Teaching Grammar through texts

 

If learners are to achieve a functional command of a second language, they will need to be able to understand and produce not just isolated sentences, but whole texts in that language.

Language is context-sentitive; which is to say that an utterance becomes fully intelligible only when it is placed in its context.

 

Coursebook texts tend to be specially tailored for ease of understanding and so as to display specific features of grammar. This often gives them a slightly unreal air, as in this example:

 

(Contrasting Present Progressive – “Going to” Future)

This is Mr West. He has a bag in his left hand. Where is he standing? He is standing at the door of his house.

What is Mr West going to do? He is going to put his hand into his pocket. He is going to take a key out of his pocket. He is going to put the key into the lock.

(from Hornby, A.S. Oxford Progressive English Course, Oxford University Press, 1954)

 

 

Authentic texts or classroom texts?

Advocates of authentic texts argue that not only are such specially written EFL texts uninteresting - and therefore unmotivating - but they misrepresent the way the language is used in real-life contexts. On the other hand, the problems associated with authentic texts cannot be wished away, either, as any teacher who has attempted to use a dense newspaper article with low level students will have discovered. The linguistic load of unfamiliar vocabulary and syntactic complexity can make such texts impenetrable, and ultimately very demotivating.

 

A compromise position is to take authentic texts, and to simplify them in ways which retain their genuine flavour. This is the approach generally adopted by coursebook writers nowadays. Another alternative is to write classroom texts, but to make them more engaging than the example quoted above. In fact, with only the slightest change, the text about Mr West could be made somewhat more attention-grabbing:

 

This is Mr West. He has a bag in his left hand. Where is he standing? He is standing at the door of his house. What is Mr West going to do? He is going to put his hand into his pocket. He is going to take a gun out of his pocket. He is going to point the gun at...

 

The implications of this context-sensitive view of language on grammar teaching are that:

• Grammar is best taught and practised in context.

• This means using whole texts as contexts for grammar teaching.

 

Advantages of using texts:

o              They provide co-textual information, allowing learners to deduce the meaning of unfamiliar grammatical items from the co-text.

o              If the texts are authentic they can show how the item is used in real communication.

o              As well as grammar input, texts provide vocabulary input, skills practice, and exposure to features of text organisation.

o              Their use in the classroom is good preparation for independent study.

o              If the texts come from the students themselves, they may be more engaging and their language features therefore more memorable.

 

Disadvantages

o              The difficulty of the text, especially an authentic one, may mean that some of the above advantages are lost.

o              The alternative - to use simplified texts - may give a misleading impression as to how the language item is naturally used, again defeating the purpose of using texts.

o              Not all texts will be of equal interest to students.

o              Students who want quick answers to simple questions may consider the use of texts to be the 'scenic route' to language awareness, and would prefer a quicker, more direct route instead.

 

 

No single method of grammar presentation is going to be appropriate for all grammar items, nor for all learners, nor for all learning contexts. A lot will also depend on the kind of practice opportunities that the teacher provides. In the next chapter we will look at a range of practice types.