Softly Tread The Brave : Pacing and Integration

Grammar can be a very scary thing. For students learning English (let alone teachers !) it can be highly intimidating. How to differentiate relative and dependent clauses. Negative versus interrogative forms. Subject and object, predicative and attributive adjectives, pronouns, gerunds and modal particles…oh, and did I mention conjugating verbs?

Pacing and integration are therefore vital in the integration of grammar into a TESL course so as to not overload students. Grammar should be weaved in with exercises in vocabulary, subtly if possible, and into speaking, writing, reading and listening exercises. Simple sentence structure (subject-verb-object) should come before sentences with multiple clauses; verb tenses should be gradually introduced. It’s better to take a single aspect of grammar and teach it well (e.g. can/can’t) than to try to introduce a whole principle in one lesson (e.g. all the modal verbs). Integrating the grammar point into the Engage / Activate parts of a lesson, not just the Study session, will also make it easier to digest. The most obvious point, but one that has to be made, is to keep it clear, concise, and as simple as possible.

I Didn’t Do Nothin’: Spoken or Written English?

There are vast differences in spoken and written English. Quite apart from colloquialisms and slang, the grammar used in our spoken English will be different to that used in our written English. It will be predominantly more formal, with perhaps more complex clause construction, when we write. Similarly, the written English that the students will read from almost any source (newspapers, books, signs) will be different to the English they hear (music, conversation, films). This shouldn’t be regarded as a bad thing and nor should we disdain the more informal uses of grammar. What is important is that we expose students to both, and that they learn which grammatical register is appropriate in any given situation.

I Did It My Way: Cultural Relativism

One of the great difficulties facing TESL teachers with regards to grammar is that we may never have learnt it ourselves. Curricula in many Western nations from the 1970’s and 80’s onwards moved away from formal grammatical training – the parsing and conjugation of verbs, study of syntax, and so on. The first challenge for the TESL teacher is to realise than many cultures, particularly in Europe and Asia, place great emphasis on grammar. Even in a predominantly ‘conversational class’, students may well be keen to learn English grammar rules. Quite apart from the need to know the rules, this means something far more profound for the TESL teacher. It is a clue as to how the students learn and process language. The teacher must be willing to adapt his or her style to how the students will best respond.

To give an example : the French, who study grammar vigorously, will be comfortable with formal explanations of how to conjugate verbs – indeed they will want it, and will understand the terminology (past participles, auxiliary verbs, tenses). The Vietnamese, who have a single verb form for all subjects (1st person, 2nd person, etc.), will not be so familiar with the idea that verbs change depending on who does them and when (I run, He runs). As such, knowing a little about the grammatical basics of the native tongue spoken is invaluable.

Because It Just Is, OK?: Rules vs Habits

However, English being English, it’s not quite that simple. There are as many exceptions as rules. Sentence structure, phrasing, the intricacies of auxiliary and modal verbs – many of these cannot just be taught by a rule in a book. English is very much a language of habit. This applies most obviously to pronunciation, but is also evident in our grammatical curiosities (why was he hung like a horse, but hanged by the neck until he was dead?). It is a language that must be absorbed through use, familiarity and habit. Students from some cultures, particularly Asian and European ones which rely heavily on grammatical rules, will have to be gently persuaded to look up from their rulebooks. They should by all means learn the rules, but they should also be prepared to let them go.

James Lane