American University of Madaba (AUM)

Faculty of Languages & Communication

Course Syllabus
Spring Semester 2020-2021

Course Title: English Grammar (1)

Course Number: 0702221 (and enrollment key for the course e-learning)
Semester Credit: Three (3)
Requisites: None

Instructor: Afaq Sami Khzouz, PhD Curriculum and Instruction

Assistant Professor

Contacts: a,[email protected]

Logistics: Section 1: Monday/Wednesday 10:00-11:15 am

Online Classroom: LINK
Office Hours: LINK

HOUR/DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

9.30-10.00 OFFICE HOURS OFFICE HOURS OFFICE HOURS OFFICE HOURS

Grammar 1 Grammar 1
10.00-11.30 OFFICE HOURS OFFICE HOURS
Sec.1 Sec.1

Remedial English English Com. Remedial English English Com.

11:30-1.00
Sec.3 Sec. 2 Sec.3 Sec. 2

Remedial English Remedial English

1.00-2:30 OFFICE HOURS OFFICE HOURS
Sec.1 Sec.1

Course Description

This course gives insight into a standard description of the English language and into the relationship
between meaning and grammatical form. This course is a systematic introduction to English grammar.
It deals with the central features of English grammar, such as verb and noun phrase construction,
clause construction and verb complementation, among other topics.

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Course Goals:

- To learn to recognize and appreciate the structure of English, seeing how individual sounds
and words function together to create meaning in sentences.
- To identify and understand the various rules in grammar and usage (such as subject-verb
agreement).
- To identify and correct the frequent errors associated with grammar.
- To identify and Understand the various rules in the mechanics of a sentence (such as
punctuation and capitalization guidelines)
- To identify and correct the frequent errors associated with the mechanics of sentence writing.
- To increase ability in critical thinking, analysis, problem-solving and hypothesis formulation and
evaluation, and written expression.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the students will have: The opportunity to stretch and to improve their
communication skills as they explore the basic components of language. At the same time, they will
begin to master the rules that underlie Standard English and thus polish their usage.

Intended Learning Outcomes

This course is designed to encourage students to do the following:

A) Knowledge and understanding:
Students are expected to:

1- Recognize the subject and predicate of any sentence.

2- Know the differences between nouns and pronouns.
3- Be comfortable with forming sentences with the correct verb tenses.
4- Recognize irregular verbs.
5- Differentiate between adjectives and adverbs and use them properly in sentences.
6- Understand what is meant by a Phrase.
7- Identify the Clause.
8- Identify the role of modifiers and use them correctly.
9- Correctly use capitalization in writing.
10- Avoid common spelling problems

B) Cognitive and intellectual skills (thinking and analysis):

Students are expected to:

1- Break down the mechanics of a sentence.

2- Analyze grammatical and spelling errors.

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 C) Communication skills (personal and academic):
Students are expected to:

1. Improve presentation and speaking skills.

2. Demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
3. Identify the problems with ungrammatical sentences and recognize the solutions
4. Gain an understanding of the basics of the role English grammar plays in creating
coherent, comprehensible texts.

Professional skills:

Students are expected to:

1. Have control over intermediate-level structures in spontaneous, communicative speech and

writing with some errors of form, meaning and use.
2. Recognize and understand the meaning of the most difficult structures.

5. Practical and subject specific skills (transferable skills):

Students are expected to:

1- Lead discussions about language-related issue.

2- Unlearn harmful "common wisdom" about language; develop an understanding of variation
in language and the ways in which incorrect folk beliefs about language lead to
discrimination in education, employment, and society at large.

Required Readings
Resources:

Students are expected to take notes during the lectures, in addition to making use of the following
resources:

Textbook:

Nelson, Gerald. (2011). English: An Essential Grammar. Routledge: London & New York.

( will provide e-copy on e-learning)

References:

- The American Heritage College Dictionary • Baugh, Albert C., and Thomas Cable. A History of the
English Language, 4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1993.

- Cleary, Linda Miller, and Michael D. Linn. Linguistics for Teachers. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993.

- Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1995.

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- Curzan, Anne, and Michael Adams. How English Works: A Linguistic Introduction. New York:
Longman, 2006.

- Dodds, Jack. The Ready Reference Handbook: Writing, Revising, Editing. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon, 2000.

- Fromkin, Victoria. An Introduction to Language. 6th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1998.

- Hogg, Richard M., ed. The Cambridge History of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1992-2001.

- McArthur, Tom, ed. The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1992.

