Transcript Grammar presentation methods

Methodology
Unit 6
Teaching Grammar
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Unit 6
Teaching Grammar
Objectives
 to understand the role of grammar in ELT;
 to learn the methods for grammar presentation.
Prerequisites
 Students should preview the unit for the main idea
before they come to the class.
 Students should prepare TASK 1, read the
assumptions about grammar in English learning and
try to give reasons for their decisions .
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Part I. The role of Grammar
Task 1
Read the following statements about grammar in
English learning again and decide if you agree
with them or not.
1.Students need to be given detailed grammar rules if
they want to learn a foreign language successfully.
2.Children do not learn grammar rules when they acquire
their first language, so they do not need them either
when learning a foreign language.
3.If students get enough chance to practise using a
foreign language, they do not need to learn grammar.

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Part I. The role of Grammar
4.Making students aware of grammatical information is
one of the teaching objectives, allowing students
opportunities for using the language is just as important.
5.Grammar should be taught to help students to analyze
difficult structures in texts.
6.Teaching and learning grammar should focus on
practice rather than the study of grammar itself.
7.Grammar should be taught and practiced in context.
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Part I. The role of Grammar
8. Knowing grammar is not enough for real
communication.
9. An inadequate knowledge of grammar would
severely constrain the capacity for
communication.
10.Grammar will always be “the boring bit” of
language learning.
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Part I. The role of Grammar
Sum up：
A. The role of grammar in English learning:
1. English grammar is one of the four key
elements of English language, that is，
pronunciation, words, grammar and context.
Without grammar English language cannot be
well constructed.
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Part I. The role of Grammar
2.There is naturally Chinese grammar in the minds
of Chinese students, and it's not easy to take in
the grammar of a foreign language. But this
difficulty must be overcome. If you cannot solve
this difficulty, the English you write, though it
may be understandable, will be Chinglish (Chinese
type foreign language).
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Part I. The role of Grammar
3.Grammar can help you to understand what you
read and hear. 3.Grammar can help you to
understand what you read and hear.
4.Grammar can help you to express yourself
clearly and correctly.
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Part I. The role of Grammar
B. How grammar is currently taught:
In China, grammar is taught in a traditionally
teacher-centred way. Obviously there is too much
teacher dominance and too little student involvement in
such a class. Often preparing such a grammar lesson
means collecting all the concerned rules or ideas on a
topic form various books together with copied
examples, and teaching grammar simply means reading
aloud to the class what has been prepared beforehand.
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Part I. The role of Grammar
Students are supposed to take notes for the final
assessment. For many years Chinese teachers of
English have followed the traditional way of
teaching grammar as the following three steps:
 --to learn about the grammar rules,
 --to study a few examples,
 --and to do some written grammar exercises.
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Part II. Grammar presentation
methods
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Generally speaking, there are two grammar
presentation methods: Deductive Method and
Inductive Method which are commonly used
in grammar class. These two methods are very
useful in teaching and can be used in other
classes. Today you will learn the first one---the
Deductive method.
The following sample:
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Grammar presentation methods

The Present Progressive (or Continuous)
As we have already learned that aspect concerns
the manner in which the verbal action is
experienced or regarded, that is, an action is
completed or in progress.
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Grammar presentation methods
1. Form:
The Present Progressive is formed by the present form
of BE (am, is, are) + the present participle. E. g.
He is cleaning the blackboard.
She is closing the window.
We are having a class.
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Grammar presentation methods
Past
Future
Present
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Grammar presentation methods

This is quite different from Chinese in which all
the tenses and aspects are expressed by words.
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E. g.
他正在关窗子。
我们正在上课。
English ‘aspect’ is expressed by the forms of
verbs but the Chinese ‘aspect’ by the words,
such as ‘正在’、‘正’或‘在’and so on.
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Grammar presentation methods
2. The PPA and the different kinds of verbs
1. In general，the Present Progressive is used
for a single temporary event that has a beginning
and an end. This form suggests that an event
began and is continuing, but it does not
necessarily include the end of the action.
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Grammar presentation methods
The Present Progressive occurs mostly with
verbs that denote limited duration such as work,
study, attend. However, it can also occur with
verbs that express some stage in a progression,
either the beginning, end or continuation of an
action. E.g.
 The class is beginning (or ending) now.
 The weather is getting (or becoming) warmmer
and warmer.
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Grammar presentation methods

