs with your students.

Interactive Board Games - Practice speaking, grammar and vocabulary with these interactive online board games. New board games added regularly.

ESL Quizzes - Our Quizzes are a great way to end class and practice key vocabulary for a wide range of themes. Check back regularly as we are adding new quizzes regularly.

Fortune Teller - Practice " yes/no" and "will" + future question forming with your students with this fortune teller.

ESL Bomb Game - Bomb is an engaging scoring system that adds excitement to any game.

Football Kick Off - Are your students football mad? Then this might be the game for you. Which team will win in this fantastic football game.

Classroom Car Race - Rev your engines and get ready to win it big with this fun car race themed board game. Ideal to use with your own questions and help keep the score.

American Football Rush - The American football version of our Football Kick off game. A quick no fuss way to gamify your lessons with no printouts.

Wheel of Fortune - Spin the wheel and win points for up to five teams.

Hidden Treasure - In this game students need to answer questions set by the teacher and try and find the hidden treasure before the others. The first to find it wins!

Student Vs Teacher - Who will win in this turn based based game? The student or the teacher?

ESL Battleship - Battleship is another engaging scoring system that will have students wanting more! How quickly can your students find all the ships and win?

Four in a Row (Connect Four) - This classic game can be used in many different ways in the classroom, as a treat, with speaking or while doing revision. Whatever way you use it it's sure to be popular.

Blockbuster - Gamify your online and face to face lessons with Blockbuster. Use this game to practice vocabulary, word formation or just about any activity. Students work in teams and have to get across the board.

Basketball Shoot - A simple game you can use to gamify you classes. This basketball themed game allows you to use your own material but use this fun game to allow students to use their skill to score a point. Great with mixed ability sports crazy classes.

Rock, Paper, Scissors - Battle your students in an epic match of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors'.

ESL Play Your Cards Right - A fun higher or lower game.

Virtual Classroom Horse Race - Bring your students to the horse races with this simple interactive game. Have students choose a horse and see who wins! Great to gamify your class and make everyone have a chance of winning big.

Tic Tac Toe - Play this classic versatile game with our interactive board game and gamify you lessons quickly and easily.

Tic Tac Toe - Dragons vs Unicorns - Play the ultimate tic tac toe battle in class. Who will win? Dragons or Unicorns?

Math Skills - Practice addition, subtraction, division and multiplication with this fun online game.

How Many? Counting Game - Practice counting, numbers and 'there are' / "there is" with this fun interactive counting game.

Addition Challenge - A quick fire addition maths game that will help your students practice quick thinking with numbers and addition in English or any target language. A fun no prep warmer/cooler for class.

Number Match - A simple multiplication challenge to get students thinking and multiplying in English. A great warmer to get your students thinking and focused!

Count Your Chickens! - A simple counting and Math problem game for kids. Can your students decide how many chickens to put across the fence?

Multiplication Checker - Test your test young learners multiplication skills with this interactive tool

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Alphabet Game - In this mini game students need to touch the letters of the alphabet in order. Ideal for young learners.

Guess the Word - A fun game to practice reading, spelling and vocabulary. Students read the definition and try and guess what the word is. Ideal for A2 level students. 11 categories of words to practice with.

Scattagories for Kids! - Now play with young learner and lower level students in this simplified version of our classic game.

Count Your Chickens! - A simple counting and Math problem game for kids. Can your students decide how many chickens to put across the fence?

Vocabulary Fortunes for Kids - This game is a great way to practice and reinforce vocabulary with young learners. Covering 12 different themes found in most young learner course books this game is sure to be popular with your students.

Animal Vocabulary Games - Practice animals with these four interactive online games. These fun games are a great way to revise animal vocabulary with your students.

How Many? Counting Game - Practice counting, numbers and 'there are' / "there is" with this fun interactive counting game.

Movers Spot the Difference - Practice for the Cambridge Movers Speaking exam with this free fun interactive online game.

Spot The Difference - Can you spot the differences? Levels 1 - 8 are now available, more levels coming soon.

Interactive Word Search - Online interactive word search (word soup) puzzles for Young learners with target vocabulary for Cambridge Young Learner Exams (Starters, Movers and Flyers A1 & A2. A Fun way to practice spelling with students in class, on their own or online with Zoom.

Word Unscramble - Practice vocabulary and spelling with this unscramble game for young learners.

ESL Hangman - Hangman is a no-prep way to practice spelling and vocabulary recall with your students.

ESL Picture Reveal - A fun way to introduce a topic, unit or just revise vocabulary with your students. These preprepared picture reveals will save you time and have students reviewing vocabulary in a fun and interactive way.

Memory Match - Review vocabulary with young learners with these interactive memory match game.

Story Dice - Get your students making and telling stories with this fun online story tool.

ESL Writing Prompt Generator - An entertaining way to practice writing with young learners and even teens.

More online ESL games coming soon! (Last updated 10 May 2023)

Online ESL Classroom Tools

Classroom Dice - A simple virtual dice that can be used on any device

Date and Weather Interactive Chart (New) - Our no fuss interactive date and weather chart is a great way practice the date and weather each day with your students.

Classroom Soundboard - This tool helps teachers manage classroom transitions with simple sounds that they can assign to different classroom tasks e.g listen to the teacher, change groups, go back to your desk etc.

Cipher Making Tool - Make secret ciphers quickly and easily with our new Cipher tool.

Tell the Time - Practice telling the time with this free online tool for teens and adults.

Story Dice - Get your students making and telling stories with this fun online story tool.

Random Letter Generator - Generate random letters from the alphabet with this simple letter generating tool.

Random Number Generator - Play bingo, practice numbers or pick who goes first, all with this random number generator.

