Tema 3 EOI

UPDATED EDITION ‘EOI’ CRISTÓBAL MARTÍNEZ ALFARO. INGLÉS.
EPO 1 - 22
UNIT 3 ‘E.O.I.’
THE CONCEPT AND TEACHING OF GRAMMAR.

GRAMMAR DEPENDING ON THE USE OF
LANGUAGE
By Cristóbal Martínez Alfaro
OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION.
2. TEACHING GRAMMAR.
3. GRAMMAR AND THE TEACHING OF WRITING.
4. CONTENT STANDARDS.
5. CONCLUSION.
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY.
UPDATED EDITION ‘EOI’ CRISTÓBAL MARTÍNEZ ALFARO. INGLÉS. EPO 1 - 22

1. INTRODUCTION.
When, and to what extent, one should teach grammar to language
learners is a controversial issue. The paper proposes a decision-making
strategy for resolving this controversy, based on learner and instructional
variables. Then taking Canale and Swain's (1980) model of communicative
competence, which views grammatical competence as one component of
communicative competence, the paper argues that grammar instruction is part
of language teaching. In this new role, grammar interacts with meaning, social
function, or discourse-or a combination of these-rather than standing alone as
an autonomous system to be learned for its own sake. Great effort must be
made for integrating grammar instruction into a communicative curriculum and
with a reformulation of the role of grammar in language teaching.
This study discusses the important role that grammar instruction plays in
the process of teaching and acquiring a second/foreign language, focusing on
the case of English. In the language teaching area, the definition of grammar
has varied a lot, according to the approach to its instruction. Grammar can be
denominated as a set of language forms, as a set of verbal habits and as a
system that realizes the meaningful potential of a language. The study of the
trajectory of the grammar concept and its instruction in language teaching
approaches can be a useful resource to clarify the place of grammar in English
second/foreign language teaching and how it can be implemented.
The present investigation, of explanatory nature, has as objective:
1) To investigate the three main approaches to English second/foreign
language instruction (The Traditional, the Audio-Oral and the Communicative
approach), and the role of grammar within them.

2) To discuss the debate around the questions:
a) Why to teach grammar? and
b) How to teach it?
3) To verify the use of games in English grammar lessons.
The conclusion is that none of these mentioned approaches is enough in
itself. Traditional and audio-oral methods can be used in communicative
approaches to teach English as a second/foreign language in different moments
of the lesson, depending on its purpose and content. Whatever methods may
work best, the success - or failure - in effective English grammar instruction
hinges largely on teachers. Besides their highly desirable expertise in this
language, the teachers should be prepared to use the advantages that each
approach has to offer to the language lesson.
At classroom level, it is convenient to point out that according to the
current legislation, great emphasis is made on the use of functions; that is, what
grammar is for, rather than grammar itself. However, the inductive way of
learning grammar is much more connected to the so-called communicative
ways of learning a foreign language. Practice comes first, then the learning of
the rules governing the sentence structure. For years grammar was highly
emphasised in our country, although English teachers nowadays are aware that
to speak English the oral use of the language must be always be highlighted.
Any didactic unit within the contents includes functional contents,
grammar or structural contents, lexical and phonological contents, therefore all
of them are interrelated.

Once the students have sufficiently practiced, then the study of grammar
must consolidate the practice carried out, so that they can avoid making
mistakes that could make the message be misunderstood.
2. TEACHING GRAMMAR.
 The definition of grammar.
According to the structuralist point of view, grammar is the study of the
rules governing the use of a language. That set of rules is also called the
grammar of the language, and each language has its own distinct grammar.
Grammar is part of the general study of language called linguistics.
The subfields of grammar are phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax,
and semantics.
In traditional terms, grammar includes only morphology and syntax.
Linguists recognise a number of types of grammar.
 Prescriptive grammar -- an attempt to tell the users of the language how
to use it in order to speak correctly. This is the sense in which "I didn't do
nothing" is bad English grammar.
 Descriptive grammar -- an attempt to describe the language as it is being
used, regardless of whether it is considered correct or not. In many
dialects, people say "I didn't do nothing"; a descriptive grammar of such
dialects would accordingly treat that sentence as grammatical and
provide rules that account for it. Likewise a descriptive grammar of formal
English would provide rules accounting for "I didn't do anything."
 Teaching grammar -- a combination of prescriptive and descriptive
approaches with the aim of teaching a language to children and
foreigners. In teaching grammars it is often necessary to simplify in order

