In math, the importance of foundations is emphasized in every lesson. As I am often told by my girlfriend, “Sure, I can do calculus, but don’t expect me to count to four.” I relate to nothing more when it comes to my relationship with written English. I can string together sentences and write an essay, but please do not ask me the difference between who and whom, and god forbid I need to use a semicolon. Somehow, I reached my senior year in the English department and I haven’t gotten a grasp on things that are culturally considered part of a basic education. English is a lot like math. There are variables that need to be placed into a formula but we no longer teach how these variables work. In the first chapter of Mark Lester’s “Grammar and Usage in the Classroom” the devolution of grammar education in the American classroom is examined,
These rules of language were stressed among students, with the hope that a solid grasp of abstract definitions would set them up with the tools needed to avoid errors in usage. But halfway through the 20th Century, research on the value of grammar education began to surface and there was no strong correlation between the teaching of grammar and a student’s ability to avoid usage errors, the once strict education structure was dropped. With traditional techniques abandoned, the vacuum was filled by new approaches. Structural linguistics, based around the importance of the way words form sentences, began to take the place of its predecessor but was then quickly challenged by transformational grammar, a more abstract concept than the prior two. With arguments from the structural and transformational side both pushing that the other was unscientific, the importance of grammar was abandoned. Though schools are beginning to reintroduce grammar in education, it has kept a firm separation between learning grammar and learning
1. In his chapter “On the Need of Some Grammar” found in Modern American Usage, Wilson Follett argues that we need grammar to govern our language.
Further development and more greatly impact on my linguistics knowledge has occurred during pursuing my master’s degree in linguistics at the University of Florida. I intensively studied linguistics and explored its fields in-depth. The core courses in that program were Phonology, Morphology and Syntax. Moreover, I enrolled in theoretical and applied linguistics courses, which familiarized me with advanced materials and essential experiences in conducting original research. In applied linguistics, I studied Second Language Acquisition and Sociolinguistics and applied English Grammar. In theoretical linguistics, I took two advanced courses in syntax to investigate core areas of researc...
I understand where these negative comments and attitudes are coming from because of the neglect of grammar in schools, and the constant interference of the media with its increase of obscene music, celebrity fashion and acceptance of profane language. But just because an argument is understood, it does not mean that is it right. It is impossible for texting to replace what we know as “proper grammar”, or “good English” because there is no consistency between texters; without consistency, it cannot become a new standard. John McWhorter goes further to argue that texting isn’t a form of writing at all, but rather a reflection of our day-to-day speech. He provides evidence that this new craze of text language really isn’t new at all and has actually been used all throughout ...
Knowing effective strategies for teaching ELL students grammar is important. Research shows that instructional strategies for ELL students consist of SIOP, learning through listening, and learning through speaking. There are many students in classrooms that are ELL learners and that number will likely continue to grow. These effective instructional techniques will improve the learning of grammar for ELL students. It is important that we reach each and every student in our classroom, so being aware of the student needs and how to help them develop in the future is imperative. Not only are these strategies beneficial to English language learners it is also helpful for the regular classroom students.
After reading these articles, it made me realized how much grammar really matter. Never thought that, 45% of companies is requiring additional grammar training. (Adams) I am starting to understand that grammar is more than writing a paper, it can tell the other reader so much about you. Since times has changed and the internet is taking over, your grammar use, is all you have to introduce yourselves to the reader, or readers.
In the article entitled “How to Teach Grammar, Analytical Thinking, and Writing”, Lynn Sams (2003) voiced and suggested methods on how grammar and writing should be taught in the classroom. This article was published in the English Journal by the National Council of Teachers of English. Sams based her research on her 16 years of experience as a high school teacher and the instructional approaches she used with her sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grade classes. Sams refers to grammar as “the relationship between structure and meaning” (57). The information in this article demonstrates processes of analyzing the structure of sentences and suggests students cannot completely understand writing without first understanding the basic concepts of grammar.
Nassaji, H., & Fotos, S. (2011). The role of context in focus on grammar: Teaching Grammar in Second Language Classroom (pp.121-134). New York and London: Routhdge
Grammar is traditionally subdivided into two inter-related studies: Morphology and Syntax. Morphology is the study of how words are formed out of smaller units called morphemes. For example, Derivational Morphology is a word building process by which we generate (or derive) the Noun teacher from out of two smaller morphological segments: the verb stem {teach} + suffix {er}. Syntax, on the other hand, is concerned with how Words are strung together to form larger units of expressions such as (partial) @link Phrases, @link Clauses, and (full) @link Simple Sentences. As an example, it is owing to an infringement on syntax (and not morphology) which prevents us from speaking the ill-formed sentence *John likes to teacher (=John likes to teach).
The rules and methods we are taught to be able to read and write are a big factor in determining how proper our grammar is, or our comprehension. I was taught to read, of course, left to right and then comprehend what I read. While reading, the text should be analyzed. Analyzing consists of who, what, when, where, and why. This is also called thinking critically, and how I was influenced to think. When it comes to writing, a sentence needs a subject and verb, parts of speech, etc. Complete sentences come together to form paragraphs and during the writing process a purpose in essential. Though we are taught how to speak, read, write and think properly, it does not mean we always follow through. Vocabulary is my biggest obstacle. Lack of advanced vocabulary in elementary and middle school has made it difficult in colleg...
Grammar is essential to be taught in schools. Many educators are thinking about what levels of grammar should be taught in schools. According to Lynne Truss, an author of ‘’Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation,’’ Some public schools address that grammar is insignificant comparison to
Miller, T. P, & Faigley, L. (1982). College English. National Council of teachers of English, 44(6). Retrieved from http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0010-
Each day they are learning new things that they will continue to use throughout their lives. That is why it is important that the correct rules of grammar are being shown. The young children will remember it and keep using it in its correct form from then on. I plan to be an early childhood educator once I complete my education and I plan to continue to apply prescriptive grammar in my classroom. I find it very rewarding to see a child grow from the things that have been taught in the classroom. I consider language as one of the largest things a child will learn in their younger years because everyone is on different levels of language. If it is taught wrong, it will be used wrong until it is drilled in their head correctly and they understand why it is correct and why they were taught wrong years
A large part of an English teacher’s job deals with helping students find their own voices amidst the many teachings of their parents and peers. A student’s voice can be their values, their interests, and their perspectives of the world in which they live. Their voice can be their critical questioning of the many situations they face, whether in a text, the school cafeteria, or a park after school. It is the job of an English teacher to aid in finding this voice through their writing. It is by putting words and thoughts down on paper that a student can sometimes feel comfortable enough to take risks and find their true voices. Although traditional grammar instruction has long been thought to improve this skill, this is no longer the case. Instead, by providing a classroom environment in which students are immersed in classic literature from many genres including poetry, short stories, and novels, students will learn how to harness grammar for their own purposes of finding their voice in their writing.
...006). Current issues in the teaching of grammar: An SLA perspective. TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), 83-107.
By studying the results of the collected data, one can see a clear difference in the knowledge of English grammar between teenagers and elders. While the teenagers got a average of 75,2% correct answers and a median of 76,2% correct answers, the elders only got a average of 49,5% correct answers and a median of 52,4% correct answers, which is 25,7% less correct answers on the average and 23,8% less correct answers on the median.