How important is learning grammar for learning a language

The Importance of English Grammar: When It Matters (And Three Rules You Can’t Ignore)

English grammar is one of the most important elements of your language study. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most complex and difficult.

In this article, I’ll show you why English grammar matters in different situations, from informal conversations to professional communication.

I’ll also help you study grammar more efficiently by focusing on the concepts that are most important to you—plus three key English grammar rules you can’t ever ignore.

Contents

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How Important Is English Grammar in Daily Life?

Correct grammar is your key to speaking English fluently and confidently. Knowing your grammar will help you avoid errors that make your English sound strange to native speakers.

But there are certain situations in which English grammar is especially important. For example, if you’re going for a job interview in an English-speaking country, the employer will be interested in the quality of your spoken and written English. In fact, in a recent survey of U.K. job recruiters, 50% said that bad spelling and grammar was the biggest reason they would dislike an application.

Correct grammar won’t just demonstrate your English skills—it’ll also show that you’re diligent and have an eye for detail.

This is equally important if you’re aiming to study abroad. Colleges and universities are likely to assess your academic English based largely on your knowledge of English grammar.

Grammar is even important for your social life. Did you know that people on online dating apps are 14% less likely to chat with someone who uses poor grammar? Plus, when you’re meeting new people or visiting new places, the last thing you want is to be misunderstood! To avoid confusing your friends, or even ordering more drinks than you intended, you need to have a firm idea of how to structure your words.

With all that said, remember that in some situations it’s okay to relax your grammar. When you’re texting a close friend, for example, it’s fine to use casual or more simplified language. Talking online is a fantastic way to connect with native speakers and other English learners in a friendly and pressure-free environment.

How to Practice the English Grammar That’s Most Important to You

As we just saw, English grammar is important to different people for different reasons. If you’re learning basic grammar for a trip to the U.S., you have different needs than someone who’s applying to an undergraduate program at an English-speaking university.

So, how do you focus your grammar study on the most important concepts for you?

Start by gathering some quality, comprehensive grammar resources to narrow down your learning. For example:

The book includes lots of clear examples of how and why certain grammar is used in day-to-day language, so you’ll master the grammar you need in no time.

As you study with this and other resources, keep a notebook of key grammatical ideas so you can look back on what you’ve covered. At the beginning of each week, choose a new area to focus on and challenge yourself to find a real life example each day. This will help you track your progress on the grammar concepts that are most important to you.

You can also make a note of confusing grammar that you hear or read in English. Once you begin to immerse yourself in English media, you’ll start to realize that you’re hearing certain phrases and structures again and again. Those are the important everyday grammar concepts you should focus on if you don’t already recognize them.

To find more grammar concepts in use, you can use anything from English TV shows to language learning programs like FluentU. And since FluentU uses authentic videos with accurate, interactive subtitles, you can both see and hear how to phrase things correctly on any number of topics.

If you have English-speaking friends, don’t be afraid to ask them to help you out. People are unlikely to correct your spoken grammar because they may worry about offending you. Tell your friends that you don’t mind them politely pointing out your errors, and they can help you find the right way of rephrasing your words.

A good friend will be patient and encouraging, because even native English speakers know that the grammar can be complicated.

3 English Grammar Rules That Are Important in Any Setting

Now that you know how to focus on your own most important English grammar, there are also a few rules that everybody needs to know.

Irregular Plurals

If you ask your friend to look after your dog, but you actually have seven dogs, your friend is in for a massive canine surprise.

Making a mistake with plurals is sure to cause confusion anywhere, from social situations to research labs. That’s why it’s so important to learn the rules—especially for irregular English plurals, which are tricky for non-native speakers.

In English, the standard way to form the plural is by adding the letter “s” to the end of a singular noun.

One cat → Two cats

One shoe → Two shoes

One bath → Two baths

This rule works most of the time, but unfortunately there are some exceptions.

Words that end in “ss” typically form the plural by adding “es” to the end. This is to avoid having a triple “s” at the end of a word, which would look and sound strange.

