5 Teaching Grammar

1.

Teaching Grammar
What Does It Mean to "Know" Grammar?

2.

Pioneers/Founding Fathers of English
Grammar
William Bullokar – Author of Bref
Grammar for English (1586), widely
considered the first published
grammar book written specifically for
the English language.
Robert Lowth – A prominent 18thcentury grammarian whose
influential work, A Short Introduction
to English Grammar (1762),
established many of the prescriptive
grammar rules used today.
Lindley Murray – Known as the "Father of English
Grammar," his text English Grammar (1795)
became the standard textbook throughout Britain
and the United States for over a century.
Otto Jespersen – A seminal Danish linguist whose
multi-volume work A Modern English Grammar on
Historical Principles (1909–1949) shifted the study
of English towards descriptive linguistics.
Noam Chomsky – The pioneer of modern formal
linguistics whose landmark work, Syntactic
Structures (1957), introduced the theory of
Generative Grammar.

3.

THEORETICAL LINGUISTICS POSTER
6 Core Paradigms
Foundations & Applications
Key Theories of English Grammar
Noam Chomsky
Michael Halliday
It uses phrase structure trees (tree diagrams) to
break English sentences down into constituents
(Noun Phrases, Verb Phrases) and explains how
sentences undergo transformations (e.g., active to
passive voice, statement to question)
Otto Jespersen, Randolph Quirk
He explained how word choices and grammar
fulfill three main functions: expressing experience
(ideational), building social relationships
(interpersonal), and organizing information
(textual).
Their theory focuses on describing how
native speakers actually use English rather
than prescribing arbitrary rules.
Ferdinand de Saussure, Leonard Bloomfield
Charles Fillmore, Adele Goldberg
Ronald Langacker
Introduced systematic methods for
identifying parts of speech, morphemes
(smallest units of meaning), and word-order
patterns in English sentences.
Explains English idioms, phrasal verbs, and
non-standard expressions that standard rules
struggle to capture (e.g., "The more, the
merrier" or "He sneezed the napkin off the table")
Analyzes how English prepositions, tenses,
and aspects reflect human spatial orientation,
perception, and conceptualization of time.
MODERN SYNTHESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY
Contemporary English instruction combines corpus-based descriptive grammar with cognitive mapping and functional social communication.

4.

Practical Examples
• Generative Grammar (Noam Chomsky)
• Focus: Tree diagrams, active-to-passive transformations, deep
structure.
• Example:
• Active: "The dog chased the cat."
• Passive: "The cat was chased by the dog."
• Grammar explanation: Both sentences share the same
underlying semantic/deep structure, transformed into
different surface syntax forms via grammatical rules.
• Systemic Functional Grammar / SFG (Michael Halliday)
• Focus: How language choices depend on context, social function,
and purpose.
• Example:
• Option A: "Please close the window." (Polite imperative)
• Option B: "It’s freezing in here." (Indirect request)
• Grammar explanation: Same communicative goal (getting
someone to close the window), but structured differently
based on social interpersonal context.
• Descriptive & Historical Syntax (Otto Jespersen, Randolph Quirk)
• Focus: Real-world usage vs. strict prescriptive rules.
• Example:
• Sentence: "Who did you talk to?" vs. "To whom did you talk?"
• Grammar explanation: Prescriptive grammar insists on "To
whom", but descriptive grammar analyzes "Who... to" as the
standard natural structure used by native speakers today.
• Structural Linguistics (Leonard Bloomfield)
• Focus: Sentence constituents, substitution tests, and structural
patterns.
• Example:
• Sentence: "The big red ball rolled down the hill."
• Grammar explanation: Replacing the Noun Phrase [The big
red ball] with [It] demonstrates that [The big red ball]
functions as a single structural constituent.
• Construction Grammar (Charles Fillmore, Adele Goldberg)
• Focus: Fixed form-meaning pairings and non-standard syntax.
• Example:
• Sentence: "He sneezed the tissue off the table."
• Grammar explanation: The verb "sneeze" is intransitive, but it
is fitted into the Caused-Motion Construction [Subj + Verb
+ Obj + Prep Phrase], assigning motion to the action.
• Cognitive Grammar (Ronald Langacker)
• Focus: Spatial orientation, perception, and conceptualization.
• Example:
• Case A: "The picture is on the wall." (2D contact surface)
• Case B: "The keys are in the drawer." (3D container concept)
• Grammar explanation: Prepositions (on, in, at) are chosen
based on how human cognition perceives spatial relations
and physical boundaries.

5.