2. The progressive form often simply marks the aspect
of duration. If emphasis on duration of an event is not
desired, the non-progressive aspect is used, for example,
“The class begins at 8: 00. ” A single action that is
going on at present must be expressed with a
progressive verb, for example, “The little girl is singing a
song over there. ” In terms of time, the progressive
form is the present. It may express relatively short
duration, perhaps only momentary, or relatively long
duration.
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Grammar presentation methods
E. g.
 Short Duration:
He is opening the window now.
She is reviewing her grammar lesson at the
moment.
 Long Duration:
She is studying English this year.
He is writing a novel.
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Grammar presentation methods
3. A few verbs occur in either the present
progressive or the simple present tense,
depending on the kind of emphasis desired.
For the Present Progressive, the emphasis is on
the progression of one event. E.g.
He is planning to go abroad.
—Where are you living now?
—I’m living in California.
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Grammar presentation methods
For the Simple Present , the emphasis is on the
general idea denoted by the verb. E.g.
He plans to go abroad.
Where do you live now?
I live in California.
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Grammar presentation methods
4. Usually, the Present Progressive is found with
action verbs, but, sometimes, the Present
Progressive is found with non-action verbs that
are ordinarily put in the Simple Present Tense.
In such a case, the progressive verb may signal
that an event is thought of as temporary.
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Grammar presentation methods
E.g.
I’m remembering how it used to be.
He’s seeing things clearer with his new glasses.
However, when such verbs are used in the Present
Progressive, they have other meanings than
those in the Simple Present Tense.
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Grammar presentation methods
Cf. :
He is considering entering the university.
He considers this university to be a good one.
What are you thinking about?
What do you think about him?
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Grammar presentation methods
3. The usages of the PPA
Because of the ability of the Present Progressive
to suggest action in progress, it can be also used
for the following:
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Grammar presentation methods
1.For an action which is in progress while we are
talking. E. g.
what is he doing?
He is reading a book.
What a nuisance it is that you are talking so
loudly while we are having a class.
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Grammar presentation methods
2. For the present period action which is not
necessarily occurring now. E. g.
John is studying Chinese while his sister is doing
Japanese.
I’m teaching Translation and Grammar this
semester.
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Grammar presentation methods
3. For greater emotion or emphasis than the nonprogressive form does. E. g.
You are continually finding fault with me.
(Emotional comment, “continually” reinforces
the emotion which the speaker dislikes.)
He’s always acting up at these affairs. (Emotional
comment, “always” reinforces the emotion which
speaker disapproves. )
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Grammar presentation methods
4. For habits or iteration in a series of similar
ongoing actions. E.g.
Henry is kicking the soccer ball around the
backyard. (habits)
The trains are arriving late practically every day
this winter. (iteration)
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Grammar presentation methods
5. For future time if it is accompanied by a future
time expression. E. g.
The books are going on sale next week.
Our teacher is giving us a quiz tomorrow.
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Grammar presentation methods
The Present Progressive generally indicates
that the future action is part of a plan made in
the present ,with the past possibility included. it
is more frequently used with the verbs that can
show the intention of the subject or that can
indicate the result of planning by some agent.
E.g. I’m giving you some examples about the
Present Progressive. However, we can not say
“It’s raining tomorrow.”
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Grammar presentation methods
Summary of the Method:
The deductive method relies on reasoning,
analyzing and comparing.
The teaching process is:
1. The teacher writes an example on the board or
draws attention to an example in the textbook.
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Grammar presentation methods
2. Then teacher explains the underlying rules regarding
the forms and positions of certain structural words.
The explanations are often done in the student’s native
language and using grammatical terms. Sometimes,
comparisons are made between the native language and
the target language or between the newly presented
structure and previously learned structures.
3. Finally the students practice applying the rule to
produce sentences with given prompts.
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Grammar presentation methods
Advantages:
 --good for selected and motivate students
 --save
time to explain complex rule
 --increase students’ confidence in
examination
Disadvantages:
 --it
teaches grammar in an isolated way;
 --little attention is paid to meaning;
 --the practice is often mechanical.
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Part III. Homework
1. Do Task 2 by yourselves.
2. Preview the rest of the Unit.
Reference Book:
<英语基础课程的教与学>
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Thank You
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