1. Morphosyntax: teaching grammar deductively
Prof John Corbett
USP-CAPES International Fellow

2. Today’s session Do we need to teach grammar to language learners?
From rules to examples: deductive teaching.

3. Against grammar teaching: ‘The natural approach’
Stephen Krashen in the 1980s:
L2 acquisition should be like L1
Acquisition versus learning
The role of comprehensible input
The monitor hypothesis

4. Common Results of ‘The natural approach’
Fluent but inaccurate learners
Difficulties with written expression
Reaching a plateau
Fossilisation

5. In favour of explicit grammar teaching
Focus on form
Consciousness-raising/language awareness/ ‘noticing’

6. What basic things have we learned on this course?
The role of grammatical knowledge:
morphosyntactic rules
regular forms
infinite possibilities for expression
The role of memory:
lexical chunks
irregular forms
formulaic expressions that re- occur

7. Promoting memory Presentation of chunks/formulae
Frequent exposure/revision
The role of memory:
lexical chunks
irregular forms
formulaic expressions that re- occur

8. Promoting knowledge of grammatical rules
The role of grammatical knowledge:
morphosyntactic rules
regular forms
infinite possibilities for expression
Deductive learning: from rules to examples (explanation)
Inductive learning: from examples to rules (discovery)

9. Pedagogical rules should…
* Inform learners of facts that are true (e.g. ‘we use will to refer to future events’)
* Inform learners of the limitations on the rule (e.g. ‘we use first person and will to refer to spontaneous future events; first person and going to for planned future events’)
* Be clear and unambiguous (‘Teacher, what does ‘spontaneous’ mean?’)
* Should be as simple as possible
* Should draw on familiar knowledge
* Should be relevant and appropriate to the learners’ needs and level

10. Task…
How would you explain English question formation to beginners?

11. Step 1
Gabriel texted Victoria.

12. Step 1: introduce metalanguage
Gabriel texted Victoria.
Subject Verb Object

13. Step 2: subject pronoun
Someone texted Victoria.
Subject Verb Object

14. Step 3: identifying the subject
Someone texted Victoria.
Subject Verb Object
Q: Who texted Victoria?
A: Gabriel.

15. Revisiting Step 1
Gabriel texted Victoria.
Subject Verb Object

16. Revisiting Step 1
Gabriel texted someone.
Subject Verb Object

17. Step 4: identifying the object
Gabriel texted someone.
Subject Verb Object
Q: Who did Gabriel text?
A: Victoria.

18. Step 5: comparison Someone texted Victoria. Subject Verb Object
Q: Who texted Victoria?
A: Gabriel.
No inversion.
Gabriel texted someone.
Subject Verb Object
Q: Who did Gabriel text?
A: Victoria.
Inversion.

19. From explanation to practice: who texted whom?
Gabriel Victoria Alexandre Alicia Daniel Jennifer

20. Initiating questions
Teacher > Learner
Learner > Learner
Class

21. More advanced grammar
I like Sao Paulo’s restaurants. What I like about SP is its restaurants.
I love Larissa’s smile. What love about Larissa is her smile.
I hate the traffic in Sao Paulo. What I hate about SP is the traffic.
I remember Jeff’s loud voice. What I remember about Jeff is his loud voice.
Explain the difference between the two forms.

22. More advanced grammar
I like Sao Paulo’s restaurants. What I like about SP is its restaurants.
I love Larissa’s smile. What love about Larissa is her smile.
I hate the traffic in Sao Paulo. What I hate about SP is the traffic.
I remember Jeff’s loud voice. What I remember about Jeff is his loud voice.
One thing I like…among many The most important/only thing I like…

23. From grammar to poetry what I love about dormice is their ____
what I hate about rain is its ____
what I love about the Bratach Gorm is its ____
what I hate about scent is its ____
what I love about newspapers is their ____
what I hate about philosophy is its ____
what I love about Rory is his ____
what I hate about Pam is her ____
what I love about semi-precious stones is their ____

24. from ‘a view of things’ by Edwin morgan
what I love about dormice is their size
what I hate about rain is its sneer
what I love about the Bratach Gorm is its unflappability
what I hate about scent is its smell
what I love about newspapers is their etaoin shrdl
what I hate about philosophy is its pursed lip
what I love about Rory is his old grouse
what I hate about Pam is her pinkie
what I love about semi-precious stones is their preciousness

25. Write your own poem in the same way
What I love about A is its B.
What I hate about C is its D.

26. Your view of things…

27. Summary and take-home messages
Do grammar explanations promote L2 acquisition?
Appropriate to the learner’s level
Relevant to the learner’s needs
True
Clear and unambiguous
Simply expressed
Drawing on the familiar

28. Next week
Inductive grammar learning: from examples to rules. The language awareness movement