Practical Exercises
• Item 4:
• Item 1:
• Sentence: "Passengers are requested to remain seated."
• Sentence: "She walked into the room." vs. "Into the room
• Analysis: The passive voice and formal vocabulary choice reflect an
she walked."
official, authoritative interpersonal relationship between the speaker and
• Analysis: The phrase "into the room" is moved to the
listener.
front for thematic focus (topicalization) while
• Question: Which theory focuses on social functions and context choices?
maintaining the core proposition.
• Question: Which theory analyzes this as a constituent • Item 5:
• Sentence: "I am loving this weather!"
movement transformation?
• Analysis: Even though traditional rules class "love" as a stative verb that
• Item 2:
shouldn't take -ing, empirical observation shows native speakers
• Sentence: "The more you study, the better you perform."
frequently use it in the continuous aspect to emphasize temporary
• Analysis: This sentence uses a unique [The X-er, the
emotional intensity.
Y-er] comparative structure where the overall
• Question: Which linguistic approach accepts and describes this usage
meaning cannot be deduced purely from the
based on real-life language data?
individual words.
• Item 6:
• Question: Which framework treats this as a holistic
• Sentence: "The plane flies over the city" vs. "The bird flies above the clouds."
"construction"?
• Analysis: The choice between "over" and "above" depends on whether
• Item 3:
the trajectory implies physical movement across a boundary or a relative
• Sentence: "They are eating apples."
height visual plane.
• Analysis: This sentence is structurally ambiguous:
• Question: Which theory links prepositions directly to spatial cognition
• [They] [are eating] [apples] (Action)
and mental mapping?
• [They] [are] [eating apples] (Description of apples)
• Question: Which approach uses immediate
constituent analysis (IC analysis) to break down
sentence parts?

6.

SYN109 - Phrase Structure I
Syntax (Part 2)

7.

What is Grammar?
"Grammar is the business of taking charge of language forms: how words are
structured internally and how they combine with one another in sentences.“
David Crystal
"Grammar is both a process and a tool for making meaning, through which
raw words are organized to convey precise temporal, spatial, and logical
relationships.“
Scott Thornbury
"Grammar is not merely static knowledge of rules, but a dynamic skill
of a three-dimensional unity of Form, Meaning, and Use
(Pragmatics).“
Diane Larsen-Freeman

8.

Grammar Structure
Three interconnected dimensions (Diane Larsen-Freeman’s 3D Model)
Form: How is the structure
(Phonology, morphology, syntax)
formed?
Meaning: What does the structure mean?
(Semantics)
Use: When and why is it used? (Pragmatics)

9.

Practice Grammar Structure
Student error diagnosis
"She was played tennis yesterday at 5 PM."
"I have seen this movie yesterday."
"Dear Sir, I want to tell you that I'm gonna
be late."
Remedial task design
• Form: Controlled Practice (drills, gap-fills,
sentence transformation exercises to
automate the correct structure).
• Meaning: Concept Checking Questions
(CCQs) or matching exercises (e.g., Match
sentence to image / situation).
• Use: Communicative Task (role-play,
dialogue creation within a specific social
context: formal/informal).
Example: Passive Voice ("The letter was sent")
Dimension
Question
Form
How is it formed?
(Morphology,
syntax, phology)
What does it
mean?
(Semantics)
Meaning
Use
When / Why is it
used?
(Pragmatics)
Example

10.

Deductive
(Rule-Driven) Approach
Flow: Rule Explanation →Example →Practice.
Pros: Time-efficient, clear for low levels or complex rules,
meets traditional learner expectations.
Cons: Teacher-centered, passive learning, can lead to
memorization without communicative ability.
Inductive (Discovery
based) Approach
Flow: Text/Context →Analysis →Guided Discovery of
Rule →Practice.
Pros: Student-centered, encourages cognitive depth,
mimics natural language acquisition.
Cons: Time-consuming, potential for students to infer
incorrect rules, demanding for lower-level learners.

11.

Practice: Deductive &Inductive
Approaches
The teacher writes on the
board:
"Today we are learning the
Present Perfect.
The formula is:
Have + V3.
The rule: it is used when an
action in the past is connected to
the present.
Write down this example..."
Step 1. Provide Students with the Text (Context)
Step 2. Ask 3 Guiding Questions (Guided Discovery Questions)
Focus on Attention (Noticing Stage):
Task for students: "Find and underline the key phrases in the
text to guess or figure out what happened in the past."
Focus on Meaning (Meaning Discovery):
Question for students: "Does the phrase ‘……..' mean that …..?
Did this happen now or in the past?"
Focus on Formula (Form Analysis):
Task for students: "Look at the underlined phrases and fill in
the blank in the formula: Modal Verb (must/couldn't) +
_______ + Verb (3rd form/V-ed)."
(Correct answer: HAVE)

12.

