MUHAMMAD FAIS BIN ISMAIL

ELE 3103 ENGLISH FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Detailed Requirement: Choose only ONE question from any of the topics given below and write an essay of about 800 words. My choice is Topic 4: Syntax I choose question number 2: An English Language Teacher should have a very sound knowledge of grammar to enable him/her to become an effective English Teacher. Discuss and provide examples to support your discussion.

English language learners want to know how grammar in English works. To them, it is the key to understanding the language and using it to communicate. But even native speakers of English who have gone through a teacher training course may not be able to answer learners questions such as, Why cant you change that sentence into a passive sentence? or Why cant you say He let me to do it? If a teacher doesnt know the rules of grammar, the only available answer may be, Because thats the way it is in English. However, this answer is not especially helpful to students who are looking for accurate, detailed information about English grammar. It simply establishes the teacher as a person who may speak the language correctly but is not equipped to tell students what they want to know about it. As a teacher, you will likely to be asked more questions about grammar than any other aspect of English. Even some of your fellow teachers who lack confidence about their knowledge of English grammar may ask you about points that they are not sure of. For this reason, having an accurate, comprehensive understanding of English grammar will make you feel more confident as a teacher and will also help you garner the respect of your colleagues and students.

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Imagine a teacher who says, Please bring me the books, only to have a student bring her just one book because the student did not hear the plural s or understand what it means. In this case, a better understanding of the underlying grammar would have improved the students listening ability. In a job interview, an applicant is asked, How long have you been working at your current job? The applicant replies, I worked there for two years. The interviewer wonders: Is the applicant still working there or not? In this situation, knowledge of the present perfect would have enabled the student to reply more accurately. Trying to follow the directions for assembling a bookcase, a student reads Slide the bookcase close to the wall after tightening all of the pieces. Not knowing that after signals the first of the two actions in the sentence, the student performs the actions in reverse order. Filling out a form at his job in an automotive repair shop, an automotive tech student writes I check the brakes. Reading the report, the supervisor is confused: Did the student already check the brakes? Is he going to check the brakes? If the student had written checked on the report, there would have been no ambiguity. At the first place, children tend to construct the word formation correctly and understand the meaning of some useful words. Before proceeding to align the word structure, they have to understand the meaning of the word which they are going to use in a sentence. Sometimes, syntax shows that a sentence may be grammatically correct but the meaning is not understandable. Syntax shows us that the word order of a sentence contributes crucially to its meaning.

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ELE 3103 ENGLISH FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS

A good knowledge of English grammar will also enable you to evaluate a new textbook. As you examine individual lessons and the way the material in it relates to what has been covered in earlier lessons, you will be better equipped to judge how well the textbook is organized and how comprehensive the coverage of individual grammatical topics is. Some books omit important aspects of grammar that need to be covered, and you can supply this missing information and even prepare lessons that are more effective than those in your textbook. You will also find that a clear understanding of English grammar is a valuable aid in designing a syllabus that meets your students needs and an important asset in preparing your students for national and international English proficiency tests, such as the TOEFL and Malaysian University English Test (MUET) in Malaysia. English teachers need to know about grammar so they can put what they know about grammar in context to what they are teaching. If they're teaching about sentence structure in a book, they'll want to know how to break down the sentence grammatically to analyze the way the author wrote. English teachers need to know about grammar so they can teach grammar to the student. When learning a language you need to have some grammar knowledge so you can put words in the right order and say something intelligible. Future Language Teacher can build self-confident in teaching grammar when he/she has excellent basic knowledge on grammar. A final reason why teachers of English to speakers of other languages should know grammar is because it is one aspect of adult language learning on which instruction can have a lasting effect. For many years, it was thought that students who began learning a second language after the onset of puberty could never learn to speak it as well as native speakers. Neurological evidence was cited as proof of this.