ESL Category Generator - Generate categories to get your students practicing vocabulary. Great activity to be used with a ball or in online classes to get students thinking at the start of class as a warmer.

Student Name Picker - A random name selector for you to use in your classroom when choosing a student to complete a task, answer a question, or participate in an activity.

Spin the Wheel - Spin the wheel is a simple way of awarding points to students in a fun and interactive way.

Classroom Coin Flip - Flip a virtual coin to decide teams, who's first and much more.

Classroom Score Board - Keep score with this interactive classroom score board.

Classroom Timer - Keep a track of time with this handy timer.

Follow us on social media and YouTube so you don't miss any of them!

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A collection of online ESL Games and activities for young learners, teens and adults. Ideal for interactive whiteboards and online classes

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Five Additional Resources for Professional Development of Teaching and Learning English Language Structures. 

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Five Additional Resources for Professional Development of Teaching and Learning English Language Structures. 

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1. RSA Animate: Language as a Window into Human Nature is a video of Steven Pinker's discussion of how real language usage can be.

YouTube. (n.d.). RSA ANIMATE: Language as a Window into Human Nature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-son3EJTrU

2. Colorin Colorado offers a fantastic article on the use of cognates when teaching ELL students. It also gives a list of several cognates to start with and explains how using cognates to teach ELL students can improve English learning.

Colorin Colorado. (2007). Using cognates to develop comprehension in English. Colorin Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/using-cognates-develop-comprehension-english

3. This video offers a pre-reading approach to understanding how print evolves into reading. It is a great video for TESOL teachers and parents of ELL students.

Colorin Colorado. (n.d.). Becoming Aware of Print. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gZ1z1TzYHc&t=11s

4. The article Walking in My Students' Shoes: An ESL Teacher Brings Theory to Life in Order to Transform Her Classroom is a real-life account of one teacher's exploration of learning a second language and the personal difficulties she encountered and overcame. The author used her personal experience with immersion in a second language to influence the culture of her classroom.

Stewart, M. A. (2010). Walking in my students’ shoes: An ESL teacher brings theory to life in order to transform her classroom. Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research, 12(1), 1–6. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1095

5. The Effects on Instructional Conversations on English Language Learners follows two groups of students learning English. One group was taught using Conversational Activities in mathematics, and the other was taught using traditional methods of teaching. This article shows the importance of using conversational English within the classroom to teach pragmatics.

Hendy, E., & Cuevas, J. (2020). The effects on instructional conversations on English language learners. Georgia Educational Researcher, 17(2).

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Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. While English may share very few cognates with a language like Chinese, 30-40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking ELLs, cognates are an obvious bridge to the English language.

Not surprisingly, researchers who study first and second language acquisition have found that students benefit from cognate awareness. Cognate awareness is the ability to use cognates in a primary language as a tool for understanding a second language. Children can be taught to use cognates as early as preschool. As students move up the grade levels, they can be introduced to more sophisticated cognates, and to cognates that have multiple meanings in both languages, although some of those meanings may not overlap. One example of a cognate with multiple meanings is asistir, which means to assist (same meaning) but also to attend (different meaning).

Classroom strategies for teaching cognates

Read aloud

When you read aloud to your students, ask the Spanish speakers to raise their hand when they think they hear a cognate. Stop reading and discuss that cognate. Point out the subtle differences you hear between the Spanish and English words. If you have a French, Italian, or Portuguese speaker in your class, invite them to contribute cognates in that language.

Student reading

As ELLs read their texts, ask them to find three or four cognates and write them on sticky pads. Collect those notes and put them on an OUR COGNATES laminated chart. Before the class ends, read or have students read them to the class. Discuss spellings or sounds that are the same and different between the cognates.

Follow-up activities:

Word Sort

Pair students and give each pair a set of cognate cards: one card has the English cognate and the other has the Spanish cognate. For example:

Have students sort the words. Then ask them what the word pairs have in common and write responses on the board.

Circle Differences

Ask students to indicate which letters are different between the cognates by circling the letters. Alternate between having them call out differences with the teacher circling and occasionally having students come up and circle the differences themselves.

False Cognates

Write examples of false cognates on the board. For example: embarrassed/ embarazada and pie/ pie. Warn students that they might run into some words that are false cognates. These are words that look alike but do not have the same meaning in English and Spanish. Ask the students:

Does anyone know what pie means in Spanish ( foot)? What does the word pie mean in English ( dessert)?

Another example of a false cognate is the word embarrassed in English and embarazada in Spanish. What does embarrassed mean in English (to feel ashamed about something)? Does anyone know what embarazada means in Spanish ( pregnant)?

Give students some cognates and false cognates and ask them to identify each. Examples of false cognates:

Ask students to work with a partner to find as many cognates and false cognates as they can from a given list of words. After they finish, ask partners to share one example of each with the class.

Exaggerate intonation and stress

Cognate words can cause problems for Spanish speakers learning English and vice versa because of different stress patterns in the two languages. Point out how the emphasis changes in the following words:

condition / condición

animal / animal

ability / habilidad

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Using Cognates to Develop Comprehension in English

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Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. While English may share very few cognates with a language like Chinese, 30-40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking ELLs, cognates are an obvious bridge to the English language.

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Citations for each resource (Note: These are separate from your scholarly resources.)

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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2022). Syntax. dese. https://www.doe.mass.edu/massliteracy/skilled-reading/language-comprehend/syntax.html

Weebly. (n.d.). What is pragmatics? Linguistics for teachers of ELLs. https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/pragmatics-in-the-classroom.html

Weebly. (n.d.). What is semantics? Linguistics for teachers of ELLs. https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/semantics-in-the-classroom.html

Weebly. (n.d.). What is syntax? Linguistics for teachers of ELLs. https://linguisticsforteachersofells.weebly.com/syntax-in-the-classroom.html