Online Resources:

- History of the English Language (University of Toronto). www.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/hell/

- The Grammar Hardware Store : www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/markport/
language/grammar/hardware.html
- Merriam-Webster OnLine www.Merriam-Webster.com
- English Grammar Review www.iei.uiuc.edu/structure/structure1/salzmann_index.html
- Grammar Tests
www.dailywritingtips.com

a4esl.org (Self-study Grammar Quizzes: grammar, places, vocabulary, idioms, homonyms, etc.)

www.analoqlang.co.uk (Grammar Tests online + recommendations on how to improve your skills)

www.learnenglish.de

www.ego4u.com (Free grammar tests online)

jcomm.uoregon.edu

www.transparent.com (English Proficiency Test: English Grammar, English Vocabulary, English

Reading Comprehension, etc.)

www.usingenglish.com (ESL Grammar Quizzes – Beginner and Intermediate)

www.english-test.net (ESL Grammar Quizzes)

www.examenglish.com (Grammar Tests; Key English Test (KET); free Practice Test)

www.learn4good.com (lessons and exercises)

www.testmagic.com (Free TOEFL Structure Tests)

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www.learnenglishfeelgood.com (Online English Grammar Quizzes: Beginner, Intermediate,
Advanced)

www.english-grammar-revolution.com (Online English Grammar Quizzes)

www.englishteststore.net (Basic English Grammar Tests; Grammar, Vocabulary, Listening, TOEFL

IBT) testyourenglish.org (Vocabulary, word formation, etc.)

www.agendaweb.org (Grammar tests and exercises)

www.english-test.net (Grammar tests)

Documentation and Academic Honesty

Avoiding Plagiarism and Cheating:
Cheating is defined by AUM as any illegitimate behavior designed to deceive those setting,
administering and marking the assessment. Cheating can take a number of forms, including:
 The use of unauthorized books, notes, electronic aids or other materials in an examination.
 Obtaining an examination paper ahead of its authorized release.
 Collusion, i.e. the representation of another's work or ideas as one's own without appropriate
acknowledgement or referencing, where the owner of the work knows of the situation and both
work towards the deceit of a third party. (Plagiarism: the owner of the work does not knowingly
allow the use of his or her work).
 Acting dishonestly in any way so as to either obtain or offer to others an unfair advantage in
that examination or assessment.
Forms of Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the act of representing another's work or ideas as one's own without appropriate
acknowledgement or referencing. There are three main types of plagiarism:
 Direct copying of text or images from a book, article, essay, computer program, handout,
thesis, web page or other source without proper acknowledgement.
 Claiming individual ideas derived from a book, article etc. as one's own, and incorporating
them into one's work without acknowledging the source of these ideas.
 Overly depending on the work of one or more others without proper acknowledgement of the
source by extracting large sections of text from another source and merely linking these
together with a few of one's own sentences or using 'essay bank' material.
To avoid plagiarism, students are expected to keep systematic written notes of the sources they use
at the time they refer to the sources in their written work using the MLA format.

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Penalty for Cheating and Plagiarism:
AUM has strict rules penalties (including expulsion from the university) for cheating, plagiarism and
mobile usage. There is absolutely no tolerance for academic dishonesty in this course.
Attendance Policy
Lecture attendance is mandatory.
According to the Ministry of Higher Education, students are expected to attend all class sessions of
courses in which they are enrolled. A prior approval is required for class absence, except for
emergencies. A student who is absent from more than 15% of the total contact hours in a
course, s/he fails the course. In the case of a student who misses more than 20% of the contact
hours in a course, but submits a valid medical report or excuse approved by the instructor, the
chairperson and the dean, shall be considered as having withdrawn from the course, and shall be
subject to withdrawal regulations.
AUM encourages instructors not to make attendance a disproportionately weighted component of the
final grade. Students whose absence from class resulted from: (1) participation in University-
sanctioned activities and programs; (2) personal illness; (3) family and/or other compelling
circumstances; and/or (4) representing the country or the university in any official capacity shall be
permitted to miss no more than 20% of the total contact hours. Instructors have the right to request
documentation verifying the basis of any absences resulting from the above factors. Any student who
believes that his or her final grade for a course has been reduced unfairly because of attendance
factors has the right to appeal that grade.
Attendance is taken at the beginning of each class, starting at random points on the class list (so no
one will always go first). If a student’s name is called and is not present at that time, s/he will be
considered late.
Please note that three late attendances = one absence.