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ELE 3103 ENGLISH FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS

However, recent research indicates that native-speaker ability in grammar can be acquired by people who start learning in their late 20s, and that learners in their 30s can attain a high level of grammatical proficiency. This suggests that, as a teacher, you can make a difference in your students ability to speak and write grammatical English, even if they are no longer at the age where they pick up English naturally. (895 words)

Further Examples of common grammar mistakes 1. infinitive-gerund She likes to hunt and fishing. ... to hunt and to fish -or- hunting and fishing. 2. phrase-clause Marx will certainly live an unhappy life because of his bitterness and because he is paranoid. ... because of his bitterness and paranoia -or- because he is bitter and paranoid. 3. misplaced correlatives Malthus is not only famous in England but also in America. ... is famous not only in England but also in America. 4. unnecessary shift in person and voice Last night I read for hours, and then several pages were written by me. ... and then wrote several pages. 5. improper series This book is interesting, instructive, and it is also important. ... and important. 6. before a gerund Father does not approve of Jack and me joining a labor union. ... of Jack's and my joining a labor union. 7. predicate pronoun after a finite verb (phrase) The capitalist is him, the man slapping the worker.
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ELE 3103 ENGLISH FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS

... is he, the man slapping the worker. It certainly must have been her. ... must have been she. 8. subject of an infinitive I know he to be the landlord. ... him to be the landlord. 9. predicate pronoun after an infinitive I know the farmer to be he. ... the farmer to be him. 10. direct object after a verb (phrase) or verbal The manager called Tom and I into the board room. ... Tom and me into the board room. Who are you planning to fire? Whom are you planning to fire? 11. object of a preposition All but Nga and we are going to the protest rally. ... Nga and us are going to the protest rally. 12. This peasant uprising with its many weapons are easy to fear. ... is easy to fear. 13. Owen's wide interests in health, productivity, and education proves that he was a good person. ... prove that he was a good person. 14. There seems to be several multinational corporations exploiting the peasants in that country. ... seem to be several multinational corporations ... 15. Each one of the Utopian Socialists are insane. ... is insane. 16. Neither Malthus nor Ricardo are in favor of birth control. ... is in favor of birth control. 17. The committee on worker safety are about to announce its decision. ... is about to announce its decision.
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ELE 3103 ENGLISH FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Reference from book and Internet: Nina Hyams, Robert Rodman, Victoria Fromkin. (2007). An Introduction to Language, 9th Ediion, International Edition. Canada. Internet Sources: 1. http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/rok/grammar.html (viewed on Saturday, 9/3/2013 on 11.00 pm) 2. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_English_language_teachers_need_to_know_abo ut_grammar (viewed on Saturday, 9/3/2013 on 11.09 pm)

3. http://www.google.com.my/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0 CD8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ccsenet.org%2Fjournal%2Findex.php%2 Felt%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F4462%2F3803&ei=XcU7UaeBA4jtrQeZhYDgA Q&usg=AFQjCNHtu6uD3VAZmpNr-tmxyKihahQzVQ 9/3/2013 on 11.15 pm) (viewed on Saturday,

4. http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/booklets/Savage-GrammarMatters.pdf (viewed on Saturday, 9/3/2013 on 11.25 pm)

5. http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/tge/TGE-Intro.pdf (viewed on Saturday, 9/3/2013 on 11.40 pm)

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Reflection

Finally, I managed to finish my short assignment on ELE 3103: English For Language Teachers at the right time. In this semester, I learned more about grammar and function of the words and sentences. I learned how to construct the words crucially to its meaning. I learned all about language systems, introduction to grammar, culture of language, morphology, the sounds of language (phonology), phonetics, syntax and semantic. I studied all of these in the previous semester but this time it was more complicated and more into details. The task required me to write an essay for at least 800 words, and it can practice my writing skills and provided some good examples related to the topic which I had chosen. All I can say, this assignment helped me to improve my grammar skills and my knowledge on writing an essay. Besides, I can study about the topic first before I made the decision. In task B, I had to read out the essay which I had written before and made a recording. Then, I need to ask my friend from the TESL group to analyze and gave comments based on my speaking skills. I had provided a checklist which I can use as a guideline. So, I know where I am belongs. All the way to go, from this work, I can feel a good spirit came by and I can build a good relationship with other class members so it helped to improve my interpersonal skill.

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