“Grammaring”: The Fifth Skill In Language Teaching and Learning

Fez - Language teaching and learning has always been a controversial area within applied
linguistics. According to Corder (1973), “what to teach or learn can be described in linguistic
terms as grammar […] or in psychological terms as language skills” (p. 137). Although grammar
refers to what we know about a language such as phonology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics,
language skills are about what we do with language. This includes listening, speaking, reading,
and writing. Controversies often arise when the boundaries between these two areas become
blurred, as in the case of treating “grammaring” as a language skill. In this respect, the present
article will attempt to explain the background of the issue surrounding “grammaring,” followed
by a tentative definition of the term and a description of the techniques for its implementation.

The teaching and learning of grammar has always been one of the most hotly debated topics in
the field of language education. The controversy over what, exactly, grammar is led to the
development of different models that attempted to account for grammar differently. Grammar
was considered a method of language teaching and learning within the so-called Grammar-
Translation Approach. Within this approach, which draws from philology, grammar was viewed
as the core of language. However, with the shift from philology to linguistics, the notion of
grammar has changed accordingly. With the eruption of modern linguistics, grammar began to
be described as a system of structures in addition to vocabulary and pronunciation.

With the shift from structuralism to transformational generative grammar, the notion of grammar
has been redefined as the system of rules that every native speaker of a language has acquired. It
is in this sense that grammar has moved from being a set of mechanical structures to being
psychological, or rather, cognitive constructs. What reinforces this last premise is the fact that
grammar has come to be described as a competence. A case in point here is the so-called
grammatical competence constituting only one aspect of our overall communicative competence
in addition to sociolinguistic, strategic, and discourse competences. A more recent view
considers grammar as a skill. According to Larsen-Freeman (2001), “grammar is to be seen as a
skill not as a competence” (p. 67). That is, when we speak or write, we are always involved in
“doing” grammar, whether consciously or unconsciously. Hence, this process of doing grammar
is termed “grammaring.”
A Tentative Definition of “Grammaring”

Various authors have attempted to define the term “grammaring” differently. Larsen-Freeman
says “grammaring” can be seen as a “fifth skill.” Her definition of the word is as follows: “the
ability to use grammar structures accurately, meaningfully, and appropriately” (ibid., p. 143).
Although it was Larsen-Freeman who first used the term in her book, From Grammar to
Grammaring, this term has gained several definitions in its subsequent use. According to
Richards and Schmidt (2002):

[G]rammaring is sometimes used to refer to the process by which language learners use grammar
to create messages through grammaticalizing or adding grammar to a sequence of words to
create finer meaning distinctions. The linguist Diane Larsen-Freeman proposed grammaring as
an important process in second language acquisition. Grammaring emphasizes grammar as a
dynamic process rather than a system of rules (p. 552).

According to the definition stated above, grammar is no longer conceived as a description of

language or native speaker’s competence. Thus, a paradigm shift arose about the teaching and
learning of grammar. The purpose behind teaching grammar is no longer the transmission of
knowledge. Rather, teaching grammar is now performed to enable students to use grammatical
structures accurately, meaningfully, and appropriately. In this respect, Larsen-Freeman (2001)
further states that “grammar teaching is not so much knowledge transmission as it is skill
development” (p. 255). Thus, different activities have started to focus on developing such a skill.

Practical Activities for “Grammaring”

The practical activities that are used in “grammaring” fall into three categories as specified by
Freeman’s definition of the term. Given that language should be used accurately, meaningfully,
and appropriately, emphasis is laid upon form, meaning, and use. For example, in teaching
phrasal verbs, the form is presented first. What should be explained is that a phrasal verb consists
of a verb plus a particle such as “break up.” However, explaining form alone is not enough for
understanding what the word means. Thus, meaning is a very important dimension to evade any
possible confusion that surrenders the phrasal verb “break up,” as the latter cannot be guessed
from the form only. Again, it is not enough merely to instruct students how to use “break up” in
speaking or writing in English unless an explicit teaching has been supplied. Thus form,
meaning, and use are equally important for the teaching and learning of grammar. In general, the
practical activities that are used in “grammaring” can be categorized into: a. form, b. meaning,
and c. use.

A - Focus on form:

A distinction is often made between language use and language form. In other words, there has
been a continuous debate over whether to teach students the language or teach them about the
language. For Larsen-Freeman, both language form and language use are equally important. In
this vein, she states:

Teachers who focus students’ attention on linguistic form during communicative interactions are
more effective than those who never focus on form or who only do so in de-contextulized
grammar lessons (Spada and Lightbown 1993; cited in Larsen-freeman 2002).

Among the activities that focus on language form are language games, Cuisenaire rods, sentence
completion, and sentence unscrambling tasks, among others. In general, there are three important
activities, namely: games, use of rods, and sentence unscrambling activities.