Deductive vs Inductive Micro-Teaching Challenge
2 Lesson Plan
Practice Time
Step 1
Second Conditional (A2+/B1)
Passive Voice: Present Simple (B1)
Articles with Geographical Names (A2/B1)
Relative Clauses: Who / Which / Where (A2)
3 Micro-teaching
4 Peer Feedback & Analysis
Option A (Deductive Plan):
Explain the rule on the board using formulas and
grammatical terminology.
Provide 2 ready-made examples.
Ask the students to immediately complete 2 sentences
from a controlled (gap-fill) exercise.
Option B (Inductive Plan / Guided Discovery):
Provide students with a short context (a 3–4 sentence
text, a dialogue, or an image with speech bubbles).
Create 3 guiding questions:
Question 1: Noticing (find and underline the target
structure in the text).
Question 2: Meaning / CCQs (understand the
meaning, time reference, or context).
Question 3: Form (deduce the structural formula or fill
in the blank in the rule).

13.

System
of Grammar
Exercises
Гальскова Н.Д., Гез Н.И. Теория обучения
иностранным языкам. Лингводидактика и
методика
1. Language Exercises (Preparatory / Orientation):
Goal: Analysis of the form, initial substitution, and
differentiation of grammatical phenomena.
Example: Identify the tense of a verb, open the brackets,
or match a structure with a diagram.
2. Conditionally-Communicative / Pattern Exercises
(Practice):
Goal: Automating the form within a situational context
(imitation, substitution, combination).
Example: Ask a question based on a model in a microdialogue.
3. Communicative / Speech Exercises (Production):
Goal: Using the target structure to solve an authentic
communicative task.
Example: Describe a solution to a problem or justify an
opinion using modal verbs.

14.

Classification Task
Classify each exercise into one of Galskova's three categories: Language
Exercises (Preparatory); Conditionally-Communicative / Pattern Exercises;
Communicative / Speech Exercises
Exercise A:
"Work in pairs. Look at the list
of experiences on page 42. Ask
your partner 'Have you ever...?'
questions. If they answer 'Yes',
ask one follow-up question in
the Past Simple."
Type:
________________________
Exercise B:
"Complete the sentences with
the correct form of the verb in
brackets (have + V3/V-ed): 1)
She ____ (visit) Paris twice. 2)
They ____ (not / finish) their
homework yet."
Type:
________________________
Exercise C:
"Think about 3 major changes that
have happened in your town in the
last 5 years. Prepare a short report
and present it to your group to
convince them that the town has
improved."
Type: ________________________
Гальскова Н.Д., Гез Н.И. Теория обучения иностранным языкам. Лингводидактика и методика

15.

Hands-on Design Challenge
Select one target grammar structure from the list below and create a set of three
original exercises (one for each type according to Galskova's system).
Second Conditional
(A2+/B1)
Passive Voice:
Present Simple
(B1)
Modal Verbs of
Obligation: Must /
Have to (A2/B1)

16.

Explicit vs. Implicit Grammar Learning
• Conscious, intentional learning where
Explicit
Learning
students focus directly on grammar rules,
structures, and form.
• Metalanguage (grammar terms like subject,
tense, auxiliary verb) is used, and the teacher
explicitly explains how the language works.
• Subconscious, natural acquisition where students
Implicit
Learning
learn grammar through exposure, communication,
and usage without focusing on formal rules.
• Focus is strictly on meaning and communication
rather than grammatical form. Students pick up
patterns naturally (similar to how children acquire
their first language).
Teacher: "Today we are learning the Present
Perfect. We form it using have/has + past
participle. We use it for actions that happened
in the past but have a connection to the present.
For example: I have visited Paris. Now, complete
exercise 3 by filling in the blanks with the
correct form."
Teacher: "Let's talk about our travel
experiences! Ask your partner: Have you ever
tried sushi? Have you ever climbed a mountain?"
(Students practice the pattern through active
communication without the teacher ever
mentioning the terms "Present Perfect" or "Past
Participle".)

17.

The problem of “Interference” and Grammar Erro
The Nature of Errors and the Mechanism of Interference
Interlingual Interference:
Transferring grammatical structures and
rules from the mother tongue (L1) to the
target language (e.g., word order, lack of
articles, or omission of linking verbs).
Intralingual Interference:
Applying target language rules to its
own exceptions (overgeneralization of
rules, e.g., saying "he goed" instead of
"he went").
Methodological Significance:
Errors are a natural part of forming an interlanguage.
The correction strategy depends on the nature of the error:
language errors require further automation, while
communicative errors require clarifying the intended meaning.

18.

Interlingual Interference
Interlingual interference occurs when learners apply the rules, word order, or
structural patterns of their native language (