Principles Behind
Applied English Grammar

Applied English Grammar provides an ESL course focusing on the grammar of written English. When using this text, students add to their knowledge of English grammar through a variety of exercises and activities. They also practice writing and learn an editing system. The book was developed on the following principles:

Principle #1

The grammar of written English is different in many important ways from the grammar of spoken English. Because many ESL materials fail to distinguish these differences, students may have mixed understandings of the different formality levels and registers of the English language. Although Applied English Grammar concentrates on the grammar of written English, it provides arnple built-in speaking practice, exercises, and opportunities for the instructor to separate the two modes.

Principle #2

It is important for ESL students in an academic setting to focus on the grammar of written English. Applied English Grammar is designed for students who are planning to enter academic programs in the U.S. Years of observing ESL students interacting with American faculty and students in U.S. universities have led us to believe that the inaccuracies in their speaking do not bother native speakers nearly so much as their written mistakes do.

Principle #3

A grammar-writing course needs to vary groupings and activities to take into account the current emphasis on student-centered teaching. The materials in Applied English Grammar are intended to be used in a workshop format: students work individually at times, in pairs at other times, and also in small groups in addition to teacher-fronted activities.

Principle #4

Students need to learn a systematic approach to the editing stage of the writing process. Our colleagues who specialize in the teaching of composition have convinced us that the distinction between composing and editing is a useful and realistic one. To date, much emphasis has been placed on the composing end of the continuum. Few ESL students have much sHl or practice with the exacting process of editing their own writing. Often the ways in which they previously studied English inadequately prepared them to apply what they already know about English to their own writing. Thus, many students need specific instruction and guidance in learning how to edit their own writing and use their learned English effectively. Applied English Grammar includes explanations, practice activities, writing assignments, and an editing focus to assist students with this.

Principle #5

Effective learning and effective writing are possible when a student has a system and a commitment to the activity. Students learn, write, and edit carefully only when they have made this an emotional as well as an intellectual commitment. Applied English Grammar provides many writing activities as well as new and varied exercises that field testing has shown to motivate students to improve their learning and writing.

Principle #6

ESL students are often passive learners with very little self-knowledge about their own English. They may come from cultures that give students receptive roles in the teaming process. In addition, many ESL materials used in the U.S. teach students that the way to learn English is by memorizing lists and rules and manipulating them in unrelated sentences. Consequently, few ESL students are aware of learning strategies for using or improving their knowledge of English. Applied English Grammar highlights leaiming styles and strategies and encourages students to reflect on their own strategies, strengths, and weaknesses.

The text encourages students to develop portfolios of their work. This portfolio, called the Grammar Notebook, along with the Grammar Journal, helps students improve their self-knowledge by providing a collection of their work for analysis and reflection. In addition, many students learn to be more organized and efficient in their study through having to maintain the Grammar Notebook. Click here to find out from an ESL instructor about his use of the portfolio approach with his students during the field-testing of Applied English Grammar.

Principle #7

While learning sometimes occurs immediately and without effort, most students need multiple opportunities and varied approaches to a topic before it becomes part of their English. In Applied English Grammar, we suggest a process we call "looping" in the presentation of grammatical materials. We recommend following the textbook through First Steps and the Grammar Core (chapters 1-6); however, information from chapters 7-16 is to be selected by the instructor as needed, depending on the developmental level of the students. The selections can be modified as the instructor learns more about the English of the class. In other words, we do not expect the book to be taught step-by-step from the beginning to the end. Each major topic, to be selected by the instructor with the abilities and needs of individual students in mind, should be approached several times during the term; each approach should vary in groupings and types of activities. For example, subject-verb agreement has been shown to be easy to explain but difficult to acquire--even for native speakers of English-and is usually acquired late in the process. Most students will need to learn to edit for subject-verb agreement and will need varied types of instruction and practice on this topic. However, the course should not be structured with a "subject-verb agreement week." Rather, the topic of subject-verb agreement should be planned into the course syllabus for repeated attention and activity during different weeks of the term.

For this reason, Section Four, Editing Written English, provides editing practice in addition to more traditional exercises in the content chapters.

Additional comments and suggestions for using Applied English Grammar can be found in the sections written to the instructor and to the student in the textbook itself.