sense n
the place which a word or phrase (a lexeme) holds in the system of rela-
tionships with other words in the vocabulary of a language. For example,
the English words bachelor and married have the sense relationship of
bachelor =never married.
A distinction is often made between sense and reference.
see also connotation, denotation
sensitive period n
see critical period
sensorimotor stage n
see cognitive development
sentence n
(in grammar1,2) the largest unit of grammatical organization within which
parts of speech (e.g. nouns, verbs, adverbs) and grammatical classes (e.g.
word, phrase, clause) are said to function. In English a sentence normally
contains one independent clause (see dependent clause) with a finite
verb. Units which are larger than the sentence (e.g. paragraph) are regarded
as examples of discourse.
sentence combining n
a technique used in the teaching of grammar and writing, in which the
student combines basic sentences to produce longer and more complex
sentences and paragraphs. For example:
The teacher has doubts.
The doubts are grave.
The doubts are about Jackie.
The teacher has grave doubts about Jackie.
sentence completion n
an exercise in which students are given part of a sentence (e.g. the first few
words in a sentence) and asked to complete it. Such an activity might target
specific language items or allow for a variety of responses.
sentence comprehension n
see top–down processing
sentence fragment n
(in composition) an incomplete sentence which cannot stand on its own.
For example:
Whenever I try to hold a conversation with my parents about my career
sense