Unit 1.

GRAMMAR.

Digital, C. (2019). Grammar. Retrieved from https://images.app.goo.gl/tBv7PnA9icttSTiw9

In this blog, we will talk about unit number one of the book “The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3” which is all about Grammar, its forms and the distinct types of uses of it. Also, this blog will answer the questions: What can one learn from this unit? And, How can grammar be useful in a real-life classroom?

To start with, one cannot start talking about or describing grammar as something we already know from school or high school, if we do not even know its real meaning. First, Grammar, according to the TKT book, (Spratt, M., Pulverness, A., & Williams, 2011) is how we combine words, parts of words and groups of words to convey meaning, and to use it unconsciously while speaking, listening, reading or writing. Now that we know what grammar is, what exactly are the forms of grammar? To explain them briefly, forms are how words are made, to speak or write. One can notice them on the parts of speech, which is a common term for classes of words that one can notice easily in language. (Schachter & Shopen, 2007); in words which contain suffixes (groups of letters that go at the end of a word) and prefixes (groups of letters that go at the beginning of a word); and also one can find grammatical forms in a grammatical structure which is to say the “rules” of grammar. For example, the past continuous, passive voice, etc.  Second, the uses of grammar. They depend on the grammatical structures since their objective is to convey meaning. Not every structure means the same, because it all depends on the context. For example, the present perfect may have different uses like in sequences indicating narrative progression, as (Engel & Ritz, 2010) describe in their article,  in describing a situation based on our experience, etc.

Now, is there something one can learn from this unit of grammar? Yes, one can say that grammatical forms, and grammatical structures, and its uses, all work together to communicate meaning which is the main focus of grammar itself. And, How can an English teacher apply grammar in the classroom? Even though grammatical structures are difficult to teach, here are some tips and examples that might be useful:

1.  Make sure your students understand the rules by writing them down on the board as clear as possible.
2.  Explain to your students that there can be more than one use for the same grammatical structure.
3. Practice a lot with your students. Make sure that they can put their knowledge into practice. You can use handouts for that motive.
4.  Scott (1997), says that you can teach grammar through texts. Give some readings to students in which specific grammar is included and make them infer about the usage of it. You can make students underline the grammatical structure and then ask them what would be the usage regarding the context, etc.
5.  According to Scott, (1997), you can teach grammar through examples and let students decide what could be the grammar to be taught for that lesson. That will make students think of every part of the sentence while discovering the grammar for themselves.

For further reading:

Spratt, M., Pulverness, A., & Williams, M. (2011). The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3 (Second). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139062398.003
Engel, D. M., & Ritz, M.-E. A. (2010). The Use of the Present Perfect in Australian English. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/07268600020006030

Schachter, P., & Shopen, T. (2007). Parts-of-speech systems. Language Typology and Syntactic Description Second Edition: Volume 1: Clause Structure, I, 1–60. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511619427.001

Scott, T. (1997). How to Teach Grammar. October, 51(October).