One goddess → Two goddesses

One business → Two businesses

Some words may stay the same in the plural as in the singular. For example, if you have one pet fish and you buy another, you now have two fish. If you fly in an aircraft, and then fly in another, you’ve now flown in two aircraft. There’s no rule to tell us which words will behave like this, but luckily the list isn’t too daunting. The proofreading website Vappingo has come up with 101 examples of these words.

Some of them may be a little obscure, but you’ll see there are certainly some that you’ll use all the time. When you come across a word like this, make a note of it to help you remember that it’s different.

You may also start to see patterns among irregular plurals, but don’t rely on them without checking. For example, one goose becomes two geese, but one moose becomes two moose (not “meese”).

These sorts of words are the most misleading and probably the hardest to get the hang of. One way of learning these irregular plurals is to create a table with two columns during your regular vocabulary study. When you learn an important piece of vocabulary, write the singular form in one column and the plural in the opposite column. Hang the table somewhere you’ll see it regularly, like on the back of your bedroom door or on your fridge.

Once you get used to seeing them, they’ll begin to look less odd!

Articles and Gender

Understanding articles and gender in English is crucial for being able to refer to a person or thing correctly. Unfortunately, this highly important English grammar rule is also one of the strangest for many non-native speakers.

That’s because in many languages, the way that you describe a noun is dependent on its gender. In French, for instance, there are different articles for feminine and masculine nouns.

In English, nouns don’t have a grammatical gender. It’s common for new English speakers to refer to objects as “he” or “she” because they’re used to them having a gender in their native language.

The good news is that once you break this habit, the English grammar is actually very simple. The two articles you need are “the” and “a.” We use “the” to refer to specific objects directly, while we use “a” to refer to objects more generally.

I would like to eat the banana you bought at the store today.

I would like to eat a banana, but there aren’t any in the house.

If a noun begins with a vowel, the indefinite article becomes “an” rather than “a.”

Confusingly, English speakers love to humanize objects, even though we don’t use genders. Vehicles are often treated as feminine. You may hear someone say, “Look at her engine, she’s a real beauty!” when talking about a car. This doesn’t mean that a car should actually be referred to as “she,” it’s just a way of expressing pride or fondness for a machine by making it sound more like a person.

Speaking Formally

Formality is important for lots of occasions. For interviews, work dinners and dates, you need to be able to adapt your English to suit the tone of the event.

One subtle grammar change that’s worth noting is the use of the words “can” and “may” when making requests or asking questions. “May” is considered more formal and polite than “can.”

With a friend, you might ask, “Can I have the wine?” With a colleague or someone you just met, you might ask, “May I have the wine?” instead.

Similarly, “would like” is a more formal version of “want.”

I want to try on this dress. → I would like to try on this dress.

There’s one thing that makes formality in English easier than other languages. In lots of languages, there’s a formal and an informal way of addressing somebody (saying “you”). In French, for example, you can use tu for a friend and vous for somebody you don’t know so well. But in English we only have one word: “you.” You can call your best friend, your mom and your boss “you” without worrying about formality.

While English grammar can seem daunting in places, learning to understand and use it correctly is incredibly rewarding. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes as you practice English. Sometimes this is the best way to learn! If you’re committed and enthusiastic towards tackling grammar, it can be an absorbing and even exciting aspect of learning a new language.

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Is Grammar Really Important for a Second Language Learner?

This is a typical question that I receive from many new students and website visitors. My answer is clear and simple: “indeed.”

Grammar is the backbone of a language and without it any single thing you know may be flux, in a sort of jelly without much consistency. In a nutshell, grammar provides you with the structure you need in order to organize and put your messages and ideas across. It is the railway through which your messages will be transported. Without it, in the same way as a train cannot move without railways, you won’t be able to convey your ideas to their full extension without a good command of the underlying grammar patterns and structures of the language.

I understand that many students ask this question simply because in their own experience they have always been presented with two main scenarios, and nothing in between. They want to know where they are going to be standing as regards to their learning.

