Contextualization
Syntactic coordination is a very important concept in the Portuguese language and it is one of the pillars for the formation of cohesive and coherent texts. It is the phenomenon in which two or more sentences, which have complete meaning, are linked without a subordination relationship between them, that is, without one sentence being dependent on the other. Coordinating conjunctions are the main tools for making this connection, and each one of them expresses a different type of semantic relationship.
The types of coordination are: copulative coordination, adversative coordination, alternative coordination, conclusive coordination, and explicative coordination. Each one of them expresses a distinct semantic relationship, such as addition, opposition, alternation, conclusion, and explanation, respectively. Studying and understanding these concepts allow us to create richer and more varied texts, in addition to helping us to better interpret and understand the texts we read.
Syntactic coordination, even though it is a very technical and specific concept, is present in our daily lives and has great relevance in our communication. It is through it that we can connect our ideas and thoughts to form more complete and complex texts. Without coordination, our communications would be much simpler and more limited, and our ability to express complex thoughts would be greatly reduced.
Therefore, understanding coordination not only helps us to improve our writing and reading in Portuguese, but also helps us to communicate better and to express our ideas more clearly and effectively. It is a fundamental concept that we use constantly, often without realizing it, and that has a huge impact on our communication skills.
To delve even deeper into the subject, I suggest the following readings:
- "Grammar of the Portuguese Language" by Evanildo Bechara. This is a very complete book and a reference in the teaching of Portuguese grammar.
- Syntax: Coordination and Subordination - Todamateria.com.br.
- Coordinated Sentences: Types and Solved Exercises - Infoescola.com.br.
Practical Activity: "The Right Coordinate"
Project Objective
- Understand and apply the concept of syntactic coordination.
- Write texts using different types of coordination.
- Work in teams to improve collaboration, discussion, and problem-solving skills.
Detailed Project Description
A group of 3 to 5 participants will be divided into groups. Each group will be responsible for creating a small theater script that must contain all the forms of syntactic coordination studied, that is, copulative coordination, adversative coordination, alternative coordination, conclusive coordination, and explicative coordination. The script must have a beginning, middle, and end, with an engaging story that can be told using these types of coordination.
Necessary Materials
- Computer or paper and pen to write the script.
- Books and/or internet access for research.
Detailed Step by Step
- Each group should research more deeply about syntactic coordination and the different types of coordination. Students can use the links suggested in the introduction or any other reliable source they prefer.
- Then, each group should discuss and choose a story they want to tell in the script. The story can be created by the students themselves or based on a story, movie, series, or any other source they prefer. The only restrictions are that the story needs to be possible to be told in a short theater script and it should be able to include all the forms of syntactic coordination.
- Each group should then write the script, using the different forms of syntactic coordination. The script should be clear, cohesive, and coherent, and each use of syntactic coordination should be indicated and justified.
- Finally, each group should write a report on the project. The report should contain:
- Introduction: Contextualize the theme and the objective of the project, and why it is relevant.
- Development: Explain the theory of syntactic coordination and how it was used in the project, describe the activity in detail, indicate the methodology used (how the group collaborated, how the decisions were made, how the research was carried out, etc.), present the created script and discuss the results obtained (how syntactic coordination helped to tell the story, what difficulties were encountered, etc.).
- Conclusion: Conclude by revisiting the main points and explaining what was learned and what conclusions were drawn about the project.
- Bibliography: Indicate the sources that were used for the research and for writing the script.
- The script and the report should be delivered at the end of the week, with an estimated execution time of two to four hours per student.
The completion of the project will give students the opportunity to reflect on what they have learned, to discuss the challenges they faced and how they solved them, to think critically about the role of syntactic coordination in the formation of texts and in communication, and to apply this reflection in their own writing.
