98 Answers - Signing Naturally

Unit 9.8 in Signing Naturally (often found in Level 2 or the Student Workbook) typically focuses on Narratives and complex storytelling. Students are often asked to watch a signer tell a story and answer questions about details, sequence, and feelings.

Instead of looking for the answers, try these decoding strategies:

1. Watch for the "Topic-Comment" Structure In Unit 9 narratives, the signer usually establishes the topic first. Watch the eyebrows! Raised eyebrows often indicate a topic is being set up. Once the topic is established, the eyebrows relax for the comment. If you miss the topic, you will likely misunderstand the whole answer.

2. Identify Classifiers (CL) In Unit 9.8, classifiers are the heavy lifters.

3. The "Gloss" Method If you are struggling to understand a sentence, try to gloss it (write it down in ASL grammar order) rather than translating it into perfect English immediately. signing naturally 98 answers

Students misidentify "8 months" (handshape: thumb, index, middle spread) vs. "August" (fingerspelling A-U-G). In 9.8, they test Numerical Incorporation for months 1-9. Month 9 (handshape: 9 bent at knuckles) is often on the exam.

Pro Tip: For months 1-5, the number faces out. For months 6-9, the number faces the signer. If you see the number "9" (curved index) moving forward from the chin, the answer is "9 months."

Prompt (Example): "Ask me if I want to go to the movies with you tonight."

Wrong answer (English word order): YOU WANT GO MOVIE WITH ME TONIGHT? Unit 9

Correct answer (ASL gloss with NMMs):
[eyebrows raised] TONIGHT MOVIE YOU WANT GO WITH-me?

Why this is correct:

Common 9.8 Answer (for a similar prompt):
SUPPOSE ME FINISH WORK, YOU WANT GO EAT? (Asking permission/desire after a condition).

For students of American Sign Language (ASL), few textbooks are as revered—or as challenging—as "Signing Naturally" (Levels 1-6) by Smith, Lentz, and Mikos. Published by DawnSignPress, this curriculum revolutionized ASL pedagogy by shifting away from rote memorization of isolated signs toward a focus on conversational fluency, non-manual markers (NMMs), and cultural understanding. Common 9

Among the most searched phrases on ASL study forums, tutoring sites, and Reddit threads is "Signing Naturally 98 answers."

If you have typed this phrase into a search engine, you are likely working through Unit 9, which covers "Making Requests" and "Telling What You Want Others to Do." Within this unit, Section 9.8 is a specific exercise often found in the homework or review sections of the workbook.

Before we dive into the structure of finding the answers correctly, it is crucial to understand that simply copying answers without understanding the linguistic principles behind them will hurt your progress in the long run. This article will provide a detailed breakdown of what 9.8 entails, how to approach it, and—where possible—explain the logic behind the correct responses.