Is grammar important?? Is it really necessary to teach grammar?? Why is it a nightmare for some students and teachers out there to deal with grammar.
If you take into consideration, French, Italian and Spanish classes, grammar begins with class zero and everybody has no shred of doubt about its importance.
But what happens with English teaching when it comes to grammar?
Why so much debate over the language structure that makes the language comprehensible?
It’s the grammar structure of the language that makes the sentence
” Will, will Will will Will Will’s will?” comprehensible…
By the way,
Will (a person), will (future tense helping verb) Will (a second person) will (bequeath) [to] Will (a third person) Will’s (the second person) will (a document)? Someone asked Will 1 directly if Will 2 plans to bequeath his own will, the document, to Will.
It seems we have forgotten how much we’ve had learned all the “why’s” and “becauses” of our language.
Learning a language is an important step for language acquisition. It connects vocabulary, listening, reading, writing, and speaking. It’s not all. It’s a piece of the whole.
How to make grammar more manageable, more interesting, and more likable?
First of all, teach it without labeling it…
use real-life situations first to show HOW to use that structure,
don’t tell them they are learning “present continuous” at first. Use situations that present the use of present continuous to them so that they learn the chunks, the constructions of the language.
Think outside the box when doing that.
All the books teach countable and uncountable nouns with fruits and vegetables, present continuous with clothing vocabulary for “what are you wearing” and present perfect with “have you ever…?”
Those are not the only scenarios in which those structures are used and that’s why students struggle to understand beyond that specific structure.
Second, when working with verb tenses, ask them to create free questions rather than answering template questions and creating affirmative and negative sentences.
I have noticed in my 21 years of experience, that most students don’t feel confident when dealing with free conversations moments, or when interacting with foreign people or presentations especially when they have to create questions.
We provide too many ready-to-use questions, and when the shoe does not fit they get bare feet.
Students struggle with the auxiliary verbs and tend to get lost when working freely with questions.
Third, a variety of resources – written, spoken, reading, and listening resources that combined show the structure that is being taught and that can be practice by the students.
Least, but not last, use advanced grammar with them from the beginning. I have noticed that teachers do not use connectors and linking words with students because they assume students won’t understand what they say. We are mirrors from day 01. We can not ask them to write compositions using subordinative clauses and linking words if we don’t do it when we talk to them when we write to them.
Make it fun!! don’t point out all the time they are learning grammar, that “this is grammar” or “that is grammar”…
So, teachers…tell me…what have you done to make grammar more manageable to students?
what activities do you suggest?
What have you done that is has proven to be a great strategy?