to achieve success, as neither the prescriptive nor the descriptive
approaches are logical or easy to understand in all details.
 Generative grammar -- A technical linguistic term. A generative grammar
for a particular language specifies, for each string of words, whether or
not that string constitutes a grammatical sentence in that language. It
does not provide a set of rules for constructing or parsing sentences.
Descriptive grammar takes the approach that speakers of a language
follow that language's grammar as a common convention of mutual intelligibility.
Violation of the grammar makes one's speech difficult to understand (as in
"barked dog me at time for long"). A majority of modern linguists accept that no
person whose brain functions are not severely impaired speaks
ungrammatically in this sense.
Grammars evolve through usage and human population separations.
With the advent of written representations, formal rules about language usage
tend to appear also. Formal grammars are codifications of usage that are
developed by observation. As the rules become established and developed, the
prescriptive concept of grammatical correctness can arise. This often creates a
gulf between contemporary usage and that which is accepted as correct.
Linguists normally consider that prescriptive grammars do not have any
justification beyond their authors' aesthetic tastes. However, prescriptions are
considered in sociolinguistics as part of the explanation for why some people
say "I didn't do nothing", some say "I didn't do anything", and some say one or
the other depending on social context.
The formal study of grammar is an important part of education from a
young age through advanced learning, though the rules taught in schools are

not a "grammar" in the sense most linguists use the term, as they are often
prescriptive rather than descriptive.
Planned languages are more common in the modern day. Many have
been designed to aid human communication (such as Esperanto or the
intercultural, highly logic-compatible artificial language Lojban) or created as
part of a work of Fiction (such as the Klingon language and Elvish language).
Each of these artificial languages has its own grammar.
Programming languages used for the purpose of computer programming
(such as Java) have grammars, but do not resemble human languages very
much. These are called formal grammars. In particular, they conform precisely
to a grammar generated by a pushdown automaton with arbitrarily complex
commands. They usually lack questions, exclamations, simile, metaphor and
other features of human languages.
It is a myth that analytic languages have simpler grammar than synthetic
languages. That languages have different levels of grammatical complexity can
be shown to be false by realizing the fact that changes to words are not the only
kind of grammar. Chinese is very context dependent. In other words, context
accomplishes the same role as declension and conjugation. (Chinese does
have some inflections, and had more in the past.) Latin, which is synthetic, uses
affixes and inflections to accomplish the same role that Chinese does with
syntax. Because Latin words are quite (though not completely) self-contained, a
sentence can be made from scattered elements. In short, Latin has a complex
affixion and a simple syntax, while Chinese has the opposite.
The teaching of grammar has provided the main battle ground for the
controversies and methodological discussions concerning the teaching of

languages. It is evident that all languages are governed by a set of grammatical
norms, and therefore grammar is present in all teaching-learning situations of a
foreign language. The problem is the way in which these grammatical elements
should be taught: Should it be through memorising normative rules which are
then applied to exercises of direct and inverse translation? Or in an inductive
way, using structural exercises or drills which practise a particular structure, but
without specific reference to the underlying general rule?
Between these two extreme postures, practised by the followers of the
grammar-translation method and those who favour the audio-lingual method,
respectively, there are several intermediate possibilities. On the other hand,
there will be no single solution valid for all occasions. The greater or lesser
degree of explicit grammar teaching in any given English course will depend on
the age of the students, their academic formation and other factors related to
their intellectual capacity and education.
In my opinion, based on my experience as a teacher of many years
standing, the type of student who studies in the Official Schools of Languages is
perfectly capable of understanding basic grammatical explanations; and what is
more, these explanations are useful to our students and help them in their task
of learning and perfecting the English language.
This does not mean, of course, that we should limit ourselves to
presenting a series of grammatical rules without concern for how these are
registered and productively assimilated in the student’s mind. The point is not to
return to the practices of the traditional grammar-translation method.
So grammar instruction appears to be very convenient if not
absolutely essential for acquiring a good level of proficiency in the target

