Deductive Analysis and use of grammars

INTRODUCTION

At the end of this module you will:

• be able to find your way around a grammar
• have more understanding of grammatical terminology
• understand the importance of knowing grammar
• have begun to consider issues involved in teaching grammar

This module is designed to make sure that you are aware of your own grammar, and aware that it is essential to get to grips with it. When you are teaching ESOL you do not need to tell your students the grammatical terminology unless they specifically ask for the information (language-conscious nationalities will, even at lower levels) or unless you are teaching advanced students who need the terminology. However you do need to know the terminology for yourself, both to be able to answer such questions if the students ask you and to be clear about what point you are teaching and why you are teaching it.

In order to complete this unit you will need to refer to the Back to Basics Grammar Reference included with the course. For your future career in TESOL you would be advised to obtain use a grammar book. If you have not examined different grammars, we do not suggest that you buy one at this stage, as there are many on the market and you may not be comfortable with the first one you see. A good library will have a selection to choose from. When you have examined a few we suggest that you get hold of a copy of Practical English Usage by Swan or a recent edition of A Practical English Grammar by Thomson and Martinet, whichever you feel you can most comfortably use. If you are already working in the field of TESOL and have a different grammar you should be able to use that so long as it was not written for use by Shakespeare! The English language is not static and some older grammars will now be out of date - both in the language they choose to describe and the way they describe it. Check for example what your grammar book says about the difference between ‘will’ and ‘shall’.

If it tells you that:

the ‘correct’ way to use them is ‘shall’ with the ‘I’ form : ‘I/we shall’ and ‘will’ with other forms

and gives examples like:

‘I shall not clean the kitchen, he will clean it,’

then you are in trouble and need a new book!

It is worth remembering that people enter the world of TESOL from a variety of backgrounds. Therefore some of you will find these tasks quite straightforward due to your academic background, while others will need to spend time searching through a grammar in order to make sense of them. Take your time, that is the advantage of a Distance Learning Course. After you have studied a topic in your grammar book it is useful to give yourself time to listen out for it in daily life, just as your students try to do!

There is no pressure to be the first to finish. But there may be pressure on you from students if you do not take time do this section well!

Do not depress yourself with the notion that there is somewhere one ultimate set of grammatical rules which we 'know' and you must learn. This is not true. The famous adage: Rules are made to be broken.’ was never truer than for English grammar. But there are useful rules to share with students and knowing a rule can help them succeed. When you are teaching and you do not know the rule (let us assume this is a momentary lapse as you should know it!) use deductive analysis (explained in this module).

By definition you, as a native speaker (if you are a native speaker), 'know' the grammar of English perfectly - your problem is to see it as a foreign language, to know about it and to understand the problems it poses to a foreign learner. (Non-native speakers have a distinct advantage here!) Think of this all the time that you are doing the tasks; think of simple examples where you are asked for them, make life easy for yourself and your future students!