S10 E8: Beyond decoding: The power of syntax, with Nancy Chapel Eberhardt

Dec 31, 2025

Nancy Chapel Eberhardt, an educational consultant and literacy specialist, delves into the critical role of syntax in reading comprehension. She argues that understanding sentence structure is just as important as decoding words, revealing how early syntax instruction can enhance meaning-making for students. Nancy differentiates syntax from grammar, highlights the functional approach to teaching, and emphasizes the need for cohesion in text. She suggests practical classroom strategies and advocates for supporting diverse learners through targeted syntax education.

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INSIGHT

Sentence-Level Skill Equals Word Reading

Sentence-level (syntactic) ability contributes as much to reading comprehension as word reading does.
Teaching syntax early boosts comprehension outcomes beyond decoding alone.

INSIGHT

Syntax Bridges Words And Text

Syntax sits between words and text as the processing piece that builds meaning.
Sentences are the primary unit that link individual words to overall text meaning.

ADVICE

Ask Meaning Questions While Reading

Teach syntax functionally by asking meaning questions like who/what and did what as students read.
Use those questions to parse sentences into meaningful chunks and improve prosody and comprehension.

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In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by educational consultant Nancy Chapel Eberhardt, who explains why focusing on syntax at the sentence level is just as important for comprehension as word-level decoding. Together, Nancy and Susan also discuss how syntax helps students process meaning while reading, why we should start early and teach syntax to students from the beginning, and a more functional approach to syntax.

Show notes:

Register to join our Science of Comprehension Symposium.
Submit your questions on comprehension!
Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn.
Read Nancy’s article “Syntax: Somewhere Between the Words and Text.”
Learn more about Nancy’s book Syntax: Knowledge to Practice.
Learn more about the Syntax online course.
Listen to last week’s syntax-focused episode, with Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D.
Listen to the podcast the episode with Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.
Read Maryellen MacDonald’s article “Book Language: What It Is, How Children Can ‘Get It’.”
Listen to Season 2 of Amplify’s Beyond My Years podcast.
Join our community Facebook group.
Connect with Susan Lambert.

Quotes:

"Syntax is somewhere between the individual words and the meaning of the text. It's the processing piece that's going on there." —Nancy Chapel Eberhardt

"Syntax isn't just for older kids anymore. Syntax is really something that we can start promoting, developing, encouraging, embracing from the beginning." —Nancy Chapel Eberhardt

"I actually think that as teachers embrace this idea of syntax, they're going to have a lot of fun with it. It's way more fun to talk about the meanings of words than to just decode them." —Nancy Chapel Eberhardt

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction: Diving deeper into syntax, with Nancy Chapel Eberhardt
08:00 Comprehension is lifting the meaning out of text
11:00 Sentence-level abilities make as large a contribution as word reading for comprehension
14:00 The difference between syntax and grammar
20:00 Why syntactical knowledge is so helpful in the comprehension process
24:00 Prosody helps us with our fluency with reading
30:00 Syntax is somewhere between the individual words and the meaning of the text
33:00 We've gone through several generations of students who aren't being taught syntax
37:00 It's more fun to talk about the meanings of words
39:00 Start teaching syntax by thinking about the most essential build block
45:00 Connecting words are meaningless in the absence of other words
53:00 By spending more time instructing on syntax, we will reach more of our students.
56:00 Closing: Syntax is something we can start promoting, developing, encouraging, and embracing from the beginning.
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute