grammar ELT EFT

1. MONTSE IRUN
UNIVERSITY OF LLEIDA

2. Grammar?

3. What is grammar?
 This is 268770068. We’re not at
home right now. Please leave
a message after the beep.
 We’re not at home right now.
This is 268770068. Please leave
a message after the beep.
 Right now at home we’re not.

4. Is this odd?
This is 268770068. We’re at
home right now. Please
leave a message after
the beep.
Tickets!
Where daddy?

5. What is grammar?
The study of
what forms
are possible or
feasible in a
language.

6. Spoken or written grammar?
 Had to laugh, though.
 Want a ciggie?
 The guy that made it, he was telling me, he doesn’t eat it
himself.
 I would not interrumpt while others guests are dining.

7. What is grammar?

8. Grammar syllabuses
Selection and grading
 Complexity
 Learnability
 Teachability
Usefulness and
frequency

9. Why teach
grammar?

10. Reasons for
 The fine tuning argument
 The learner expectation argument
 The fosilization argument
 The advance argument

11. Reasons against
 The communication argument
 The natural order argument
 The lexical chunks argument
 The knowledge how argument

12. How to teach
grammar

13. Rules
 The rule of context: teach grammar in context
 The rule of use: teach grammar to facilitate
comprehension and production of language
 The rule of economy: economise on presentation.
Maximum practice
 The rule of relevance: teach grammar students
have problems with
 The rule of nurture: teach grammar cyclically
 The rule of appropriacy: teach grammar according
to level, interests, expectations and learning styles

14. Inductive approach
(discovery learning)
example
rule

15. Deductive approach
(rule-driven learning)
rule
example

16. Text and context
text
rule

18. What will learners learn by
doing this?
Make these sentences passive
Example: John wrote that letter. That letter was written by
John.
 1.- The cow jumped over the moon.
 2.- Willy ate his sister’s porridge.
 3.- Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
 4.- Somebody broke into our house last night.
 5.- Koala bears eat eucalyptus leaves.
 6.- The Queen has just opened the Parliament.

19. What will learners learn by
doing this?
Make these sentences passive
Example: John wrote that letter. That letter was written by John.
 1.- The cow jumped over the moon. NO SENSE
 2.- Willy ate his sister’s porridge. LACK OF COHERENCE
 3.- Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
 4.- Somebody broke into our house last night. TAUTOLOGY
 5.- Koala bears eat eucalyptus leaves. NO SENSE
 6.- The Queen has just opened the Parliament. TAUTOLOGY

21. TIPS TO TEACH ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
 Teach the grammar they need
 Teach grammar when they need it
 Teach grammar in a text
 Teach grammar communicatively
 Use pedagogic translation sparingly
NEVER FORGET
COMMUNICATION IS THE BOSS

23. (c) Oral Skills in EFL - Montse Irun