Job Discussion Forums

CyberStylz · Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 16 Location: Seattle, WA

What are some good sources for learning (re-learning) grammar as a native speaker before I start my teaching career? Would going to the library and digging through books be a good start? Are there any other methods anyone can recommend?

dyak · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 630

Well, you could study grammar books, students' books are a good source too; but not only do you have to know the grammar, you have to be able to teach it. The best way to do this? Start teaching, it's a very sharp (often painful) learning curve but it's real.

I remember studying English grammar before the TEFL course and it wasn't until I taught it that it really sunk in; isolated grammar is a bit abstract but once you see it in context it comes alive.

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

You could try The Grammar Book, by... Celce-Murcia and (???) Larsen-Freeman. (Can somebody correct me if I'm wrong? I seem to have forgotten. I know it's Celce-Murcia and...)

It weighs about 347 pounds, but it's quite thorough, and it gives teaching suggestions.

Michael Swan also has a nice reference book, called... ??? It's not the sort of thing that you'd sit and read cover to cover, but it's nice to consult when you're in a pinch.

d

dduck · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 422 Location: In the middle

Michael Swan "Practical English Usage".

I agree with dyak about teaching to learn. In addition to classroom teaching, I teach online. Nowadays, I usually get it right, plus some of the other teachers add follow up material which I make a mental note of. From time to time, I screw up - it's really nice not to do that in from of a 'live' class Smile

Iain

dyak · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 630

The other dimension to this is not only knowing the grammar but knowing/anticipating the problems students will have with it, and how to tackle those... which again you only learn by teaching... ok, I'll shut up now... Wink

I do like the Collins Cobuild 'Elementary English Grammar' as books go though.

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

Discover English by Bolitho and Thompson will kill all your preconceptions about your own language and stop you making twee generalisations which will demote your teaching.

Buy it, read it and learn.... I did Laughing

ESL-james · Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 5

If you are looking for a quick online reference you could try HERE! Very Happy

James

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

I did and it seems a bit lacking. For example, I could find no references for any of the following:

verb
present simple
present perfect
tense

Any grammar reference without an entry for "verb" may not be comprehensive Shocked

Anyone else know anything online that is a good grammar reference?

dyak · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 630

This one's quite nifty.

http://www.ultralingua.net/english/grammar.html

Cheers.

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

Yeah that's more like it for very quick handy reference

I do miss functional grammar though. Seems hard to find sometimes. By that I mean grammar that starts with meaning and moves to structure i.e.
if you want to talk about a routine

present simple

My students know the right hand side of that equation only too well. It's the left hand side they have real trouble with. It takes them a couple of years at intermediate level (in weekly classes) to break the habits of a lifetime but it is worth it.

Anyone else use functional grammar approaches?