language. This does not mean, however, that grammar can be taught in
isolation from the other language aspects and components. If we accept that
the fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to
communicate in that language, then we must try to integrate the teaching of
grammar into a communicative framework.
Research has shown that grammar instruction in isolation has little effect
on learners’ ability to create grammatically correct sentences. Though students
may be able to identify the correct form in grammar exercises that focus on
specific forms, they may be unable to transfer these uses to real
communication. For more information on the effects of instructions.
When planning instruction to help students recognise and internalise new
grammatical patterns, keep the following principles in mind:
 Grammar is best taught and practiced in an authentic context. A new
structure is more likely to stick in learners’ minds if they have immediate and
frequent opportunities to use it in real communicative contexts. As a result,
Specific grammar structures should be taught and practiced in contexts in
which it is natural or necessary to use the structure repeatedly. If students
need to use passive verbs to write science lab reports, for example, use
model lab reports to highlight and explain the structure.
 Supportive feedback is more than over correction.
 New structures will not stick unless they are appropriate to students’ current
level of development. There is little point, for example, in expecting students
to learn passive construction, such as The water was heated, if they have
not yet acquired the active form, We heated the water.

 Students may need many opportunities to hear, read, and practice a new
structure for months or even years before they internalise it thoroughly
enough to produce it on their own.
The following strategies support the preceding principles and can be
incorporated into daily lessons in various subject areas. They enable students
to learn the curriculum at the same time as they focus on specific features of
English grammar.
 Use material and plan activities that feature repeated language patterns.
Repetition of a grammatical structure in a meaningful context helps learners
recognise and understand the pattern. Songs, chants, games, and children’s
books often feature repetitive patterns. Eric Hill’s pictures book, Where’s
Spot?, for example, repeats prepositions (e.g. in, on, and under),
interrogative forms of the third-person singular of be (e.g. Is he in the …?),
and negative forms of the third person singular of be (e.g. He isn’t under the
…).
The chants in Carolyn Graham’s Jazz Chants series are based on repeated
patterns and provide a change of pace in a lesson.
Students can also create their own books and chants, following a pattern
introduced in a song, chant, or picture book.
 Use the content of lessons to introduce grammar concepts. Look for
repeated patterns that occur naturally in textbooks and lessons, such as
past-tense verb forms in history and passive forms in science lab reports.
Highlight a specific language feature rather than attempt to deal with all
students’ grammar errors and problems at once. Encourage students to use

this feature independently by incorporating it into other learning tasks, such
as journal writing.
Provide opportunities for supported practice based on the content of a lesson or
activity. You might, for example, introduce cloze passages that require
students to use the target structure.
 Provide the learners with the tools they need to talk about language.
Students need a basic vocabulary about language if they are to discuss and
ask questions about the language patterns they are having trouble with. By
the tame they have been learning for a short time students can learn and
understand basic terms, such as noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition;
singular and plural; verb tense; and suffix and prefix. Older learners can be
introduced to concepts such as subject, verb, object; active and passive
verbs; article, relative clauses and so on.
 Get Rid of the Red Pen!
Supportive feedback does not consist of correcting or circling every error in
a student’s work. This can be overwhelming for the student, who may have
little understanding of why a particular item has been corrected or circled.
Instead, look for consistent errors of a specific type and provide feedback on
these.
3. GRAMMAR AND THE TEACHING OF WRITING.
Grammar is the sound, structure, and meaning system of language. All
languages have grammar, and each language has its own grammar. People
who speak the same language are able to communicate because they intuitively

