Teaching Grammar

Teaching Grammar

Grammar is often named as a subject difficult to teach. Its technical language and complex rules can be intimidating. Teaching a good grammar lesson is one thing, but what if you're in the middle of a reading or speaking activity and a student has a grammar question? Some students may have studied grammar in their home countries and be surprised that you don't understand, "Does passive voice always need the past participle?" But even if your student's question is simple and jargon-free, explaining grammar is a skill you will need to acquire through practice. If you don't know how to explain it on the spot, write down the specific sentence or structure in question and tell the student you will find out. There are several resources below that can help you understand and explain various grammar issues.

Consider the following as you integrate grammar into your lessons.

Acknowledge your role.

As a volunteer, you aren't expected to be a grammar expert. You may have difficulty explaining the 'why' behind grammar points, but you can recognize 'right' and 'wrong' wording and your students will still benefit from your English sensibility.

Find good lesson plans.

It's difficult to make a good grammar lesson from scratch, so any searching you do for appropriate grammar lessons in textbooks or on the Internet will be time well spent. See the Lesson Materials section of this guide for possible resources.

Use meaningful texts.

The sentences you use to teach and practice grammar shouldn't be random. Choose material that is relevant. For example, if your learners are preparing for citizenship or need workplace English, use these contexts to create appropriate examples. If possible, bring in real-life, authentic texts to illustrate your points.

Teach basic grammar words.

Although you need not be fluent in grammar jargon, it's a good idea to teach at least some vocabulary (noun, verb, past tense, etc.) to assist you in your explanations. Intermediate and advanced students may be familiar with many such words already. As a practice activity, you can choose 2-3 parts of speech, specify different symbols for each (underline, circle, box), and have students mark their occurrences in a sentence or paragraph.

The links below will help you understand and explain various grammar points. The first two are from British sources, so don't be distracted by non-American spelling.
BBC Skillswise: GrammarFact sheets, games, quizzes, and worksheets on a variety of practical English grammar skills.
EduFind.com: Online English GrammarExplanations and examples of grammar points organized categorically; click on Table of Contents.
Guide to Grammar and Writing (Capital Community College Foundation)Concise explanations of hundreds of grammar points; uses a lot of grammar terminology.
Verb Tense Chart (Purdue Online Writing Lab)Active and passive verb tenses in past, present, and future forms with examples.
OWL Handouts: ESL (Purdue Online Writing Lab)ESL-oriented explanations of a variety of grammar issues.
Englishpage.com: Irregular Verb PageAlphabetical list of irregular verb forms; simple blank-fill worksheets for students by level. Eslflow.com: Grammar Lesson PlansLinks to off-site grammar lesson plans in many categories.