Teaching grammatical items of a foreign language

The Importance of Grammar in Learning a Foreign Language

 In order to understand a language and to express oneself correctly one must assimilate the grammar mechanism of the language studied.

 A command of English as is envisaged by the school syllabus cannot be ensured without the study of grammar. Pupils need grammar to be able to aud, speak, read, and write in the target language.

The word order in Tom gave Helen a rose indicates what was given (a rose), to whom (Helen), and by whom (Tom). If we change the word order and say Helen gave Tom a rose, we shall change the meaning of the sentence.

The English tense system also presents a lot of trouble to our pupils. For example, the pupil cannot at first understand why he must say I have seen him today and I saw him yesterday. For him the action is completed in both sentences, and he does not associate it in any way with today or yesterday. The use of modal verbs in various types of sentences is very difficult for the learner. For instance, May I go home? No, you mustn‘t. May I take your pen? Yes, you may. Must I do it? No, you needn't.

The using of articles and prepositions also has difficulties in English grammar. How to Teach Grammar Teaching grammar should be based upon the following principles:

1. Conscious approach to the teaching of grammar. This means that pupils must concentrate their attention on some elements of the pattern to be able to use them as orienting points when speaking or writing the target language

2 Practical approach to the assimilation of grammar. It means that pupils learn those grammar items which they need for immediate use either in oral or written language. The learner masters grammar through performing various exercises in using a given grammar item.

3. Structural approach to the teaching of grammar, i.e., grammar items are introduced and drilled in structures or sentence patterns.

4. Situational approach to the teaching of grammar. Pupils learn a grammar item used in situations.

5. Different approach to the teaching of active grammar (grammar for conversation) and passive grammar (grammar for reading). Grammar items pupils need for conversation are taught by the oral approach, i.e., pupils aud them, perform various oral exercises, finally see them printed, and write sentences using them.

Grammar items necessary for reading are taught through reading.

Rule for the teacher: If the grammar item you are going to present belongs to those pupils need for conversation, select the oral approach method for teaching. If pupils need the grammar item for reading, start with reading and writing sentences in which the grammar item occurs.

Types of Exercises for the Assimilation of Grammar The following types of exercises may be suggested.

Recognition exercises which are the easiest type of exercises for pupils to perform. Fore example: - Read the sentences in which (1) the action was not completed, e. g., - Read the sentences and choose the correct form of the verb. .

Drill exercises are more complicated. In learning a foreign language drill exercises are indispensable.

Creative exercises (speech exercises). This is the most difficult type of exercises as it requires creative work on the part of the learners.

Grammar tests. A check on the assimilation of grammar material is carried out through:

1) auding (if a pupil understands what he auds, he knows grammar);

2) speaking (if a pupil uses the grammar item correctly, he has assimilated it);

3) reading (if a learner understands what he reads, he knows grammar);

4) tests.

8 билет.  

The noun is a word which expresses substance. The concept of substance includes names of living beings, lifeless things, names of abstract notions, qualities, states, actions (fight, sleep).Morphological characteristics: two numbers (Sg, Pl); two case forms: the common case and the genitive case; gender.

Common noun

A common noun is a noun that refers to people or things in general, e.g. boy, country, bridge, city, birth, day, happiness.

Proper noun

A proper noun is a name that identifies a particular person, place, or thing, e.g. Steven, Africa, London, Monday. In written English, proper nouns begin with capital letters.

Concrete noun

A concrete noun is a noun which refers to people and to things that exist physically and can be seen, touched, smelled, heard, or tasted. Examples include dog, building, coffee, tree, rain, beach, tune.

Abstract noun

An abstract noun is a noun which refers to ideas, qualities, and conditions - things that cannot be seen or touched and things which have no physical reality, e.g. truth, danger, happiness, time, friendship, humour.

Collective nouns

Collective nouns refer to groups of people or things, e.g. audience, family, government, team, jury. In American English, most collective nouns are treated as singular, with a singular verb:

The whole family was at the table.

In British English, the preceding sentence would be correct, but it would also be correct to treat the collective noun as a plural, with a plural verb:

The whole family were at the table.

For more information about this, see matching verbs to collective nouns.

A noun may belong to more than one category. For example, happiness is both a common noun and an abstract noun, while Mount Everest is both a concrete noun and a proper noun.

Count and mass nouns

Nouns can be either countable or uncountable. Countable nouns (or count nouns) are those that refer to something that can be counted. Uncountable nouns (or mass nouns) do not typically refer to things that can be counted and so they do not regularly have a plural form.

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