Table Of ContentScott Thornbury
T. C.
Mu:.i:Wl.A'iiNtvERS1TES!
VE OOKUMANT A<:;'YO(,'
SASKANUi';1
Oimirba1> No :
series editor:
Jeremy Harmer
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Frrst published 1999
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Acknowledgements
\Vc arc grateful to dlC ri.illowing f;)( permission to reproduce copyright materIa!:
British I':ntiolla! Corpus extracts based on headings 'Remember', 'Forget'
,md 'Stop' from. Tbe British Nation,1f Corptl5 weh C,unbridge Unive,slty
Press and the author for an extract (rom Englis/; Gl"tIlIIlI1ilr ill Usc by R, :\lurphy
(199--1-); University Prcss f(lr an extract and illustration from Oxford
j1rof;rt}si,['[; ';S!l!!,/i.l'/; Celil'st' !w Hornhy (1954); Pearoon Education Ltd for
fror;l Ova /e' Us, ESO 4, Te,lChcr's Bonk by Palencia
published by Longm;m Group Ltd (1998) and from-Gmlllllltlr
[lmaice.'/'$ !ii/,'mli',lill!t ,')'/II&II/S by \V,llker & Elsworth pubbhed by Longman
Group Ltd (1986),
\Vc kn'c been unable to trace the copyright hokler of news items 'Concern
Jlwnkc)", 'Sighting of missing monkey', ':'lollkey still on the .loose',
'E'Cljled Illollke.\' shot dead' (rom TVNZ m;b (l tJ97), ;mel would appreciate
'.my lnt:,["m'.\t\()ll wb,;,ch wOl.l\d ICI"\'Abk to d,) ,'·0.
Contents
Page
Acknowledgements viii
Introduction ;x
What is grammar?
Texts, sentences, words, sounds
Grammar and meaning
T\vo of meaning
Grammar and functIon
Spoken grammar and written gnu11mar
Grammar syJJabuses
Gramnlar rules
Conclusions
Looking ahead
2 Why teach grammar? 14
Attitudes to grammar
The case for grammar
The case against gramnnr
Grammar and methods
Grammar now
Basic principles for gr:lllllnar teaching
Conclusions
looking ahead
3 How to teach grammar from I"ules 29
A dcductin: :lpproach
Rules ane! explanations
S:lmple lesson 1: Using a rule explanation to teach
question (ormation
S<1mpk lesson 2: Teaching IIsed to using translation
Sample lesson ,); ;;rtic1cs using grammar
wurksheets
Sample 4: TCilching word order using;l
g-ramm,i!"
Conclusions
Looking ahead
;v
4 How to teach grammar from examples 49
inductive learning
Pros ,md cons of an inductive approach
S'.H:'p1e lesson 1: Te',\ching irnpuatl\'1.:s through
actIOns
Sample lesson 2: Teaching the present 5imple
using rcalia
Sample lesson 3: Teaching should !hl1N! done using
a gcner:ltive situation
Sample lesson 4: Teaching the ditferclKe between
past si111ple and present perfect through minimal
sentence pairs
Sample lesson 5: Te'M:hing verbs th,,',t tak,.; hoth
infinitive and (orms, using cOllcordance data
Conclusions
Looking ahead
5 How to teach grammar through texts 69
Texts and contexts
Sources of texts
S,1111P1c lesson 1: Using a scripted dialogue to
tc.lch the present simple
Sample ksson 2: Using "n autht,ntic text to t(:',Kh
the passive
Sample Jesson 3: Using student bnguage to review
'ways of talking about the (uture
Sample lesson 4: Using a dictogloss to teach 'u}()uid
for past habits
Sample lesson 5: Using genre analysis to teach
reporting lan!:,-'l.lage
Conclusions
Looking ahead
v
9 How to test grammar 141
Gramrnar testing
Sample test 1: Testing grammar using
discrete-item tests
S·"mpk test 2: grarnmar in ;m
oral performance test
Conclusions
Looking ahead
10 How NOT to teach grammar 151
S,tl11pk lesson: How not to teach the
Flst perfect
Some ruJes
Some conditions
Some C'AVC';J.ts
Task File 157
Task File Key 177
Further reading 179
Index 180
vii
6 How to practise grammar 91
Practice
Accuracy
Fluency
Restructuring
Sample lesson 1: Practising !.lOW milch! how mallY?
using a sequence of oral drills
Sample lesson 2: Practising the third conditional
using written exercises
Sample lesson 3: Pnlctising [till using an information
gap activity
Sample lesson 4: Practising the present perfect using
a pcrsonalisation task
Sample lesson 5: Practising the passive using a
grammar interpretation activity
S,H11pk ksson 6". Pr'.l.Ctising going to usi.ng
conversation
Conclusions
Looking ahead
7 How to deal with grammar errors 113
\'Vhat afe errors?