know the grammar system of that language—that is, the rules of making
meaning. Students who are native speakers of English already know English
grammar. They recognize the sounds of English words, the meanings of those
words, and the different ways of putting words together to make meaningful
sentences.
However, while students may be effective speakers of English, they
need guidance to become effective writers. They need to learn how to transfer
their knowledge of grammatical concepts from oral language to written
language.
Effective grammar instruction begins with what students already know
about grammar, and it helps them use this knowledge as they write. By
connecting their knowledge of oral language to written language, teachers can
demystify abstract grammatical terminology so that students can write—and
read—with greater competence and confidence.
Research strongly suggests that the most beneficial way of helping
students improve their command of grammar in writing is to use students'
writing as the basis for discussing grammatical concepts. Researchers agree
that it is more effective to teach punctuation, sentence variety, and usage in the
context of writing than to approach the topic by teaching isolated skills (Calkins,
1980; DiStefano and Killion, 1984; Harris, 1962).
As students revise and edit their writing, teachers can provide grammar
instruction that guides students in their attempts to identify and correct problems
in sentence structure and usage. For example, a teacher who sees that many
students are writing sentences containing misplaced modifiers can present a

minilesson on this concept, using examples from student writing. The teacher
can have students edit their own and one another's drafts for this problem.
Integrating grammar instruction into the revising and editing process
helps students make immediate applications, thus allowing them to see the
relevance of grammar to their own writing.
 Grammar contribution to specific aspects of writing.
Because writing is a complex and challenging activity for many
students, teachers should focus on the grammatical concepts that are essential
for the clear communication of meaning.
Research conducted since the early 1960s shows that grammar
instruction that is separate from writing instruction does not improve students'
writing competence (Braddock and others, 1963; Hillocks, 1986). In addition,
research indicates that the transfer of formal grammar instruction to writing is
not applicable to larger elements of composition. Through detailed studies of
students' writing, Shaughnessy (1977) concludes that the best grammar
instruction is that which gives the greatest return for the least investment of
time. Shaughnessy advocates four important grammatical concepts: the
sentence, inflection, tense, and agreement. She recommends that teachers
encourage students to examine grammatical errors in their own writing. She
also cautions teachers not to overemphasize grammatical terminology to the
detriment of students' ability to understand and apply the concepts.
Weaver (1998) proposes a similar approach to teaching grammar in
the context of writing. She writes, "What all students need is guidance in
understanding and applying those aspects of grammar that are most relevant to

writing." Weaver proposes five grammatical concepts that enable writers to
show improvement in sentence revision, style, and editing.
 A minimum of grammar for maximum benefits.
1. Teaching concepts on subject, verb, sentence, clause, phrase, and related
concepts.
2. Teaching style though sentence combining and sentence generating.
3. Teaching sentence sense through the manipulation of syntactic elements.
4. Teaching both the power of dialects and the dialects of power.
5. Teaching punctuation and mechanics for convention, clarity, and style
Rather than strive to teach all grammatical concepts to all students, teachers
should prioritize and provide instruction on the grammatical elements that most
affect their students' ability to write effectively. Teachers should also be
sensitive to individual students' readiness to learn and apply grammatical
concepts.
 Sentence combining improves writing.
Sentence combining is the strategy of joining short sentences into
longer, more complex sentences. As students engage in sentence-combining
activities, they learn how to vary sentence structure in order to change meaning
and style. Numerous studies (Mellon, 1969; O'Hare, 1973; Cooper, 1975;
Shaughnessy, 1977; Hillocks, 1986; Strong, 1986) show that the use of
sentence combining is an effective method for improving students' writing. The
value of sentence combining is most evident as students recognize the effect of
sentence variety (beginnings, lengths, complexities) in their own writing.

