The Great Debate: Teaching Grammar and Usage by Carol A. Rose

Article title : The Great Debate: Teaching Grammar and Usage
Writer : Carol A. Rose
Journal/Newspaper : The English Journal, Vol. 85, No. 7
Date published : 1996 Number of words: 431
List no. : 396

This article is written by Carol A. Rose, a business English teacher who tries to discuss how she teaches Grammar and usage. It tells about the writer’s opinion whether or not grammar should be taught to students.
The writer states that she agreed if grammar should be taught. As the teacher, we must convince the students that they need to be able to communicate clearly both orally and in writing to make their partner take them seriously. To convince the students, we need to see who they are and what their purpose is, e.g. if they are students who want to go to college and get a scholarship, they will need it to be able to persuade the admission office to give them consideration. We must also determine how and what to teach them. First, start by surveying the class. Divide the components to those which they will most need. Talk with them about the importance of the different levels of communication. Then, choose a text that is understandable, practical, and user friendly. Finally, give them an “extra-credit’ before a test. If they can work it correctly, give them some extra point. The purpose of all this is to be able to apply them both in their writing and in their speech. The writer concludes that she does believe grammar should be taught. Students should not only be aware of the rules but they should know how to apply them.
She put herself as the teacher. She gave the instruction how to convince the students that grammar is important. Then, she developed to how and what should be taught to students.
I agree with the writer that grammar should be taught. Grammar is the backbone of a language and without it every idea you want to convey to someone without a good command of the underlying grammar patterns and structures of the language may be misunderstood, especially in writing. It is just like the railway through which your messages will be transported.
It often happens when I was trying to practice my English with my friends; they sometimes misunderstood what I mean because I have talked without thinking of my grammar. In writing, grammar is very important. My writing’s lecturer often complains about our writing tasks. She cannot understand what we want to convey in our writing because of too many grammar mistake.