Assessment Overview

Description Weight Due

Midterm 30% Week 8
Final Project 20% Weeks 13-16
Final Exam 40% Week 17 (TBD)
Punctuality, Preparedness and Participation 10% Continuous

Course Schedule (subject to change by announcement)

Week Date Topic(s) Covered Readings/Assignments
Course Orientation From here on, all assignments,
M 01/03
1 readings and notes will be posted on
W 03/03 Introduction and Overview the course e learning
INTRODUCTION PP. 1-7
M 08/03
2 Chapter 1 Worksheet
W 10/03
pp. 8-18

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 Chapter 1
M 15/03
3
W 17/03 pp. 19-25
Chapter 2
M 22/03
4
W 24/03 pp. 29-36
Chapter 2
M 29/03
5 Worksheet
W 31/03 pp. 36-44
M 05/04 Easter Holiday – No Class
6
W 07/04 More practice on pp. 36-44
Chapter 2
M 12/04
7 pp. 44-52
W 14/04

Chapter 2
M 19/04
8 pp. 52-69
W 21/04

M 26/04 Review
9
W 28/04 Midterm Assessment
Chapter 3 Worksheet
M 03/05
10 pp. 75-89
W 05/05

Chapter 3
M 10/05
11 pp. 89-100
W 12/05 Eid Al Fiter – No Class (TBC)
Chapter 4
M 17/05
12 pp. 101-113 Worksheet
W 19/05

Chapter 4
M 24/05
13 pp. 113-126
W 26/05

Chapter 5
M 31/05
14 Worksheet
W 02/06 pp. 127-132
Chapter 5
M 07/06
15
W 09/06 pp. 131-149
M 04/06 Project Presentation
16
W 16/06
M 21/06
17 Final Exam Period Final Exam (TBA)
W 23/06

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Assignments and Grading
Punctuality, Preparedness and Participation (10 points):
It is essential that students come on time and prepared to participate in each class and it will count for
10% of the total grade.

Midterm Assessment (30 points):

In order to assess students’ understanding of key concepts covered in the course, the midterm and
will contain a combination of multiple choice (10 points), true/false (10 points) and short answer and
essays questions (10 points).
Unless announced otherwise, the assessment will be taken during the lecture time except for the
essay part which you will be given 24 hours to complete the task and you will be able to have access
to your course materials and other sources of information. It is very important, therefore, that you
properly cite all your references and use your own words in answering questions since I will be using
Turn-It-In software to detect plagiarism or cheating.
The topics covered by the midterm assessment will be those covered in lecture and contained in the
study sheet posted on our class’ e-learning

Final Examination (40 points):

Like the midterm, the final assessment format will be similar to the Midterm as it consists of two parts:
Multiple choice ( 15 points) and essay questions which will be posted on the course e-learning as an
assignment. It will be due 24 hours after the official start time of the exam (TBD). Again, it is very
important that you properly cite all your references and use your own words in answering questions
since Turn-It-In software will be used to detect plagiarism or cheating.
The topics covered in the final assessment will be those covered in lectures and contained in the
study sheet posted on our class’ e-learning (up to 20% of the marks will be on material we covered up
to the midterm, and the rest of the marks will cover the new material).

Final Project (10 pts. for creative project + 10 pts. for class presentation = 20 points):
The final project is an opportunity to apply what you have learned throughout this course to a specific
topic and share it with a wider audience. Through the project you are expected to analyze an article
from your choice (has to be approved from me first) using the entire possible break down techniques
studied during the course.
You will present your final projects to the class. Even though the project reflects your own
understating of the course, they are still expected to have an argument, which considers multiple
points of view and offers the students’ own view on the breakdown of article components.
Also below is the criteria that will be used to evaluate both your final project and how you
present/discuss it in class. (Note: all projects are supposed to be presented in class which will be
eligible to receive the full 10 marks. Projects that are presented during office hours and/or after the
last day of class will automatically be deducted 2.5 points, unless accompanied by an acceptable
excuse.)
NOTE:
NO GROUP PROJECTS. Each student should discuss/present and submit his/her own project
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Format for Written Assignments and E-mail

All written assignments must have a title page that includes the following information:
1. Your name and AUM Student ID#
2. Title of the assignment, course title, academic semester/year
3. Instructor's name and date submitted
All e-mail sent by the student must have the following information in the subject line:
1. Purpose of e-mail (e.g., ‘Request to send syllabus’, ‘Assignment’s Name/Topic’, etc.)
2. Course title

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Evaluation Criteria
The final project will be evaluated according to a common set of criteria, which is designed to
encourage each to student to hone their knowledge, perspectives and skills developed throughout the
course. The final project is an opportunity to demonstrate the following:

EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR

Description 10-9pts 8-7 pts 6-5 pts 4-0pts

Provides a clear, factual description of problem

Applies abstract concepts accurately

Remains focused on central point

Interpretation 10-9pts 8-7pts 6-5pts 4-0pts
Identifies connections between the course
material and problem/research
Draws logical conclusions, explains
assumptions and analyzes complexity of issue
Considers alternative points of view and/or
interpretations
Does not rely on own biases, stereotypes
and/or assumptions
Language and Format 10-9 pts 8-7 pts 6-5 pts 4-0 pts
Demonstrates accurate grammar and
mechanics (adhering to MLA standards)
External sources, which are properly
referenced, back points and observations
Provides complete personal details (name,
class, assignment, date)

((END))

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