Which are those two scenarios? Well, in one extreme we have those language courses that teach grammar almost exclusively, as if preparing the students to be grammarians of the second language rather than users. In the other extreme we have those “communicative” courses in which the only thing that is done is to talk about something or to read an article and comment on it. In many cases, what is seen in one class has no resemblance to what is done in the next.

In my experience, both scenarios may seem good for very specific purposes but I personally feel both are inappropriate for most language learners. For starters, by itself, a good command of the grammar of a language does not imply that the person is able to communicate effectively, as we usually see with students who have only been exposed to an all-grammar-oriented approach sometimes for many years. Many could recite the grammar by heart but if asked to express basic information, they would hesitate too much and browse through all the grammar rules in their heads before making an utterance, or simply dry up.

Secondly, just talking in class without anything else done in order to learn from the actual conversation is not good enough either. It may be helpful of course, but up to a certain point. This approach may be more useful for very advanced students who just need to brush up their second language, but for those in need of building up the foundations of a new language, it is certainly too vague and flux, without any consistency.

So then, when asked: “is grammar really important for a second language learner?” I always say “yes”, but, the real question, or issue here is not whether grammar is important or not but rather how we should present grammar to our students. You may be surprised to hear that most of my own students, even advanced ones, have very little awareness of grammar jargon and terminology, in spite of the fact that they can make a pretty good use of the second language. “How is that possible?” you may ask. First and foremost, teachers need to know precisely what they are trying to prepare their students for. I do know that what I want is to “create” users of a new language.

I want to prepare people to actually engage in communicative situations using appropriate language and patterns. I am definitely not interested in their explaining to me or making a mental list of all the grammar uses that a certain pattern has.

For example, think of your own native language. Name all the tenses that you can find in your own native tongue with their corresponding uses and structures. Unless you are a teacher, a translator or someone who needs to have a very good grasp of this meta-language, more likely than not you may feel at a loss to answer that question. And that does NOT mean in any sense that you are not a terrific user of that language. After all, you can understand and express whatever you want with ease. What is more, by being able to do so, you show an awesome command of the internal grammar of the language. If you knew no grammar patterns you would not be able to make a single sentence but you can. This means that although you may lack the conscious ability to describe how your language works (i.e. its grammar) you can use it perfectly. You are a user of the language. You make a perfect use of the grammar of your native language intuitively or unconsciously.

Again, our primary goal as second language teachers must be to create users or the language, not linguists! It escapes the aim of this article to describe how we can achieve this but basically we are going to name the main elements to consider to create “language users.”

To begin with, it should be noted that whatever we present our students with should follow a progression from the very general meaning to the very specific pattern or structure we want them to learn (or that they need to learn of course). I would like to highlight that all this takes place within the same class.

Before we start to use the material we have selected, it would be good to introduce the students to the topic you are going to work on. You can have them guess or infer what the material will say about it, they can make predictions and when they fail to use appropriate language, you may provide it. This is good to elicit vocabulary that may be necessary for them to know in order to understand the topic. After you have created curiosity in the topic and provided students with key terms on the topic, make sure you follow a progression such as the one that follows:

This is essential for them to finally acquire the new structures in a natural way.

As you can see, I am not condemning grammar at all as some readers may feel when in my articles I complain about teachers working almost exclusively with a grammar-oriented approach. On the contrary, I feel it is essential in order to master a language. However, how grammar is presented to the students is what really matters. I utterly disagree with those teachers who come to class and tell the class: “Open your books. Today we will learn the “Simple Present Tense.”

In the suggested steps to follow in any class, you will have noticed that I have used a quite eclectic approach, starting from a communicative situation (steps 1-4) with the focus on understanding the message from the gist up to very detailed info and later, and only later, once meaning is clearly understood, we reach the grammar item we may need our students to learn at their stage. The obvious advantage of this approach is that while dealing with grammar, the students will have a clear idea of the context in which it was used and the communicative need it satisfied.

