To some EFL students, grammar is a foe, an enemy they do not want to see or talk about. Not only does it complicate their learning process, but also it confuses them with rules, tenses, and structures. However, grammar should be regarded as a friend. A buddy that can help students learn more effectively and properly. Concretely, grammar is a friend as it offers students many advantages. First of all, grammar can help students express their thoughts and ideas clearly to others. This means, students increase their production skills. Besides, grammar can help students comprehend the contents of important texts and messages. In other words, students improve their interpretation skills. Moreover, grammar can help students become analytical and active listeners and readers. Put differently, students increase their reception skills.
Having clarified the fact that grammar is not a foe, but a friend. It is important to discuss briefly what it is and how it can be taught. Initially, one can say that grammar is “a set of rules specifying the correct ordering of words at the sentence level” (Nunan, 2003, p. 154). It follows that grammar describes and explains how language units are combined to produce sentences accurately. On the other hand, teachers can work with grammar in their classes by integrating inductive (learner-centered and discovery-oriented) and deductive (teacher centered and rule-oriented) methods. Teachers can also use tasks that clarify the relationship between grammatical form and communicative function. Finally, teachers can combine activities and exercises that help students know language rules as well as use that knowledge for communication (Harmer, 2007).
Once one considers grammar not as a foe, but as a friend, it will become a tool and a resource for students’ language learning. It helps students understand how words and sentences operate and work in dialogues and messages. Additionally, it can help students enhance their communication skills as they can make informed decisions about what to say or write and how to do it correctly. Finally, knowing grammar helps students become aware of how form, meaning, and use work together.
Please regard grammar as a friend not as a foe. If you consider all the advantages it offers, you will improve your language learning by studying and using grammar in appropriate and adequate ways.
GRAMMAR: A FRIEND OR A FOE?
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