Hillocks (1986) states that "sentence combining practice provides writers
with systematic knowledge of syntactic possibilities, the access to which allows
them to sort through alternatives in their heads as well as on paper and to
choose those which are most apt" (150). Research also shows that sentence
combining is more effective than freewriting in enhancing the quality of student
writing (Hillocks, 1986).
Hillocks and Smith (1991) show that systematic practice in sentence
combining can increase students' knowledge of syntactic structures as well as
improve the quality of their sentences, particularly when stylistic effects are
discussed as well. Sentence-combining exercises can be either written or oral,
structured or unstructured. Structured sentence-combining exercises give
students more guidance in ways to create the new sentences; unstructured
sentence-combining exercises allow for more variation, but they still require
students to create logical, meaningful sentences. Hillocks (1986) reports that in
many studies, sentence-combining exercises produce significant increases in
students' sentence-writing maturity.
Given Noguchi's (1991) analysis that grammar choices affect writing
style, sentence combining is an effective method for helping students develop
fluency and variety in their own writing style. Students can explore sentence
variety, length, parallelism, and other syntactic devices by comparing their
sentences with sentences from other writers. They also discover the decisions
writers make in revising for style and effect.
Teachers can design their own sentence-combining activities by using
short sentences from student writing or other appropriate sources. For example,
teachers who notice many choppy sentences in students' writing can place

these sentences on an overhead for all their students to read. Teachers can
then ask different students to combine orally the short sentences in a variety of
ways.
By participating in oral and written sentence-combining activities,
students better understand the ways in which sentence structure, usage, and
punctuation affect meaning.
When presented as a revising strategy, sentence-combining activities
help students identify short, choppy sentences in their own writing, leading them
to combine their ideas in more fluid and sophisticated ways. As students
generate more complex sentences from shorter ones, they discover how the
arrangement of phrases and clauses, for example, affects meaning and its
impact on their readers.
 Strategies used by teachers to teach grammar.
Grammar instruction is most naturally integrated during the revising,
editing, and proofreading phases of the writing process. After students have
written their first drafts and feel comfortable with the ideas and organization of
their writing, teachers may wish to employ various strategies to help students
see grammatical concepts as language choices that can enhance their writing
purpose. Students will soon grow more receptive to revising, editing, and
proofreading their writing. In writing conferences, for example, teachers can
help students revise for effective word choices. As the teacher and student
discuss the real audience(s) for the writing, the teacher can ask the student to
consider how formal or informal the writing should be, and remind the student
that all people adjust the level of formality in oral conversation, depending on
their listeners and the speaking context. The teacher can then help the student

identify words in his or her writing that change the level of formality of the
writing.
To help students revise boring, monotonous sentences, teachers might
ask students to read their writing aloud to partners. This strategy helps both the
partner and the writer to recognize when, for example, too many sentences
begin with "It is" or "There are." Both the partner and the writer can discuss
ways to vary the sentence beginnings. After the writer revises the sentences,
the partner can read the sentences aloud. Then both can discuss the
effectiveness of the revision.
Teachers can help students edit from passive voice to active voice by
presenting a minilesson. In editing groups, students can exchange papers and
look for verbs that often signal the passive voice, such as was and been. When
students find these verbs, they read the sentence aloud to their partners and
discuss whether the voice is passive and, if so, whether an active voice verb
might strengthen the sentence. The student writer can then decide which voice
is most effective and appropriate for the writing purpose and audience.
Teachers can help students become better proofreaders through peer
editing groups. Based on the writing abilities of their students, teachers can
assign different proofreading tasks to specific individuals in each group. For
example, one person in the group might proofread for spelling errors, another
person for agreement errors, another person for fragments and run-ons, and
another person for punctuation errors. As students develop increasing skill in
proofreading, they become responsible for more proofreading areas.
Collaborating with classmates in peer editing groups helps students improve