The importance of teaching grammar in learning language

Дата публикации: 22.02.2017 2017-02-22

Статья просмотрена: 2866 раз

Библиографическое описание:

Эгамназаров, Ж. А. The importance of teaching grammar in learning language / Ж. А. Эгамназаров, Б. К. Номонов. — Текст : непосредственный // Молодой ученый. — 2017. — № 4.2 (138.2). — С. 55-56. — URL: https://moluch.ru/archive/138/39017/ (дата обращения: 14.08.2022).

Learning Language is one of the most important spheres in our country. While learning language learners face to many difficulties including grammar, vocabulary and speaking. Some scientists argue that learning grammar is not so important in learning language while others indicate as the main factor of learning language.

However, is it necessary to teach grammar as one part of the curriculum? There is and has always been much debate regarding its position within language teaching methodology; indeed this debate can be shown to have started at least 4,000 years ago, in Greece (Fotos). Its importance may be ascribed to the fact grammar is one of the most significant aspects of any language. During recent decades, answers have ranged from one extreme to the other to the question of whether grammar should be taught or not. These beliefs are radically different; on one hand, some linguists and teachers, including those who prefer the grammar-translation method,believe strongly that grammar should be at the heart of language teaching, while others, according to Nassaji, has argued that grammar is not merely unsupportive, but may be detrimental.

Arguments Against Grammar Teaching

Many researchers, according to Nassajiand Fotos, agree with Krashen, who depends on studies of the acquisition of English morphology to claim that language learning is not conscious, but unconscious. He took his evidence from cases where speakers of different mother tongues learnt English morphemes in a similar sequence. According to this result, it can be said that the same process lies behind both Language 1 and Language 2 learning. Consequently, if learners do not need formal instruction to obtain Language 1 but can acquire it through nature exposure, they also do not require grammar lessons to learn Language 2.

In the light of UG, other researchers, as Nassajiand Fotos say, point out that Language 2, like Language 1, can be acquired by supporting UG principles with input and, as a result, formal instruction does not affect language learning.

Moreover, the assumption that learners can use their knowledge of grammar in real-time communication is not always true. Batstone claims that learners may be unable to apply grammatical knowledge effectively in their own use of language, because grammar is deployed from one moment to another in communication. In addition, Lewis gives some reasons for the claim that the significant role given to grammar is disappointing, although some grammatical information is useful. These reasons are:

— Much of the grammar that is taught is inaccurate or plain wrong.

— The rules which are taught are frequently incomprehensible to the students who are taught them.

— Failure to understand abstract meta-language and rules produces unnecessary failure.

— There is no research evidence that explicit knowledge of grammar aids acquisition of the grammatical system.

— Most tellingly, grammar is not the basis of language acquisition, and the balance of linguistic research clearly invalidates any view to the contrary.

Arguments Supporting Grammar Teaching

It is a fact that the communicative approach constituted a revolution in both theoretical and applied linguistics, and teaching grammar was not part of it. This revolution, as Figuson 2005 mentions, gave rise to a phenomenon known as ‘grammar phobia’. Nevertheless, grammar teaching has enjoyed renewed interest in recent years; indeed, according to Fotos, it has never left the classroom.

Many researchers support grammar teaching, particularly in Language 2 teaching. Ur, for instance, argues that there is a difference between Language 1 and Language 2 learning, in terms of time offered and motivation. Learners of Language 1, regardless of ‘natural learning’, usually have more time and obtain more motivation, so they do not need to consciously plan the learning process. In contrast, Language 2 learning occurs in situations where time is limited and the motivation might be less. This assumption leads to two arguments: first, that a syllabus should consist of systematic gradual steps, which students should not tackle all at once; and second, that classroom plans should be arranged to strike a balance between aspects of Language 2, grammar being one of the significant components of any language. Such an arrangement is necessary to prepare for effective acquisition, considering the limitations of time and weak motivation.

In addition to such evidence supporting grammar teaching, Batstone indicates that learners’ knowledge of the grammatical system might be improved by focusing on particular forms of grammar and their meaning, which is what grammar teaching usually does.

Four other reasons for the reconsideration of grammar are cited and presented by:

— There are problems in the hypothesis that language can be learned without consciousness. Moreover, they cite Schmidt’s view (1990, 1993, 2001) that a conscious attention to form, or what he calls ‘noticing’, is required in order to understand well all components of Language 2. This point of view is supported by most SLA researchers.

