Last year, 5-year-old Alonda would say "No he coming" when explaining to her younger sister that their older brother would be staying home. Now Alonda will tell her sister "He's not coming." Which aspect of language does this example illustrate development in?

Question

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This example illustrates development in syntax, which is the rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences. Alonda has progressed from a less grammatically correct phrase ("No he coming") to a more correct phrase ("He's not coming").

Last Year, 5-Year-Old Alonda Would Say "No He Coming" When