Korean Job Discussion Forums

[nukeday]

[edwardcatflap]

[mmstyle]

I was referring to it as a response to "How are you?" "I'm good" has become a more common response than "I'm well." Obviously, I know that in American English, (at least) no one (well, most) cares anymore. This, again, is why I ask about being a grammar tyrant. I often wonder if I am too much of a hardarse. When I am teaching, I tend to let things go for the sake of simply getting my students to communicate.

IRL, it has just been pointed out to me that communicative competence is more important, and if they are functionally equivalent, then it ought not matter. If you are improving communicative ability/competence by correcting form, then you are helping (or if not doing it, doing a disservice).

[nukeday]

[mmstyle]

Nukeday, I'm not out to prove anything. I said "I'm good" until it was drilled out of me. Thanks for the link, it was the same one I found when I was looking into the whole idea. I'm not claiming to be a grammar tyrant, I'm asking if I am too much of one for EFL. But, I ask in the spirit of trying to create a discussion, not a debate, which never works on Dave's.

To what degree do you allow your linguistic preferences dominate how and what you teach? If a student wrote less where fewer ought to be written I would mark it wrong, though I do hear it frequently spoken that way.

Do you think rules ought to change once something becomes common in the English language that was once incorrect? Technology has drastically upped the rate at which our language changes. I, for one, think graded papers should not be written using internet abbreviations, but I would not be at all surprised if my youngest niece wants to turn her papers in with that kind of thing on them. Would you accept a paper like this?

[nukeday]

I teach elementary students, so at that age the goal is one of fluency rather than accuracy. I think there always has to be balance between the two.

If they are university bound students preparing for an exam, or business students, or etc - I'd aim for accuracy more.

Formal writing? Absolutely, correct them. You're not even supposed to use contractions in formal writing though...so how accurate do you want to be?

[MattAwesome]