This is the second in a series of articles, the first of which focused on the presentation of grammar to EFL students. This article will continue the theme of teaching grammar in more constructive ways by addressing the issue of presentation.
Traditionally, grammar is presented as an integral past of the curriculum, is practised immediately following presentation, and may be subsequently tested at a later date by way of consolidation and/or assessment. However, comprehensive learning cannot be achieved through just one presentation during an academic term; the vital element in consolidating any new grammar point is practice. The more times a student hears, sees and uses for themselves any particular grammar point, the more likely it becomes that they will retain full comprehension of that point and be able to apply it appropriately in the future.
One of the difficulties is that course books, because of the vast amount of information they are required to cover, aren't always able to incorporate adequate opportunities for specific grammar practice - which is why dedicated grammar books prove to be such a valuable component of English language teaching. But even without dedicated books, there are plenty of things the imaginative teacher can do to facilitate grammar practice.
Obviously, the best starting point is to have students that are interested and motivated to learn. If the grammar has been presented in an engaging way, then this may well be the case. However, there will always be some students who are not so fired with enthusiasm. Either way, grammar practice can be lively, stimulating and very much linked with the interests and personalities of the students. It doesn't have to be simply a matter of exercise-writing, gap-filling and multiple choice options.
If we take a moment to reflect on how we could practise grammar, we can quickly see that virtually any format expressed through the use of English words will prove to be a tool we can use in grammar practice. To put it plainly, every sentence uses grammar. Thus, we can always intertwine grammar practice with presentation or practice of other facets of the language.
Your students will get a lot more out of practising grammar if they have an element of control over the methods used. For that reason, it's not a good idea to limit oneself to only a few options. Each student group will have its own set of preferences, and they ought to be involved in deciding which of the following activities they'd prefer to pursue.
The use of videos, film scripts, radio interviews, TV programmes and the like are all helpful in facilitating student practice of grammar. Short clips may be presented to the group as a lead-in to analysis of the grammar used and subsequent practice on the part of the students. For example, choose a popular film (like Harry Potter, Men in Black II, My Big, Fat Greek Wedding) and present some of the dialogue from the film to your students - even if it means you have to go and see the film in the first place to hear some of the lines yourself! You can then get the students to identify the grammar used, get them to suggest different ways of saying the same thing, get them to think of responses or continuation dialogues, and so on. The point is, by giving your students something they can immediately relate to in the first instance, you can then lead them along a path of grammar practice that is enjoyable whilst being constructive at the same time. As an example, one of Ron Weasley's lines in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is 'Can we panic now?' - a good starting point for the practice of modals. You could compare the different meanings of the same sentence if 'can' were to be replaced with 'might', 'would' 'should', etc. The same kind of techniques can be worked on with lines from books, magazine cuttings, lyrics from pop songs, and so on.
For younger students, there are a range of simpler techniques that will enable practice of basic grammar. You could take a couple of mobile phones (fake, or real ones switched off) into class and get students to make and receive phone calls on set topics, or using set grammar points. You can also ask students to mime one side of a phone conversation and encourage the other students to try to guess who they are speaking to.
Another nice idea is to take some unusual snacks (less common fruits, tortilla chips, raw ginger, chutney, Marmite, rice crackers, etc.) into class, get the students to taste them then ask them to talk about them. What did they like and not like? (Practising positive and negative statements in the Present Simple - 'I like mangoes.' 'I don't like Marmite.'); What did the foods taste like? (Practising Past Simple - 'It tasted like an apple.' 'It didn't taste sweet.') Also on the food theme, you can take some eating utensils into class and get students to mime eating a particular dish while other students guess what they're eating (to practise Present Continuous).
On a broader level, students can be encouraged to prepare projects - for example, a tourist guide to their area, a guide to their school, an ideas book for hobbies for young people, etc. Once again they'll be using grammar throughout and can look at the different tenses used in different situations, plus the different kinds of language used in different contexts.
Finally, the use of games or role play can be fun ways to practise any language points, but especially grammar, as the game/role can be adapted according to the point you want to reinforce. To work on Conditionals, you can play the 'If' game - one student starts off with a conditional sentence like, 'If I hadn't fallen over, I wouldn't have broken my leg.' The next student continues the theme - 'If I hadn't broken my leg, I wouldn't have gone to hospital.', and so it goes on. For role plays, prepare a wide range of scenarios (e.g. stuck in a lift, at a dinner party with the Queen of England, in a scary place late at night, meeting a creature from outer space, etc.) and then get pairs or small groups of students to act them out however they want to, using whatever grammar points you tell them to include.
As long as your students are aware of the grammar they are using, and they use it correctly, the list of techniques that can employed in pursuit of practising grammar is really only limited by your imagination.
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