I want to ask about this question: How much should we learn about Grammar? Since it has many subjects to learn about and sometimes it makes beginners feel overwhelmed and desperate in which part they should start to learn grammar. Tenses, parts of speech, etc. Can anyone make a list contains which parts of Grammar that beginners should really understand?
For example, Is it important for a beginner to really understand parts of speech?
Replies
If you aspire to be an English teacher at university or high school, you probably need a very sound knowledge of grammar. For the rest of us, we need to know sufficient to be able to structure our sentences well and avoid common mistakes. It matters not if we don't know what a gerund, preposition or countable noun are, provided we can use the language well.
Like all languages, English is evolving ... a living language. New words appear and sometimes unacceptable use becomes acceptable use.
Friends....
One small suggestion... It is not like how much we should learn about grammar.. we should know the English Grammar... Once we come to know the grammar portion, we need to practice continuously. There is no limit in Grammar... only we should know what is what... and further the Grammar rule never changes at any time.... It is a standard one only...
Selvakumar
i think beginners should understand the basic grammers carefully otherwise the would not express the fluency in English at the same time there are very complicated parts of grammer that increase confusions to some extint
Since this discussion has been going on for a while, I won't spend too much time reviewing everyone's ideas. Instead I will state that how much grammar you need depends on what you plan to do with English. If you mainly need to communicate with others (as in conversation) grammar can be taught by example while practicing speaking.
In Saudi Arabia we spend too much time on the rules of grammar before students have any foundation in English. The style of teaching here tends to be rote memorization. We have students who can barely answer "What is your name?" learning parts of speech, but not really understanding their lessons. I have found that asking questions and answering questions helps students understand the structure of the language. Then the teacher can explain grammar as we encounter new things. I would rather have them speaking and making some mistakes than unable to speak because they are concentrating on grammar.
We should remember that the students in English speaking countries learn their own language before they start school. Only after learning to speak do they begin getting lessons about grammar. When we teach English as a second language we should bear in mind this natural order of things. Text books that mimic books for native English speakers often focus on lessons that English speaking countries only give their children after they have been speaking English for six or seven years. The natural way to acquire language is first to listen, to speak, and then to worry about reading, writing and using perfect grammar.
Fantastic response: "How much grammar you need depends on what you plan to do with English." I wish all learners would understand that very important fact. Many online learners say they want to practise speaking, and I always remind them to listen to as much English as they can.
Hi Alex, Muhammet and Anh
Thanks for your opinion.
You are right Alex. Languages evolved to be used and along the way some traditions developed about how sentences should go together.
As a child we listen and copy the grammar of the adults. That way the traditions become part of our language use. Rules or traditional use exist to help correct those who don't learn correctly and to help new people learn the language. The rules are not committed to memory by native speakers. Instead the proper use of grammar is committed to memory.
Without some system we could say any of the following:
1. I am going to school.
2. School going I am to.
3. Going I am to school.
4. I school am to going.
The native speaker will use the first example without giving it any thought. We know where all the parts of speech should go. If we understand how to use grammar we can properly unscramble words to make a proper sentence.
Here are examples we use in a placement test:
football likes Ahmed music and.
would like you coffee some?
number is your telephone what?
English speak can well you?
washing in he the is car the garden.
Are these difficult to unscramble? They give many people trouble if they don't understand the rules of English.
If you want to speak you can learn the grammar simple pattern in Speaking.If you want to learn grammar for your reading,you should choose from easy level .You can learn parts of speech or you can learn simple sentence in which there is part of speech you want to learn.For example:You can learn verb"be" in simple present tense and make sentences with it to remember its function.
-I am a student.He is a worker.
-I am tall. He is tall.
-I am young.He is old.
-I am happy.He is kind.
So on...The same way with other verbs :
I have a small house.
I have breakfast at 8.00.
You should learn vocabulary at the same time with Grammar to combine parts of speech for making sentences .That's my experience in learning grammar.
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