WHAT IS GRAMMAR?

TCH2203
TEACHING OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR
 01 02
GRAMMAR GRAMMAR
AND AND
MEANING FUNCTION

03
GRAMMAR
RULES
“Once the grammar has been learned, writing is simply
talking on paper and in time learning what not to say.”
—Beryl Bainbridge
 01.
GRAMMAR AND
MEANING
 GRAMMAR
• The word GRAMMAR is derived from the Ancient Greek word
Grammaticos, which means the “art of letters” (to draw or to write).
• Grammar is :
i. the systematic study and description of language is called
Grammar.
ii. a set of rules dealing with Syntax and word structure of language.
iii. grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition
of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language (in
linguistics).
iv. the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology,
syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics,
semantics, and pragmatics.
 PROVIDE THE MEANING OF THESE WORDS:

A. Syntax B. Morphology

C. Phonology D. Phonetics

E. Semantics F. Pragmatics
VIEWS ON GRAMMAR

“Grammar is vital, and our purpose as teachers is not only

to show the students what language means but to show them
how it is used”
(Harmer, 1991:22)

“The teaching of grammar is intricately bound up to enable

the learner to produce grammatical sentences, as students
must know when and how to use them”
(Corder, 1988)

“Grammar is a major system of any language”.

(Broughton, 1990)
 A three-dimensional grammar framework

● Larsen-Freeman 92012:257) illustrated

the three-dimensional grammar
framework.

● According to Larsen, it is not enough to

teach the students the form; it is also
necessary to explain the meaning of this
form as well as its use.

● By applying such a grammatical

framework to different grammatical
patterns, we can totally achieve the
communicative approach in the language
teaching domain.
 02.
GRAMMAR AND
FUNCTION
 GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE

● In order to explore the contribution to meaning of any unit of

grammatical structure, it is necessary to consider its function in
context.

● The word function has been used in a variety of ways in

linguistics and in language teaching.

● In the approach to language teaching functions usually refer to

things such as asking for directions, describing places and
people, talking about the past, and so on.

● In others words, functions refer to different ways of using

language. (Graham Lock, 1990:10)
 GRAMMATICAL FUNCTIONS

• Interpreting the functions of grammatical structures and their constituents is called

grammatical functions.
• There are 2 grammatical functions : Subject and Finite

A. Subject B. Finite
Represent the doer of the A form of a verb that (a)
action. shows agreement with a
subject and (b) is marked for
tense.
 03.
THE GRAMMAR
RULES
RULES OF THUMB IN TEACHING GRAMMAR

• The Rule of Context:

Teach grammar in context. If you have to take an item out of context in order to draw
attention to it, ensure that it is re-contextualized as soon as possible. Similarly, teach
grammatical forms in association with their meanings. The choice of one grammatical
form over another is always determined by the meaning the speaker or writer wishes to
convey.

• The Rule of Use:

Teach grammar in order to facilitate the learners' comprehension and production of real
language, rather than as an end in itself. Always provide opportunities for learners to
put the grammar to some communicative use.

• The Rule of Economy:

To fulfill the rule of use, be economical. This means economising on presentation time
in order to provide maximum practice time. With grammar, a little can go a long way.
• The Rule of Relevance:
Teach only the grammar that students have problems with. This means, start
off by finding out what they already know. And don't assume that the
grammar of English is a wholly different system from the learner's mother
tongue. Exploit the common ground.

• The Rule of Nurture:

Teaching doesn't necessarily cause learning - not in any direct way. Instead of
teaching grammar, therefore, try to provide the right conditions for grammar
learning.

• The Rule of Appropriacy:

Interpret all the above rules according to the level, needs, interests,
expectations and learning styles of the students. This may mean giving a lot
of prominence to grammar, or it may mean never actually teaching grammar
at all - in any up-front way. But either way, it is your
responsibility as a teacher to know your grammar inside out.
Grammar in KBSM and KSSM

Grammar forms part of the language contents of the syllabus.

Grammar items need to be taught in context and in a

meaningful way so that they can be used in both speech and
in writing.

Grammar items should not be taught in isolation but rather

in the context of a topic.
 THANKS!
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