their own grammar skills as well as understand the importance of grammar as a
tool for effective communication.
As teachers integrate grammar instruction with writing instruction, they
should use the grammar terms that make sense to the students. By
incorporating grammar terms naturally into the processes of revising, editing,
and proofreading, teachers help students understand and apply grammar
purposefully to their own writing. Strategies such as writing conferences,
partnership writing, grammar minilessons, and peer response groups are all
valuable methods for integrating grammar into writing instruction.
4. CONTENT STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS.
 Content standards for students.
The National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading
Association (1996) published Standards for the English Language Arts, which
defines "what students should know and be able to do with language". The
twelve content standards are closely intertwined and emphasize the complex
interactions among language skills. Standards 4, 5, and 6 most directly address
students' ability to write.
The national content standards for English language arts are based on
professional research and best classroom practices. While the standards
acknowledge the importance of grammar concepts, they clearly recommend
that students learn and apply grammar for the purpose of effective
communication. By embedding grammar instruction in writing instruction,
teachers can positively affect students' actual writing skills.
 National content standards.

 Standard 4: Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual
language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively
with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
 Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and
use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with
different audiences for a variety of purposes.
 Standard 6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language
conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative
language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
"By closely observing students' writing processes and carefully reading their
work, teachers can see which aspects of language structure are giving students
trouble and help them learn these concepts through direct instruction and
practice. It is also important for students to discover that grammar, spelling, and
punctuation are useful not only in the context of fixing problems or mistakes;
they can be studied effectively in a workshop context in which students work
together to expand their repertoire of syntactic and verbal styles. When students
connect the study of grammar and language patterns to the wider purposes of
communication and artistic development, they are considerably more likely to
incorporate such study into their working knowledge.
5. CONCLUSION.
Teaching grammar doesn't have to be boring for the students or
teacher, yet how many moans and groans arise from both when the "g-word" is
uttered? With a little creativity, productive lessons that teach grammar
inductively can enliven the process for both teachers and students.

The technique of having students induce the rules from example
sentences takes a little practice and patience, especially in cultures where
students are accustomed to the teacher dispensing the rules. Guide the
students as necessary. Ask them to analyze the examples, "What's similar?"
"What's different in each?" Tell them to imagine that they are explaining tag
questions to a student from another class. With practice, most students do very
well inducing grammar rules. It helps them become less dependent on the
teacher.
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY.
 Braddock, R., Lloyd-Jones, R., & Schoer, L. (1963). Research in Written
Composition. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
 Calkins, L. M. (1980). "When Children Want to Punctuate." Language Arts,
57, 567Ð73.
 Celce-Murcia, M. (1991). Grammar Pedagogy in Second and Foreign
Language Teaching, TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Autumn, 1991), pp.
459-480, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
 Cooper, C. (1975). "Research Roundup: Oral and Written Composition."
English Journal, 64, 72.
 DiStefano, P. & Killion, J. (1984). "Assessing Writing Skills Through a
Process Approach." English Education, 16 (4), 203Ð7.
 Harris, R. J. (1962). "An Experimental Inquiry into the Functions and Value
of Formal Grammar in the Teaching of Written English to Children Aged
Twelve to Fourteen." Ph.D. dissertation. University of London.

 Hillocks, G., Jr. (1986). "Research on Written Composition: New Directions
for Teaching." Urbana, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and
Communication Skills and the National Conference on Research in English.
 Hillocks, G., Jr. & Smith, M. (1991). "Grammar and Usage." In J. Flood, J. M.
Jensen, D. Lapp & J. R. Squire (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teaching
the English Language Arts. New York: Macmillan, 591Ð603.
 Mellon, J. C. (1969). "Transformational Sentence-Combining: A Method for
Enhancing the Development of Syntactic Fluency in English Composition."
NCTE Research Report No. 10. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of
English.
 National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading
Association. (1996). Standards for the English Language Arts. Urbana, IL:
National Council of Teachers of English.
 Noguchi, R. R. (1991). Grammar and the Teaching of Writing: Limits and
Possibilities. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
 O'Hare, F. (1973). Sentence-Combining: Improving Student Writing Without
Formal Grammar Instruction. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of
English.
 Shaughnessy, M. P. (1977). Errors and Expectations: A Guide for the
Teacher of Basic Writing. New York: Oxford University Press.
 Strong, W. (1986). Creative Approaches to Sentence Combining. Urbana,
IL: ERIC and the National Council of Teachers of English.
 Weaver, C. (1998). Lessons to Share on Teaching Grammar in Context.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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UPDATED EDITION ‘EOI’ CRISTÓBAL MARTÍNEZ ALFARO. INGLÉS.

