Methods of teaching vocabulary: a description of a word in English language, context.
Self-defining Context
The context makes the situation clear, and this in turn illuminates the meaning of the new word. This practice saves time and develops an intensive reading habit and better understanding.
Like - verb
Like – as
The content of teaching grammar.
The main aim of a foreign language teaching is the development of speaking skills. No speaking is possible without the knowledge of grammar and its mechanism. That’s why grammar is very important in FLT:
To understand a foreign language
To express oneself correctly, automatically and spontaneously without thinking over grammar rules
To be able to read and write in L2
Student's difficulties in learning English grammar
1. Word order.
In English, word order is more important than in Russian.
Tom gave Helen a rose.
Helen gave Tom a rose.
The meanings of these sentences are different because there is a different word order.
In Russian inflexions are very important.
Том дал Лене розу
Лене дал Том розу
The meanings of these sentences are the same because inflexion “e” in the word Лене indicates the object of the action.
Learners often break the word order so they do a lot of mistakes in expressing their thoughts.
2. Tense system
The English tense system is difficult for learners because of the difference of tense systems in Russian and English.
I have seen him today.
I saw him yesterday.
For learners the action is completed in both sentences. They do not pay attention to the adverbs today and yesterday in the sentences.
3.The sequence of tenses
It is difficult for learners because there is nothe sequence of tenses phenomenon in Russian.
She is busy.
She said she was busy.
In the second sentence we change “is” to “was” because of the sequence of tenses.
4.Modal verbs
The use of modal verbs in different types of sentences is very difficult for the learners. Learners often use them with auxiliary verbs.
May I go home? No, you mustn't.
May I take your pen? Yes, you may.
Must I do it? No, you needn't.
I didn’t must do that.
5. Article
Articles are absent in Russian. Learners often don’t use them because they think articles are not important. Teaching English grammar must begin with explanation and practice of articles.
This is a pen. The pen is red. This is my pen and that is his pen.
6. Prepositions
Prepositions in English and Russian don’t often match.
Togetabout - путешествовать (в русском языке предлог отсутствует), togetat – (достать, добраться до)
7. Auxiliary verbs
Auxiliary verbs are absent in Russian. The verbs do and have may be auxiliary and notional at a time.
What do you do at your free time?
What have you had for breakfast today?
8. Verb forms.
There are a lot of verb forms in English that confuse Russian learners
(have - has -had; do –does – did)
Methods of teaching grammar
There are many approaches, methods and technique of teaching grammar. We’ll study some of the most important. All the methods below are divided according to two ways of presenting grammar – deductive and inductive.
Approaches |
Methods |
Brief description |
Techniques |
Traditional (classical) approach |
Grammar translation method |
It focuses on deductive presentation of grammar: grammar is presented by rules with grammatical forms and their detailed analysis with no relation to real communication.
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It is realized in four steps: Presentation - teacher presents grammar rules. Illustration - teacherillustrates rules with examples in L2. Application - teacher explains the rules. Learners learn the rules. Practice – learners practice grammatical forms in drills and translation. Teacher controls the process. |
Structural approach |
Audio-lingual method
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They focus on inductive presentation of grammar: grammar is presented by grammatical structures (from simple to more complex) in sentence patterns, dialogues or situations. There is a little or no grammatical explanation and there are no abstract grammar terms. Learners often have to discover the rules by themselves after practicing many examples.
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Teacher gives grammar structures with translating them in L1 or without. Learners memorize them in imitations, repetitions, substitutions, drills, reading aloud and practice them automatically in dialogues and situations. Grammar explanation of a structure may be given or discovered after drills or at the end of the lesson. Grammar structure: There is/ are Teacher: There is a girl. She is dancing. Learners: There is a girl. She is dancing. Teacher: what are there? There are three boys. They are singing. Learners: what are there? There are three boys. They are singing. |
Oral approach |
Situational language teaching |
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Natural approach
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Direct method
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Humanistic approach |
The Silent Way |
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Total Physical Response (TPR) |
Grammar is taught in imperative sentence-patterns through teacher’s commands. Learners repeat the commands afterwards and practice them in drill games and role-plays.
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Suggestopedia
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The teacher gives grammar material in “a playful manner”. Learners memorize grammar structures and forms by listening to the teacher’s reading dialogues, texts with the accompaniment of music, repeating after teacher and practice them in dialogues, games, puzzles, etc. |
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Cognitive approach |
Cognitive method |
It focuses both on deductive presentation of grammar: rules first, practice later and inductive, rules can be given after practice. It focuses also on learners’ ability to analyze grammatical forms and their usage. |
Teacher gives unlimited correct examples of sentences in L2 with a limited number of rules or learners may take rules out of communicative practice. After practice learners analyze grammatical forms and their usage. |
Communicative approach |
Communicative language teaching (Task-based language teaching) |
It focuses on inductive presentation of grammar: grammar is presented only as a tool for correct real-life communication through practice it in integrated tasks. It is widely-used nowadays in teaching grammar. |
It is realized in five steps:Presentation –teacher presents grammatical forms in a context through reading, listening, brainstorming, checks if the forms are clear to learners. Learners repeat them. Analysis of grammatical forms – teacher presents more examples on the blackboard and explains them or helps learners to form a rule from the examples. Practice – learners do a lot of mechanical written exercises to train accurate usage of grammatical forms (fill-in exercises). Production – learners do a lot of communicative exercises on fluent usage of grammatical forms (games, interviews,dialogues, problem-solving, etc.) Feedback – Teacher checks learners’ grammar knowledge:draws learners’ attention to grammatical problems and discuss. |