A SHORT PIECE ON TEACHING GRAMMAR



A SHORT PIECE ON TEACHING GRAMMAR

Grammar is essential when we think about teaching and learning foreign languages. It is also, undoubtedly, one of the most difficult aspects to teach and learn. Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to learning English grammar but it is up to teachers whether the process is more enjoyable and fun.

Foreign language teachers and teacher trainers differ in their opinions about the importance of grammar in the second language classroom and the methods and techniques of teaching it vary considerably. It cannot be disputed, however, that grammatical competence is an integral part of communicative language ability and there are several reasons why learning grammar should be considered as a very important issue:

-without grammar, clear communication is nearly impossible. Proper grammar helps you express your feelings and intentions clearly without being misunderstood;

-the ability to recognize and to produce well-formed sentences is an essential part of mastering a second language;

-grammar offers the learners the means for potentially limitless linguistic creativity;

-good grammar is considered to be a mark of intelligence and education.

Teaching grammar can be hard and painful for both the teacher and the pupils but does it necessarily have to be so? We can teach English grammar using fun learning activities which will greatly influence our pupils’ enthusiasm and motivation to learn and this is especially true in reference to younger pupils. There are vast numbers of enjoyable, creative, fun activities which can make our grammar lessons less difficult and boring for our pupils.

One of the most popular of those activities are SONGS which have many advantages as means of teaching English. They are a great source of authentic language input. Language learned in songs is more easily retained and memorable. Songs propose a change from habitual classroom actions and through using modern popular songs, the teacher can meet the challenges of the teenage needs in the classroom. There is a vide range of exercises which can be used while teaching grammar with songs, including completing cloze exercises, sequencing, completing charts, analyzing and discussing grammar usage, alternatives and meanings, listening for specific words and structures, etc.

An example of a great song for teaching the present simple tense, particularly the rule concerning the –s ending in the third person singular, is Alesha Dixon’s “The boy does nothing”. The song lyrics can be found on, e.g., . The second kind of activities that are especially popular among pupils are GAMES. They are one of the most preferable communicative activities. Games have a purpose and are enjoyable. Games require group work. Play and competition provided by games enhance motivation. Moreover, games reduce stress.

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This word search exercise on compound nouns is an excellent example of games well enjoyed by pupils. Another way of practicing compound nouns or other issues would be for students to make their own word search grids.

POEMS can be used to review and reinforce grammar rules, they contextualize a grammar lesson effectively. A poem is an effective tool for practicing a specific grammatical structure. Teachers can base their lessons on already existing poems or they can ask their pupils to create simple poems on their own. So, when we teach, e.g., imperatives we can use a poem by Michael Rosen entitled “Don’t put mustard in the custard” which can be found on .

VISUALS provide practical solutions to problems which every teacher equipped with only books and classroom faces. They help pupils understand by bringing them in direct contact with objects and things, they involve a number of the learners’ senses and they provide variety. Visuals make teaching effective by creating situations for presentation and practice of language items and help in formation of language habits by repetition and practice. Aditionally, they provide recreation.

Cartoons are a fun way of presenting various grammar issues.

[pic] - an example of a passive structure

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-an example of comparative forms of adjectives

Or

[pic]-to practice „used to”.

Other great visuals are flashcards, videos, graphs, clocks as well as boards. Teachers can make use of all the already existing visuals or they can devise their own ones.

All the above mentioned activities are only but a few examples of fun and enjoyable activities to be used during grammar lessons. There are also interactive exercises, role play activities or jokes that can be included in our lessons with the purpose of making them more interesting and effective.

Learning and teaching grammar rules does not have to be boring or difficult if we are ready and willing to make a little effort and if we take advantage of the many English grammar teaching tools that are widely available.

Bibliography:

Purpura, J. “Assessing grammar”, CUP, 2004

Thornbury, S. “How to teach grammar”, Longman, 1999

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By Anita Rzemińska

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