1. Pedagogical Grammar 1 Penny Ur

2. What is grammar? Rules Correctly Sentences Formal / informal Meanings Formation, structure

3. A definition Grammar may be roughly defined as the way a language manipulates and combines words (or bits of words) so as to express certain kinds of meaning, some of which cannot be conveyed adequately by vocabulary alone.

4. ‘Correct’ versus ‘Acceptable’ ain’t = isn’t / aren’t is acceptable within African-American or Cockney dialects; but it is not ‘correct’ as far as the prescriptive grammarians are concerned.

5. Prescriptive vs Descriptive Prescriptive grammar describes the way some authority has decided the grammar should be used in a standard version of the language, e.g. less / fewer, if I were; isn’t Descriptive grammar describes the way English is actually spoken and written by fully competent speakers. e.g. who/whom, they as neuter subject, less/fewer, the biggest. Includes dialectal specific usages such as ain’t,

6. Are the following sentences: - incorrect but acceptable in a certain dialect or circumstances)? - both correct and acceptable (the kind of standard internationally accepted English that you would teach)? - correct but not acceptable (bad style or inappropriate for some reason)? - neither correct nor acceptable? 1.I can recommend this candidate for the post for which he applies with complete confidence. 2.I ain’t going nowhere tonight. 3.We need more comprehensive schools. 4.There lives the dearest freshness deep down things. 5.How are you, it has a long time that we don’t have heard from you again. 6.I gave him the present that I had bought in the shop in which I had met the man to whose house I went yesterday. 7.Him and me are going to the beach today. 8.Eggs should be stamped with the date when they are laid by the farmer. 9.To was or not to was, that be the ask. 10.This is the sort of impertinence up with which I will not put.

7. Standard grammar … is the grammar that we usually teach …is accepted as the norm by most educated speakers of English

8. BUT For English teachers, it’s not so simple. As far as our learners are concerned, the way the fully competent speaker of English speaks using an internationally accepted ‘standard’ variety of the language is the way he/she should be learning to speak. So ‘descriptive’ has become ‘prescriptive’ as far as the learner is concerned. Therefore ‘acceptable’ (in a standard dialect) becomes ‘correct’, as far as the learner is concerned.

9. Formal versus informal grammatical usage Partly a matter of writing versus speech – but not entirely. It is important to know the difference, and to make our students aware of it.

10. Standards of correctness / acceptability1: EIL Which would you teach?

11. Standards of correctness / acceptability 2: Written and spoken grammar What characteristics did you find? And which of these would you teach?

12. Standards of correctness / acceptability 3: E-grammar What characteristics did you find? And which of these would you teach?

13. Conclusions so far: which ‘grammar’ will we teach?

14. How important is it for learners to know correct grammar? And if it is important: why?

15. Some reasons for aiming for accurate grammar Meaning Internationally acceptable norms Self-respect Respect by others Smooth and fluent communication Professionalism of the teacher