Instruction Compare the following well-formed translations with grammatically incorrect sentences (indicated with an asterisk at
the beginning) and note any patterns you recognize: English:
1a. Is Pedro here?
2a. who are they?
3a. Where are you from?
4a. How do you say rectangle?
5a. when do you go to school?
Right:
1b. ¿Está Pedro aqui?
2a. ¿Quiénes son ellos?
3b. ¿De dónde eres?
4b. ¿Cómo se dice "rectangle?
5b. ¿Cuando vas tú a la escuela?
Wrong:
1c. ¿Pedro está aquí?
2c. ¿Quién son ellos?
3c. ¿Dónde eres de?
4c. ¿Cómo tu decir "rectangle?
5c. ¿Cuándo tú vas a la escuela?
Now that you have worked through a lot of material that includes these basic patterns, and you have compared grammatically correct and incorrect sentences, write down what you think is a rule that could explain what makes a sentence grammatically correct or not. For example, you might write something like: "verbs always match nouns in number, and they usually come before the noun." In other words, make your best guess for the grammar rule that makes sense out of the pattern(s) you see in the phrases you have been working with. Review if you need to, and you might briefly check your hunches against the sentences you have been working with in this or previous modules. Keep in mind that what you're after is your hunch, not a grammar rule from a text book. Now check your hunch with the explanation of this principle in the following pattern.