Attitudes to error and correction
Responding to errors
Sampk lesson 1: Using learners' errors to revievv
cohesive devices
Sample lesson 2: Te;lching grammar through
reformulation
Conclusion
looking ahead
8 How to integrate grammar 128
The PPP model
alternati\'c model
Sample lesson 1: Integrating grammar using a
PPP model of instruction
Sample lesson 2: Integrating grammar using a
task-based model of instruction
Sample lesson 3: Integrating grammar into a
skills-based lesson
Sample lesson 4; Integrating grammar into a
story-lnsed lesson for very young
Conclusions
Looking ahead
vi
Acknowledgements
The following colleagues and friends may recognise bits of themselves
scattered throughout this book - to them many thanks: Jessica MacKay,
Lynn DlIrrrmt, Nicole rnlrlor, Theresa Zanatta, Karl Kaliski, Piet Luethi,
;.,reil Forrest, and Albert Stahl, Thanks are also due to Jeremy Harmer, for
his boundless en1husiasm from start to finish, and to Hester Lott, for her
skilful and paimtaking editing.
I also wish to ackl10wledge the help and inspiration that three books have
given me: Peter Skehan's A Cogllith,1' Approach to Language Learning
(Oxford Uniyersity Press, 1998); Rod Ellis's SLA Research and Language
Teachillg (Oxford University Press, 1997); and Keith Johnson's Language
Teaching and Skill Learning (Blacbvell, 1996). I should, of course, add that
no blame mllst be attached to those books [or any flaws in this one.
viii
Introduction
Who is: this How 10 1';wc/] Grammar has been written for re,lchers of English who arc
book for? curious or confuscd or unconvinced about the teaching of gnlmmar. They
may be in training, relatively new to the job, or \'Cf:' experienced.
What IS this Grammar teaching has always been one of the controversial and least
book about? understood aspects of language teaching, Few teachers remain indiiTercnt to
grammar and many teachers become obsessed by it. This book attempts to
shed light on the issues, but it is cssentially a book about practice, about I.ww,
and the bulk of tbe book explores a range of grammar teaching options.
Cl,apter 1 contains a brief overview of wh:lt grammar is, and Chapter 2
addresses the pros and com of grammar instruction,
The sample lessons that comprise the rest of tlle book havc been chosen
both to represent a range of teaching approaches, and also as vchicles for
the teaching of a representative selection of grammar items - the sort of items
that any current coursebook series wiD include. Each sample lesson is followed
by a discussion of the rationale underpinning it, and an evaluation of it
according to criteria that afC established in Chapter 2.lt is important to bear
in mind that each lesson description is simply that: a description. The lessons
arc not meant to represent an ideal Wi1y of teaching grammar: there are as
many different ways of teaching gramrrwf as there are reachers teaching it, and
it is not the purpose of this book to promote anyone particular method or
approach over another. Rather, the purpose is to trigger cycles of classroom
experimentation and reflection, taking into account the features of e\'cry
individual teaching situation. As the Rule of Appropriacy (see Chapter 10)
puts it: Interpret any s\1ggestions according to the level, needs, interests,
expectations and learning styles of your students. This may mean giving a lot
of prominence to grammar, Of it may mean never Juually teaching grammar
- in an up-front \va)' - at all.
The Task File at the back of the book comprises ,1 number of tasks relevant
to each chapter. They can be llsed as a basis for discussion in :l If<1ining
context, or for individual l'cflection and review. ;\ Key is provided [or those
tasks that expect specific answers.
ix
is grammar?
Texts, sentences, words, sounds
• Grammar and m()aning
• Two kinds of meaning
@ Grammar <:lnd function
.. Spoken grammar and written grammar
4} Grammar syllabuses 'I
jJ) Grammar rules
Texts, Here is all example of language in use:
sentences,
This is 2.680239. We afe not at. home right now. please leave a message after
words, sounds the beep.
You wilt recogni.>;e it 'J.S 'Ml ·il.l1.sw"rphone message. Th',lt is the kind of text it
is. It consists of three sentences, which themselves consist of words, and the
words (vvhen spoken) consist of sounds. All language in llse can be analysed
;:It each of these four levels: text, sentence, word and sound. These are the
forills that language takes. The study of grammar consists, in of
looking ,\t the way these fonT,s ·.lre 'J.u·,ulged i\nd patterned .
.F or example, ifYOll change the order of the sentences you no longer bl\'C
;t well-formed aI1swerphone message:
Please leave a message after the beep. This is 2680239. We are not at home
right now.
Likewise, the order of 'words in each sentence is fairly fixed:
Beep after a leove the please messagl2.
The applies to the order of sounds in a word:
peeb
Grammar is partly the 51.ud), of what forms (or stfuctures) are possible in ;t
bnguage. Traditionally, gramm:tr has been cOlKerned almost exclusively
with analysis at the level of the sentence. Thus a grammar is a de:;cription
of the rutes that govern how a bnguagc\ sentences are fonm::d. GLHnn';M
attempts to explain why the following sentcnces arc acceptable:
We are not at home right now.
Right now we are not at home.
but wll:,<' thIS one is not:
