This document discusses different approaches to teaching grammar. It begins by defining grammar and its importance for clear communication. It then describes two main types of grammar: prescriptive and descriptive. Prescriptive grammar provides rules for "correct" usage while descriptive grammar observes how language is actually used. The document also discusses key elements to consider when teaching grammar, such as understanding students' learning styles, choosing an approach like deductive or inductive, and using examples, stories or songs to engage students. It emphasizes teaching grammar in a way that helps students communicate effectively and correcting errors positively rather than discouraging speech. Tailoring instruction to students and allowing practice time is important for effective grammar teaching.

1. Grammar Structure

2. • What is grammar?
• Grammar is defined as a system of language rules
that allows you to combine individual words to make
complex meanings. By applying grammar rules to
your writing, you’ll make it stronger, clearer, and more
effective.
•
Grammar

3. Languages and grammar
rules are closely connected,
naturally adapt to their
circumstances, and often
represent their speakers'
social identities. In English,
there are two kinds of
grammar: prescriptive
grammar & descriptive
grammar.

4. 1. Prescriptive Grammar:
• It is the traditional approach of grammar that tells
people how to use the English language, what
forms they should use, and what functions they
should serve. Prescriptive grammar is essential
as it helps people use formal English speech and
writing. In addition, "those who follow it (or those
who endorse others to follow it) claim that doing
so will help to streamline one's words and make
one's prose more elegant“. Schools aim to teach
prescriptive grammar to provide people a
common standard of usage.
•

5. Examples:
In English, less goes with mass nouns (e.g. “ less
money”), and “fewer” goes with count nouns (e.g., “
fewer items.”)
In English, speakers should not split infinitives (e.g.,
“to boldly go;“) instead, write or say (“to go boldly.”)
In English, speakers should not use passive voice (e.g.,
“The meeting was held by the university;”) instead,
write or say (“The university held the meeting.”)
In English, speakers should avoid phrasal verbs (e.g.,
“come over to have some tea;”) instead, write or say
(e.g., “visit me to have some tea.”)

6. 2. Descriptive Grammar:
This is how native English speakers
actually talk and write, and it has no
concrete idea of the way it should be
structured. It is not saying how it
should be used; however, it focuses on
describing the English language as it is
used. It is also not saying that there is
a right or wrong way to use language.

7. Examples:
English Adjective order: (opinion, size, physical quality,
shape, age, color, origin, material, type, and purpose (e.g.,
“This is a beautiful, small, green, American island.”)
Some native speakers say:
~ “I am younger than him” instead of “I am younger than
he.”
~ “He graduated American university” instead of “He
graduated from American university."
~ “I ain't going nowhere.” instead of “I am not going
anywhere.”

8. Both types of grammar are concerned with
rules, but in different ways. In terms of
teaching a language, both kinds of grammar
have advantages and disadvantages.
Prescriptive Grammar Advantages &
Disadvantages:
(+) Teaching prescriptive grammar creates formal writers
and resources.
(+) Teaching prescriptive grammar is beneficial for both
non-native teachers and learners, as it has definite rules of
language that help reduce confusion.
(-) Prescriptive grammar might keep non-native speakers
wondering and confused when they talk with a native
speaker, as they might realize that some natives do not
write or speak with these rules.

9. Descriptive Grammar Advantages &
Disadvantages:
(+) The descriptive grammar approach
improves non-native speakers’ pronunciation
and helps them sound like native speakers.
(+) The descriptive grammar approach helps
language learners understand the applied
usage of language and communicate better
with native speakers.
(-) The descriptive grammar approach is
sometimes not used in formal settings, such
as exams and speech.

10. LANGUAGE ELEMENTS
Pragmatics, Syntax, Morphology and Phonology are
different sub-fields or branches of linguistics.
 Pragmatics deals with the study of
language by considering the context in
which it is used.
 Sintax is the study of the structural
aspect of language by dealing with
phrase and sentence formation.
 Morphology is the study of minimal
units of meaning which includes
morphemes and word formation
process.
 Phonology deals with the study of
sound patterns of language.

12.  Grammar helps you to
represent the world and
interact with other people
through language and it
must make sense. It allows
you to express yourself
clearly and to fine-tune
what you mean to say.
Teach grammar effectively by
knowing your students'
needs; it is assumed that you
already know the basics of
teaching and learning styles.

13.  Starting with Some Basic Rules:
Teach singular and plural nouns. A singular noun is
a word that describes one thing. Plural means that
there are more than one thing. In most instances,
add an ‘s’ to the end of the singular noun to make it
plural.
When teaching basic rules, mention that there are
exceptions. But you don’t need to go into them at
this point.

14.  Teach pronouns.
Pronouns are words that replace
someone’s name. For example, Mary will
become “she” and Harry will become “he.”
These two together will become “they.”
Continue with the other pronouns, such as
“I,” “you,” “we,” “us,” and so on.

15.  Teach how to conjugate verbs.
Conjugating verbs is an essential skill to
understanding how to make sentences
match up. This involves making a verb
match the subject. For example, when you
have the verb “jump,” it will be conjugated
as: “I jump,” “you jump,” he jumps,” and so
on.
Start with the present tense first and give
the student lots of practice using this tense.
Move onto past and future tense one at a
time.

16.  Teach a few irregular verbs.
There are some irregular verbs that don’t follow the
regular verb conjugation rules. One of these is “to be.”
Teach this as: “I am,” “you are,” “he is,” and so on.
Start with teaching the present tense first. Irregular verbs
can be tricky. In addition, “to be” serves as a foundation
for many other types of verb phrases. It’s important to
master it before moving on.

17.  Teach how to respond in the negative.
If the student wants to disagree with
something or say she did not do something,
she will need to know how to construct that
sentence. Show the student where to add
“not” in a sentence. For example, you might
say, “I am not jumping” or “I am not eating.”

18.  Teaching More Advanced Activities
Teach how to diagram a sentence.
Diagramming a sentence is a useful
exercise to help students understand
how sentences are constructed.
Find the subject and predicate (verb) of
the sentence.
Find direct objects and indirect objects.
Discuss which words alter the meaning
of other words.
Identify dependent and independent
clauses.

19.  Teach complex verb tenses. Once
your students have grasped present,
past and future verb tenses,
introduce them to other types of verb
conjugations. These might include
present perfect simple, past
progressive, present progressive,
present conditional, past conditional,
and so on.
 Teach proper terminology.
When you’re teaching beginning
grammar, it might be better to use
simple terms to describe concepts. As
you teach more advanced grammar, you
may choose to start introducing the
proper terms that describe grammatical
concepts.

20.  Give quizzes that test students’
understanding. Periodically, assess
your students’ learning with
quizzes. This will give them a
chance to put their knowledge to
the test. This also gives you a
chance to see how well they are
learning the concepts. You will also
see if concepts are confusing to
students.
 Use examples to teach grammar.
Take examples from sentences
so that they make sense to the
student. It is helpful to see how
grammar rules are put into
practice in different types of
conversations or writings.

21.  Build upon concepts that are
familiar to the student. Explain
grammatical rules by using
concepts that the student already
knows.
For example, students will likely be
familiar with verb tenses, such as
past, present and future. Use these
as ways to explain more
complicated verb tenses.
 Give students plenty of time to
practice. Reinforce your lesson
by giving the students lots of
time to put their grammar
knowledge to use. The point of
learning grammar is to improve
communication skills. Give your
students the opportunity to
practice frequently.

22.  Make the instruction appropriate
for your students. It is important
to take note of your students’
learning levels, interests and
styles. When you tailor your
instruction to their level, they will
be more invested in learning
grammar. This will also reduce
frustration and confusion for
both the students and yourself.
 Plan games and interesting
activities. Grammar can be a dry
subject if the teacher doesn’t
engage the students effectively.
Play games, plan conversation
scenarios and do other activities
that are appropriate and fun for
the students.

23.  Correct students in a positive way.
Do not discourage your students by
correcting their grammar in a way
that reduces their desire to speak.
Instead, correct errors by continuing
the conversation and asking
questions using the correct grammar.
For example, your student says, “I
catched the ball.” Don’t respond with
“You mean, you caught the ball.”
Instead, say, “You caught the ball? Did
you score a point?” Continue the
conversation with a gentle correction
and an added question or comment.

24. Preparing to teach.
 Know who your students are. In order
to teach effectively, you need to know
who your students are. You should
also know what they want or need to
learn from you. This will affect your
teaching approach, as well as what
you actually teach.
For example, if you are teaching
elementary school kids, you might focus
on basic grammar rules that are easy to
grasp. If you are teaching adults who are
learning English as a second language,
you might find these students to be
older and highly motivated. They also
may need immediate language skills.

25.  Understand different learning styles.
People learn in different ways
depending on how they process
information most effectively. Think
about different styles of learning as
you begin to plan how to teach
grammar. Some of these learning
styles include:
 Visual learning: These learners prefer
reading and want to see what they’re
learning.
 Auditory learning: These learners
prefer to listen to instruction.
Conversations and interactions are
effective ways of teaching this
learning style.
 Tactile learning: These learners
prefer to touch and manipulate
objects in order to learn about
something.
 Kinesthetic learning: These learners
move around a lot and benefit from
getting up from a desk frequently.

26.  Refresh your understanding of
grammar rules. Take some time
to go through a grammar guide
or textbook. Even if you think
you know grammar really well,
spend some time refreshing your
memory about different rules.
 Pick out a textbook. You might
choose to use a textbook as a
guide for teaching. Choose one
that is geared toward the same
type of students that you will be
teaching.

27. Choosing a Teaching Approach
1.- Use the deductive approach if you want to explain quickly.
The deductive approach of teaching grammar focuses on teaching certain
grammar rules and then giving examples of that rule. It can be useful if you
want to quickly explain grammar. It may be more useful with adult students.
 This approach can minimize student interaction and involvement.
Clearly state what the rule allows and limits. Give a clear and brief
explanation about what the grammar rule allows.
Also describe what the rule does not allow. For example, always use “you
were” and never use “you was.” Then follow up with an example of the rule.
Illustrate the grammar rule with an example. You can use a simple sentence
to illustrate it once. Then you might choose a more complicated sentence to
demonstrate how the rule applies.
 Describe the rules with simplicity. Boil down the grammatical rules to
simple terms. Try not to point out too many exceptions to the rule when
you first introduce the rule.

28. 2.- Choose the inductive approach to allow students to explore
language.
The inductive approach allows students to discover how language and
grammar works. Students learn grammar by making connections with
their pre-existing understanding of language.
For example, students learning English as a second language will learn
to link English grammar rules to their native language grammar rules.
This approach may allow for better memory retention of grammar. In
addition, students are more autonomous learners.
 Don’t choose the inductive approach if you don’t have lots of time.
Students need to work out a rule on their own by going through
examples. Figuring out the rule may be at the expense of using the
rule in practice.
Give sentence examples that demonstrate differences. In order to help
students pick out the rules, start with two sentences that have slightly
different meanings.
For example, write: “I have read every Stephen King book,” and “I read
Stephen King’s latest book last week.” Ask the student to identify the
difference between these two sentences.

29. 3.- Choose a functional approach to give students tools to
communicate. The functional approach focuses on teaching
grammar so that the students can function in their everyday lives.
 For example, what will they need to know so that they can go
grocery shopping? How will they greet someone?
Beginning students can learn complex concepts and use them in
conversation.
In this approach, it can be difficult to determine what aspects to
focus on first.
4.-Teach grammar through texts, stories and songs. Use examples of
literature and popular writing to illustrate how grammar is used. This can
be an effective way to teach grammar.
 Students can choose their own texts or stories that they’d like to use.
This will make the lesson more interesting for the students. Students
will also benefit from increased vocabulary.
The texts can be difficult if they are too advanced for the student’s
language level.

30. https://www.education.com/worksheets/grammar/
https://www.academia.edu/43780306/big_grammar_b
ook_Intermediate_Book_1
https://study.com/academy/topic/grammar-for-
elementary-school.html
https://www.academia.edu/14246113/Macmillan_Pictu
re_Grammar_For_Children_Starter_Students_Book