— Depending on evidence from German learners of English, claims, there are some structures which gain an advantage from being taught. This suggestion, known as the teachability hypothesis, leads to another claim, in which Lightbownhas pointed out that if grammar teaching corresponds with learners’ readiness, it might be possible to influence sequences of development and to move to the next developmental step of linguistic proficiency. Such considerations are taken into account in recent studies regarding the place of grammar in second language acquisition.

— Communicative language teaching alone might be defective in some situations. For instance, some linguists have conducted research into teaching outcomes in French immersion programmes, and found that in spite of substantial long-term exposure to meaningful input, learners could not attain accuracy in the use of some grammatical forms. Therefore, certain grammatical forms need a particular kind of focus, in order to achieve a high level of accuracy in Language 2.

— During a period of more than 20 years, a large body of evidence has appeared to demonstrate the fact that grammar teaching has a positive impact. Such evidence is taken from the laboratory, extensive reviews of studies and classroom-based research

It seems that these different arguments will continue as long as linguists disagree as to whether language learning is a conscious or unconscious process, and while cognitive psychologist argue over the role of explicit versus implicit language learning.However, there is a growing conviction that the significant question is not whether the teaching and learning of grammar is needed or not, but whether it helps or not, and if so, how? suggests that a combination of these opinions may be suitable to promote effective learning.

The P-P-P Model.

Among the various approaches to grammar teaching, the P-P-P model, according to Hedge, is very popular with many teachers. It first appeared in the 1970s and is considered to be easy to understand and apply.

P-P-P, otherwise known as ‘the 3Ps’, stands forPresentation, Practice and Production. Each of these three elements is explained below.

Presentation is the first stage, where the teacher is supposed to present new items in clear contexts. Considering what the learners already know, the teacher attempts to introduce forms and their meanings in a variety of suitable ways (e.g. pictures, dialogs or situations), taking into account whether an inductive or a deductive model is more likely to be used. Thus, due to the nature of this stage, correction plays an important role.

Practice. Learners are gradually led, individually or as a group, to use grammatical items correctly. By the use of grammar games, gap exercises or some other appropriate means, the teacher guides the students towards greater familiarity with the new concept, in which the controlled practice activities are applied.

Production. At this stage, learners are supposed to be more fluent. They are moved from a focus on form to paying more attention to meaning, by providing suitable practice. The teacher’s role is limited, unless the situation requires his/her facilitation.

The Importance of Learning Grammar

Grammar is an important aspect of a language where learners’ and teachers’ opinions vary. Some students love to find out or learn the proper usage of grammar while some wanted to do grammar exercises. While some love grammar, others hate it and think that it is the most boring part of learning a new language. Whatever your stand is, you cannot escape from learning grammar; it is vital in every sentence you read or write, speak or hear. Grammar is simply the word for the rules that people follow when they use a language. We need those rules in the same way as we need the rules in any game.

This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate John William C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.

The Power of Grammar

Learning proper grammar is important because it is the language that makes it possible for us to effectively talk about language. Grammar names the words and word groups that make up sentences not only in English but in almost any language. As humans, we can put sentences together even as children. But to be able to talk about how sentences are built, about the types of words and word groups that make up sentences—that is knowing grammar. With this, knowing about grammar opens a window into the human mind and into our amazingly complex mental capacity of knowing and learning a specific language. We always associate grammar with errors and correctness. But keep in mind, knowing about grammar also helps us understand what makes sentences and paragraphs clear and interesting, pleasant and precise.

Grammar in Daily Life

In our everyday lives, grammar is everywhere. We use it at home, in school, at work, and in the streets. It is the core of a language regardless of one’s culture, mastery and understanding of it. Being able to use grammar also widens one’s vocabulary. It opens doors of opportunities for us to be able to communicate freely, with no barriers and hesitations.

