Teaching Grammar

Teaching Grammar
Teaching Grammar
Do Tuan Minh, M.A.
Do Tuan Minh, M.A.
Nguyen Huyen Minh, M.A.
Nguyen Huyen Minh, M.A.
English Department
English Department
CFL - VNU
CFL - VNU


What is grammar?
What is grammar?
The grammar of a language is the
description of the way in which
words change their forms and are
combined into sentences in that
language. If those rules are
violated, communication suffers.
(Nunan, 2003)


1. Take a look at the three examples
1. Take a look at the three examples
below
below

(1) Everybody is ready now, aren’t
(1) Everybody is ready now, aren’t
they?
they?
(2) You’ve got a sister, have you?
(2) You’ve got a sister, have you?
(3) Someone has deliberately made
(3) Someone has deliberately made
themselves homeless.
themselves homeless.
Are they grammatically correct? If not,
Are they grammatically correct? If not,
how would you correct them?
how would you correct them?


Prescriptive Grammar
Prescriptive Grammar
An approach to grammar presents
An approach to grammar presents
authoritative norms about the
authoritative norms about the
structure of a language and
structure of a language and
determines language use correct or
determines language use correct or
incorrect, good or bad according to
incorrect, good or bad according to

those sets of rules
those sets of rules


Descriptive Grammar
Descriptive Grammar


An approach to grammar looks at
An approach to grammar looks at
how language is actually used by
how language is actually used by
native speakers and from that draws
native speakers and from that draws
out the rules of language use
out the rules of language use


2. Compare these two sets of
2. Compare these two sets of
language
language
(1) Do you
(1) Do you
understand me?
understand me?


(2) May I help you?
(2) May I help you?

(3) I want to talk
(3) I want to talk
with you!
with you!


(1) Know what I
(1) Know what I
mean?
mean?
(2) Need a hand?
(2) Need a hand?
(3) Got a second?
(3) Got a second?


A B


Spoken & Written grammars
Spoken & Written grammars
Written grammar
Written grammar
set A
set A
Spoken grammar
Spoken grammar
set B
set B

Reflection
Reflection
1.
1.
What would you prefer as a
What would you prefer as a
teacher, a descriptive or a
teacher, a descriptive or a
prescriptive grammar? Why?
prescriptive grammar? Why?




2.
2.
What difficulties would you
What difficulties would you
encounter if you are to include
encounter if you are to include
spoken grammar in your
spoken grammar in your
teaching?
teaching?
No “feeling” of language like native
No “feeling” of language like native
speaker teachers
speaker teachers
Testing and assessment still based on

Testing and assessment still based on
written standard grammar
written standard grammar
Lack of established materials
Lack of established materials


What to teach about grammar?
What to teach about grammar?
Form
Form
: how a particular structure is
: how a particular structure is
formed
formed
Meaning
Meaning
: its meaning expressed
: its meaning expressed
through word or grammar
through word or grammar
Use/pragmatics
Use/pragmatics
: the reason why
: the reason why
and the situation in which a
and the situation in which a
particular structure is used
particular structure is used

Reflection
Reflection
1. Does English grammar teaching
1. Does English grammar teaching
at secondary schools embody
at secondary schools embody
three dimensions discussed
three dimensions discussed
earlier? Why / why not?
earlier? Why / why not?
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