THE CONCEPT AND TEACHING OF GRAMMAR.

By Cristóbal Martínez Alfaro

3. GRAMMAR AND THE TEACHING OF WRITING.

UPDATED EDITION ‘EOI’ CRISTÓBAL MARTÍNEZ ALFARO. INGLÉS. EPO 1 - 22

When, and to what extent, one should teach grammar to language

learners is a controversial issue. The paper proposes a decision-making

strategy for resolving this controversy, based on learner and instructional

variables. Then taking Canale and Swain's (1980) model of communicative

competence, which views grammatical competence as one component of

communicative competence, the paper argues that grammar instruction is part

function, or discourse-or a combination of these-rather than standing alone as

made for integrating grammar instruction into a communicative curriculum and

with a reformulation of the role of grammar in language teaching.

the process of teaching and acquiring a second/foreign language, focusing on

denominated as a set of language forms, as a set of verbal habits and as a

trajectory of the grammar concept and its instruction in language teaching

approaches can be a useful resource to clarify the place of grammar in English

second/foreign language teaching and how it can be implemented.

The present investigation, of explanatory nature, has as objective:

1) To investigate the three main approaches to English second/foreign

language instruction (The Traditional, the Audio-Oral and the Communicative

approach), and the role of grammar within them.

UPDATED EDITION ‘EOI’ CRISTÓBAL MARTÍNEZ ALFARO. INGLÉS. EPO 2 - 22

2) To discuss the debate around the questions:

a) Why to teach grammar? and

b) How to teach it?

3) To verify the use of games in English grammar lessons.

The conclusion is that none of these mentioned approaches is enough in

itself. Traditional and audio-oral methods can be used in communicative

approaches to teach English as a second/foreign language in different moments

work best, the success - or failure - in effective English grammar instruction

hinges largely on teachers. Besides their highly desirable expertise in this

approach has to offer to the language lesson.

At classroom level, it is convenient to point out that according to the

learning grammar is much more connected to the so-called communicative

Any didactic unit within the contents includes functional contents,

grammar or structural contents, lexical and phonological contents, therefore all

of them are interrelated.

UPDATED EDITION ‘EOI’ CRISTÓBAL MARTÍNEZ ALFARO. INGLÉS. EPO 3 - 22

mistakes that could make the message be misunderstood.

 The definition of grammar.

According to the structuralist point of view, grammar is the study of the

Grammar is part of the general study of language called linguistics.

The subfields of grammar are phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax,

In traditional terms, grammar includes only morphology and syntax.

Linguists recognise a number of types of grammar.

 Prescriptive grammar -- an attempt to tell the users of the language how

nothing" is bad English grammar.

 Descriptive grammar -- an attempt to describe the language as it is being

used, regardless of whether it is considered correct or not. In many

dialects, people say "I didn't do nothing"; a descriptive grammar of such

dialects would accordingly treat that sentence as grammatical and

English would provide rules accounting for "I didn't do anything."

 Teaching grammar -- a combination of prescriptive and descriptive

approaches with the aim of teaching a language to children and

foreigners. In teaching grammars it is often necessary to simplify in order

UPDATED EDITION ‘EOI’ CRISTÓBAL MARTÍNEZ ALFARO. INGLÉS. EPO 4 - 22