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Approaches to grammar instruction

Ian Martin

Teacher Development

World Link

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Prescriptive vs. Descriptive

• A prescriptive grammar specifies what is right and what is wrong

• A descriptive grammarian tries to avoid making judgments about correctness, and concentrates on describing and explaining the way people actually use language

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??

A: Would you like some more coffee, sir?

B: Yes please.

A: Can you hit the man in seat 10D.

C: Sure.

B: Thanks.

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Interpreting literally

A: How many times do I have to tell you?

B: Five times.

A: We need this photocopied for the 4 o’clock meeting.

B: That’s true.

A: Let’s give Heidi a call.

B: Yes, please do.

A: Could you do the dishes?

B: Yes, I could.

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Grammar and contextA: What did you buy your girlfriend?B: I bought the flowers for my girlfriend.

A: Who did you buy the flowers for?B: I bought my girlfriend a bunch of flowers.

A: What did you buy your girlfriend?B: I bought my girlfriend a bunch of flowers.

A: Who did you buy the flowers for?B: I bought the flowers for my girlfriend.

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Grammar and pronunciation

She’s Italian, isn’t she? (rising intonation) = I believe that she’s Italian, but I’m really not certain.(falling intonation) = I’m pretty sure she’s Italian, but I’d like your

confirmation on that.She’s Italian, is she? (rising intonation) = I thought she was Spanish, but I’ve just received

information that leads me to revise my belief.

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Grammar and pronunciation

Daughter: Mom, can I get a belly-button ring?

Mother: No. (falling tone)

Daughter: Did you say yes?

Mother: No. (rising tone)

Daughter: Well, I kinda got one today.

Mother: No! (low tone)

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The power of the pause

• A woman without her man is nothing.

• A woman without her man (pause) is nothing.

• A woman (pause) without her man is nothing.

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Grammar and vocabulary

• DRUNK GETS NINE MONTHS IN VIOLIN CASE

• IRAQI HEAD SEEKS ARMS

• MOUNTING PROBLEMS FOR YOUNG COUPLES

• QUEEN MARY MAY HAVE BOTTOM SCRAPED

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Authenticity (spoken vs. written)

When I was in Thailand, one of the things that I did wrong was to wear shorts. I wore them to museums and other places without thinking that I might be offending people. When I got home my friends told me I should not have worn shorts, that the Thais found it offensive. I wish I had paid more attention to cultural dos and don’t before I arrived.

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Authenticity (spoken vs. written)

One of the things that … that I kinda did wrong when I was in Thailand that I wish I … I had paid more attention to before I did it … was I wore shorts around town, and when … when I went with friends to, to go, um, you know, visit the museums or whatever, and we got back home … and they said you know you really shouldn’t wear shorts around town, and I was like … I didn’t even think about it – and you know, it … it’s really kind of offending to them.

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Helping students make sense

• Three subsystems of language: phonological, lexical, and grammatical

• Language can only make sense, and be understood, in context

• Integrate teaching of grammar with teaching of pronunciation and vocabulary

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Form, Meaning and Use

Form Meaning

Use

Celce-Mercia & Larsen-Freeman

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Form, Meaning and Use

How is it formed? What does it mean?

When/why is it used?

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Deductive vs. Inductive presentation

• In a deductive presentation, students are given the rule, and apply it to a set of examples

• In an inductive presentation, students infer the rule, pattern or generalization from a set of examples

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World Link grammar

Presentation and practice reflect the most common problems mastering

a structure

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Form

• Meaningful practice, keeping declarative knowledge in working memory

• Need to avoid ‘inert’ knowledge

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Meaning

• Activities needs to associate form and meaning of target structure

• For beginners, visual reinforcement/TPR can help

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Use

• Trouble choosing correct structure or language for a given context

• Past tense or present perfect?

• Discourse grammar

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‘Filling in the gaps’

• Textbooks can’t teach everything

• Not all language students need is found in the classroom

• Regularly occurring patterns

• There are always exceptions to rules; rules don’t change – language does

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Grammar for beginners

• Beginners more likely to rely on L1

• Structures aren’t learned one at a time

• Frequent regression (‘he cans swim well’)

• Negative evidence is important

• Recycle

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World Link grammar

• Focuses students on form, through meaningful, communicative interaction

• Balances deductive and inductive presentation

• Provides appropriate presentation and practice for each target

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Questions?