GRAMMAR

INDEX
1. What is grammar?
1.1. Types of grammar

2. Background to the teaching of grammar 3. Principles for teaching grammar

3.1. Deductive and inductive approaches 3.2. Grammatical form and communicative function 3.3. Declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge

4. Classroom techniques for teaching grammar 5. Grammar in classroom 6. Conclusion 7. Debate

1. What is grammar?
Set of rules specifying the correct ordering of words at the sentence level.
A description of the structure of a language and the way in which units such as words and phrases are combined to produce sentences in the language. (The Longman dictionary of Applied Linguistics). Grammatical vs. Ungrammatical

(Grammatical): Subject+ Verb+Object

(Ungrammatical): Object+ Subject+Verb

1.1. Types of grammar

Prescriptive grammar: lays out rules about the structure of a language, saving what is right and what is wrong. E.g. I am older than she (is older). Descriptive grammar: deals with the description of the way in which people actually use language. E.g. I am older than her.

2. Background to the teaching of grammar

Audilingualism
According to British Council Audilingualism is a method of foreign language teaching where the emphasis is on learning grammatical and phonological structure especially for speaking and listening. It is based on behaviourism and so relies on formation as a basis for learning, through a great deal of mechanical repetition.

Typical techniques of the audiolingual method

Chain drill:
T: Hello, whats your name? S1: My name is John. (He turns to the student next to her). Hello whats your name? S2: My name is Mary. (She turns to the student next to her). Hello, whats your name?

Backward buildup drill:

T: repeat after me: cinema. S: cinema. T: to the cinema. S: to the cinema. T: going to the cinema. S: going to the cinema. T: I am going to the cinema. S: I am going to the cinema.

Repetition drill:
T: This a book S: This a book.

3.Principles for teaching grammar

3.1. Deductive and inductive approaches:
The deductive teaching approach: -A deductive approach is a more teacher-centered approach. -The grammatical structures or rules are taught to the students first. Thus, the students will practice exercises related to the topic introduced by the teacher.

3. Principles for teaching grammar

The inductive teaching approach: -An inductive approach is a more studentcentered approach. -In the inductive teaching, the teacher first provides examples, then makes students to figure out how a concept is used and determine the grammar rule themselves.

3.2. Grammatical form and communicative function

Many grammar-based courses, teach grammar as an abstract system, present the language as isolated sentences, and fail to give learners a proper context for the grammar point.

Solution:
According to David Nunan, the solution is to present grammar in a context that makes clear the relationship between the grammatical form and the communicative function.

3.3. Declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge

Declarative knowledge consists on knowing how to describe a rule of grammar and apply it in pattern practice drills. Procedural knowledge is being able to apply a rule of grammar in communication.

4. Classroom techniques for teaching grammar

Input enhancement: the teacher draws attention to the grammar by highlighting the text, coloring or underlining. E.g. Underlining: -This flower is more beautiful than that one. -My house is bigger than yours.

4. Classroom techniques for teaching grammar

Consciousness-raising: students are brought to notice a particular grammatical feature without the necessity of practicing or using it.
E.g. Look at the following examples, and work out the rule for the correct order of direct and indirect objects in English.

-I sent Mary some flowers.

-I sent some flowers to Mary.
-They gave John a new car. -They gave a new car to John.

4. Classroom techniques for teaching grammar

Grammar dictation: The teacher dictates a passage containing target language forms at normal speed. Students take notes and then work in small groups to reconstruct the original passage.

4. Classroom techniques for teaching grammar

Garden path: this technique introduces a grammatical rule and then students come to generalization. After this generalization, learners will be able to consider the correct form.
Teacher: Here is a sentence using these words: think and problem. I thought about the problem. Now you make one using these words: talk and problem. Learner: Teacher: Learner: Teacher: We talked about the problem. Good. Discuss and advantages. We discussed about the advantages. No. With discuss we do not use about.

5. Grammar in the classroom

Teacher A T: I am going to ask you some questions and I want you to answer me, ok? John, do you know David? S: Yes, I do. T: David, do you wear earrings? S: No, I dont. T: Mary, do you have curly hair? S: Yes, I am. T: Yes, I..? S: Doessorrydo. T: Yes, I do. Good! Ok, sowhen do we use do/dont and when do we use does/doesnt?

do/dont I, Erik, you, your boyfriend, we

does/doesnt She, Marta and Peter, your boss

T: Some of the words are in the wrong box. I want you to work with your partner and put the words in the right box.

5. Grammar in classroom
Teacher B

T: OK. Now I want you to look at Exercise Bmatching the questions and answers. I want you to put a circle around all of the do and dont words you can find, and underline all of the does and doesnt words. OK, understand?

S: (nods) T: All right. And I want you to notice the prononuns they go withI, you, he, she- maybe you can highlight them. Ok?

6. Conclusion
From our point of view, there is no best way to teach grammar. It depends on the students one teaches. - Students who believe in prescriptive grammar. - Students who believe in descriptive grammar. On the other hand, there are students who prefer an inductive way of learning and others opt for the deductive one. Apart from the activities presented in the book, we consider also useful interactive exercises that would catch the attention of the students and so, they would acquire knowledge of grammar in a more entertaining way. Here we have an example: http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/ClassroomGam es/Billionaire/Conditionals%20Billionaire%20Game/index.html

7. Debate
What do you find more useful in order to learn grammar, the exercises presented in the book or the interactive game from the Internet? Why?