TESOL Essay TEN

Essay Ten

Teaching Grammar

By Syrbastyian Vzampfyier

Throughout the history of language learning be it in general education in one’s own native language or in learning a foreign language and, or second language there has a almost total emphasis on teach grammar as a systems of rules and regulations. Yet most people when ask to explain the grammatical rules of their own language struggle to to be able to explain the rule of their own native language.

Foreign language and, or second language learners spend many years learning the grammatical patterns and the grammatical rule of a foreign language and, or second language and yet struggle to apply and use the language actively to communicate effectively. This is especially true of Asian countries which tend to the rote system of learning a language and its grammatical rules.

Grammar is not actually a system of rules but more of a way that people expression their thoughts and intentions in their navigation through human relationships and societies in which they live in. (Pinker, 2007).

This concept of grammar as a way to express ideas, thoughts, opinions, feelings, beliefs, etc is what I believe is missing from most EFL/ESL teaching. The tendency to focus mainly on the rules of the language without explaining or teaching how the grammar expresses a concept of psychological meaning to act or be acted on, I contend, lessens our students’ ability to express their intentions clearly and freely.

Grammar has in the components of psychology, physics, time and space. For example, the grammar of active and passive sentences, an EFL/ESL teacher will teach the grammatical differences of the two types of sentences but without teach or explaining the psychology, physics, time and space of the sentence the students will struggle to learn them and use them correctly.

Let us take a look at this in closer detail. Please read the following sentences.

I.         Disneyland closed down because of the earthquake.

II.      Disneyland has closed down because of the earthquake.

III.   Disneyland was closed down because of the earthquake.

IV.   Disneyland got closed down because of the earthquake.

V.      Disneyland has been closed down because of the earthquake.

Now if you careful think about the concept of each sentence in term of their meaning and not the grammatical rule you will see that each sentence expresses certain ideas. The grammar is only a means to express the ideas not as a system of language rules to follow.

Sentences I and II show that Disneyland is active and in acting on the earthquake and the sentences show that Disneyland had a choice to either close down or not to close down. The use of “HAS” in sentence (II) show the action of Disneyland was in the recent past and connects to the present. Sentence (I) shows the event started and finished sometime in the past.

Sentence III, IV and V show that the earthquake was the actor and it acted on Disneyland and they also show that Disney had no choice or power to decide whether to close down or not close down. The decision to close down was force onto Disneyland by the power of the earthquake. The “WAS” implies that the event started and finished sometime in the past. “GOT” suggest a similar idea but has a more forceful sense to it and that the event is nearer to the present than “WAS”. “HAS BEEN” implies the event occurred in the recent past and it is not as aggressive as “GOT”.

Though grammar is a formula of rules and regulations that give a structure to sentences, grammars main and I would say only purpose is to express certain ideas and concepts. The teaching of grammar without explaining how the grammar expresses ideas is not helping the student learn and understand the usage of the language they have chosen to study. Furthermore, by focusing on how grammar expresses ideas and concepts reduces the stress that students feel trying to master the grammar rules. This in turns helps students to use the language more openly with little or no fear of breaking some rule. The teacher is not correcting or enforcing a rule but assisting the student to express their ideas and communicate these ideas to the world.