How To Teach English Grammar?

By Author: Tista Biswas
Total Articles: 22
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Teaching grammar can be a daunting task. The very word is usually greeted with a collective sigh from the students. In fact, many teachers also don’t enjoy teaching grammar. The question that comes to mind is ‘Why’. The answer is that for centuries English grammar has been taught by giving the students a set of rules & groups of words to be learnt following those rules. Needless to say, the task is not only boring but also daunting, especially for people, who do not speak English on a daily basis.
Methods
To solve this problem, several new techniques of teaching grammar have been formulated. Let us take a look at some of the methods of teaching grammar.
 The Traditional Method. In this method students are taught the rules of grammar with examples. Then they are asked to learn some word lists, like conjunctions, prepositions & the tenses of verbs. This is indeed difficult as well as boring & is moderately effective.
 Story Telling. The teacher tells a story & points out the different parts of speech & helps students understand the principles of grammar.
 Games. ...
... Games are an excellent way to teach children. To teach English grammar many kinds of games can be used. They are a fun way & help to avoid the monotony of grammar.
 Songs. Songs are used to teach children different aspects of grammar. For example, a song can focus on genders or nouns. Students find it easier to learn word lists through songs than by reading.
 Activities. Grammar can also be taught through various activities like choosing the correct word, or acting out action words, etc. activities are another way to make grammar fun & interesting.
 Conversations & Role Playing. Students find it easier to understand the rules of grammar when they play a role & have conversations. This method is especially suited for teaching nouns, pronouns, etc.
 In Context. Teaching grammar in context means teaching by applying grammar in a connected way, where a whole sentence is used to demonstrate a grammatical principle. This method has proved to be more effective than learning words in isolation, like in a long list.
Importance of Grammar in English
While teaching business English, it is important to have a solid base in grammar. Otherwise, one would be unable to teach English properly. But when it comes to learning the language, one can afford not to put too much emphasis on grammar, depending on the reason for his doing the course. When students are learning English as a Second Language (ESL), they need to know grammar quite well; but for those who are learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL), grammar is not that important. This is because EFL learners often want to learn just enough English to be able to communicate with foreigners & they can get away with poor grammar in such cases. But if anyone wishes to be fluent in English then he cannot afford to take grammar lightly.
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