Is Grammar Really Important for a Second Language Learner?

This is a question and the answer is clear and simple: “indeed.” Grammar is the backbone of a language and without it any single thing you know may be flux, in a sort of jelly without much consistency. Grammar provides you with the structure you need in order to organize and put your messages and ideas across. Without it, you won’t be able to convey your ideas to their full extension without a good command of the underlying grammar patterns and structures of the language.

Now a days there are two scenarios. In one extreme we have those language courses that teach grammar almost exclusively, as if preparing the students to be grammarians of the second language rather than users. In the other extreme we have those “communicative” courses in which the only thing that is done is to talk about something or to read an article and comment on it. In many cases, what is seen in one class has no resemblance to what is done in the next.

In my experience, both scenarios may seem good for very specific purposes but I personally feel both are inappropriate for most language learners. For starters, by itself, a good command of the grammar of a language does not imply that the person is able to communicate effectively, as we usually see with students who have only been exposed to an all-grammar-oriented approach sometimes for many years. Many could recite the grammar by heart but if asked to express basic information, they would hesitate too much and browse through all the grammar rules in their heads before making an utterance, or simply dry up.

On the other hand, just talking in class without anything else done in order to learn from the actual conversation is not good enough either. This approach may be more useful for advanced students who just need to brush up their second language, but for those in need of building up the foundations of a new language, it is certainly too vague and without any consistency.

"Is grammar really important for a second language learner?" "yes", but, the real question, or issue here is not whether grammar is important or not but rather how we should present grammar to our students. You may be surprised to hear that most of students, even advanced ones, have very little awareness of grammar jargon and terminology, in spite of the fact that they can make a pretty good use of the second language. "How is that possible?". First and foremost, teachers need to know precisely what they are trying to prepare their students for. I do know that what I want is to "create" users of a new language.

I want to prepare people to actually engage in communicative situations using appropriate language and patterns. I am definitely not interested in their explaining to me or making a mental list of all the grammar uses that a certain pattern has.

Before we start to use the material we have selected, it would be good to introduce the students to the topic you are going to work on. You can have them guess or infer what the material will say about it, they can make predictions and when they fail to use appropriate language, you may provide it. This is good to elicit vocabulary that may be necessary for them to know in order to understand the topic. After you have created curiosity in the topic and provided students with key terms on the topic, make sure you follow a progression such as the one that follows:

1) Provide them with exposure to real language and real situations IN CONTEXT.

2) Initial focus on the essential , not form.

3) Focus on more specific meaning.

4) We can then focus on very specific meaning.

5) Analysis and systematization: after we make sure the students have a good understanding of the whole material, you can have them focus on particular items or patterns that may be important for them to learn at their stage (i.e. grammar) You can systematize it more formally and teach them how it works. After all, they have already seen it in practice and they have also worked around meaning, now it is time for them to learn how to use it.

6) Give them exercises for them to practice the new structure. Do not be afraid of using grammar drills and patterns. They could be useful for them to fix the new structures in their brains.

7) Give them homework to force them to revise this at a later time. The homework does not necessarily need to be communicative in nature. Profit from the time in class to communicate and interact.

8) Provide them with several opportunities to practice what they have learned in real communicative situations. Create situations so that they can make lots of mistakes and encourage them to improve on them by reminding them of what they have studied.

9) Recycle and mention the topic again as many times as necessary, time and again.

This is essential for them to finally acquire the new structures in a natural way.

I am not condemning grammar at all. I complain about teachers working almost exclusively with a grammar-oriented approach. On the contrary, I feel it is essential in order to master a language. However, how grammar is presented to the students is what really matters. I disagree with those teachers who come to class and tell the class: “Open your books. Today we will learn the “Present Perfect Tense ”