In teaching, grammar plays a vital role in how effectively a teacher conveys his lessons. Knowing the highs and lows of the language could make or break a lesson. In one instance, a teacher could adjust the level of difficulty of words to be used if he is familiar with grammar. This could lead to a more enjoyable experience for both teachers and students. One more thing, being able to express yourself confidently as a teacher with the right grammar commands respect and positive outlook from your students. Mastering proper grammar could inspire your students to also strive harder in learning the language.

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But we all know that understanding grammar is no easy task. There are numerous things to consider and it will take a lot of hard work that could take years before someone masters grammar. I always suggest to practice what you preach, learn to speak and use the grammar properly for you to be very familiar with grammar. We always say that practice makes perfect and this applies to learn grammar. We should always practice using it correctly and one-day having perfect grammar will be innate to you.

Speak with an ITTT advisor today to put together your personal plan for teaching English abroad.

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Which is More Important: Learning Grammar or Learning Vocabulary?

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When you are learning a language, you need to learn both vocabulary and grammar. You could know a ton of words in a language, but unless you know how to string them together, you are never going to be able to speak the language.

A question we get asked here at Justlearn a lot is whether it is more important to learn vocabulary or grammar. This is a surprisingly tricky question to answer. Let’s start by explaining the differences between grammar and vocabulary.

What is vocabulary?

These are the words in a language. Let us give you an example in Swedish. Don’t worry. We will give translations.

Of course, by knowing the English translation, you may be able to string a sentence together with them. However, how would you know whether the word order is correct? How do you change up the verb to mean something different? That’s where the next part comes in.

What is Grammar?

Grammar is the rules that govern the language. As we said, it is all well and good knowing words, but until you know how to put them together, then they are just words. We gave you four different words in the previous section. What do you think the word order is? It may seem obvious in English, but unless you know Swedish grammar rules, you would be completely wrong. The word order would be:

Jag talar inte Svenska (literal translation: I speak not Swedish)

So, why have we explained this? Well, because this makes a nice little segue into answering the actual question.

So, what is more important: learning grammar or learning vocabulary?

They are both equally important.

You can’t properly learn vocabulary without knowing grammar. You can’t learn grammar without knowing vocabulary.

As we pointed out in the previous section, if you learned the Swedish words, your knowledge of the English language isn’t going to be enough to formulate a proper sentence. It wouldn’t make sense to a Swedish person.

If you do not know grammatical rules, then you wouldn’t know how to conjugate your verbs properly. If you do not know the vocabulary, then you wouldn’t have verbs to conjugate in the first place.

We recommend that you learn vocabulary and grammar side by side. Try to avoid learning individual words. Instead, learn sentences. Sentences that you will likely be speaking when you use the language. This will help you to learn grammar alongside actual vocabulary.

As you start to learn these sentences, you will learn the rules of the language. Once you start to get a solid understanding of the way grammar works, then you can go away and top up your vocabulary knowledge. However, during the beginning stages of learning a language, they are both equally as important as the other. You simply cannot learn a language without knowing both of them.

This means that if you are starting to learn a language today, do not spend hours and hours learning word list after word list. This won’t go anywhere. Look into ways to make sentences from them. Read. Absorb how the language is really spoken. You will pick up a lot of vocabulary by doing this.

Is vocabulary easier to learn than grammar?

Some languages have more complex grammar rules than vocabulary. Depending on your target language and your skills, you’ll either find it easier to learn vocabulary or grammar first. We suggest you try mixing both of them at the same time.

Which one is more important grammar or vocabulary?

They are both equally important. You can’t properly learn vocabulary without knowing grammar. You can’t learn grammar without knowing vocabulary.

How can I improve my grammar and vocabulary?

We recommend that you learn vocabulary and grammar side by side. Try to avoid learning individual words. Instead, learn sentences. Sentences that you will likely be speaking when you use the language. This will help you to learn grammar alongside actual vocabulary. As you start to learn these sentences, you will learn the rules of the language. Once you start to get a solid understanding of the way grammar works, then you can go away and top up your vocabulary knowledge. However, during the beginning stages of learning a language, they are both equally as important as the other. You simply cannot learn a language without knowing both of them.