NYSTCE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Practice Test

At what stage do children typically begin to use elements of grammar in their speech?

1. Early Multiword Stage

2. One-word Stage

3. Two-word Stage

4. Babbling Stage

The correct answer is: Early Multiword Stage

The early multiword stage is characterized by children beginning to combine words into short phrases or sentences, where they start to apply elements of grammar in their speech. At this stage, children demonstrate an understanding of syntactic structures, such as using word order to convey meaning. Although they may not have a complete grasp of grammatical rules, they begin to understand the relationships between words and construct more complex utterances, indicating an awareness of grammatical elements. In contrast, during the one-word stage, children communicate using single words, which limits their ability to express complex thoughts and grammatical aspects. The two-word stage marks a significant leap as children start combining two words to create simple sentences, such as "want cookie" or "big truck," but their understanding of grammar is still quite limited. The babbling stage, which occurs earlier in language development, is primarily characterized by repetitive sounds and does not involve the use of genuine grammatical structures or recognizable words. Therefore, the early multiword stage best represents the point at which children actively begin using grammatical elements in their speech.