B -  Focus on meaning:

Linking form with meaning can be carried out by the use of different activities. In fact, meaning
should call for some sort of associative learning (cf. Ellis 1998). This activity gives students the
opportunity to associate the form with the meaning of a particular target structure. For example,
it is by associating form and meaning that a phrasal verb can be understood. Moreover, meaning
can also be made clear by using realia and pictures. By using real-world objects or pictures, the
relationship between word and referent can be made more explicit. For example, if someone asks
you what a cabbage means, and you have a cabbage, you will tell him this is a cabbage. Mimicry
of the appropriate action is another way of making the meaning of linguistic “signs” more clear.

C - Focus on use:
The right form with the right meaning should be selected for the right context to ensure
successful communication. A practical way of going about sensitizing students to the effect of
context on language is through making use of role playing. The latter can be described,
according to Larsen-Freeman (2001), as follows:

Role plays work well when dealing with use because the teacher can systematically manipulate
social variables (e.g., increase or decrease the social distance between interlocutors) to have
students practice how changes in the social variables affect the choice of the form (p. 261).

Role playing can be considered one of the most effective activities for developing the
appropriateness of the linguistic behavior of students due to its simulation of real-life contexts.

In summary, the field of language teaching and learning has always been controversial due to the
blurriness of the boundaries among its different components. One example in which
controversies arise is the intersection of “grammaring” with language skills under the umbrella
of the so-called communicative approach to language teaching and learning. Within the latter,
grammar as a skill is taught through form, meaning, and use by following three main activities,
namely rods, realia and role plays.

Feedback and Error Correction – Is It Your Job?

What is the most effective way to correct errors? How to develop self-editing
skills in your students? This article is about making your feedback an effective
learning tool.
Error correction performed by the teacher followed by a feedback is a usual part of most
traditional and even non-traditional school approaches. However, if we think about it, our
ultimate goal is to teach the students how to become independent learners and be able
to check their own work. Lack of awareness about the necessity of doing this has become
one of my teaching challenges.
Most students I encounter as a teacher believe that their work is done once they have
accomplished the assignment’s requirements. They tend to submit their papers and
worksheets immediately after finishing an exercise. My question of whether they have
checked their work is usually encountered with complete astonishment. They genuinely
believe that mistakes correction is completely the teacher’s job. This is the stereotype
that I strive to change. In my view, the purpose of language teaching is to turn the
process of error correction into an automatic process the student should be able to
perform independently. Students must develop awareness of their responsibility for
checking their own mistakes.
I have developed several techniques that encourage self-check, provide the necessary
tools for self-editing and proofreading and develop critical thinking and independence.
The positive “side effect” of this approach is that evaluation gradually becomes an internal
rather than external process, shifting the focus from grades to self-check and diminishing
the tension caused by grades.
Below I provide the main aspects of the approach and some examples.
1. Define what a “mistake” is. A mistake is a misuse of the rule/s that has ALREADY
BEEN STUDIED AND EXERCISED. A mistake is NOT a wrong use of rule/s or vocabulary
that have not yet been studied in class.
2. Make sure the assignment contains only the material that has been
thoroughly studied and exercised in class.
3. Change the assignments’ instructions to include self-check as its integral
part.
Example: "Please compose 10 sentences describing your day. Check your composition
using the provided checklist".
4. Provide a checklist of the typical mistakes. (Especially important for
beginners).Example:
 Grammar
 Capital letters
 Punctuation
 The use of time expressions (usually, sometimes, often)
 Spelling
5. Provide any visual materials that can improve mistakes correction, such as
charts, tables, pictures, lists
6. Encourage using colourful markers and special editing signs.
7. Refuse to grade papers that have not been self-checked.
8. Structure reference materials, such as grammar rules, vocabulary, etc. in a
way that students can easily access the necessary “help” page. I suggest that
each student has a folder separated into sections, such as “Grammar”, “Reading”,
“Writing”, etc. We file each page into a corresponding section and create a table of
contents of each section.
9. Do not highlight mistakes in the material the student has not yet studied as
mistakes, but rather as suggestions.
Example: I can not to read. – Mistake. No “to” after “can”. His name was Kristofer. –
“Christopher”. Students often are unaware of the right spelling of foreign names.
10. Always discuss corrections. Encourage reasoning rather than saying which answer
is “right” or “wrong”.
Example:
Student: “She is read the book” is wrong. Me: Are you sure? Student: No. Me: Let’s try
to check the sentence structure. Let’s use the scheme we have…
Student: “She is read the book” is wrong. Me: Are you sure? Student: Yes. Me: Please
explain. Student: It’s because we must use –ing ending if the verb is in the Present
Continuous.
11. In your final error check highlight mistakes, provide suggestions and create
a list of repeating mistakes. Give the students more exercises to practice
specific points that they have probably misunderstood. If grading is necessary,
suggest some extra points for completing the correction assignment.
Using the above tips consistently improves the students’ overall performance, raises their
self-confidence and develops their reasoning skills. I hope you find them useful and
welcome all the questions and comments on the topic.
 Written versus Spoken Grammar
The difference between written and spoken grammar essentially comes down to a debate
between formal and informal grammar. It is however important to note that there are arguments
made that spoken grammar is inchoate and does not technically exist, and that spoken grammar
is essentially the same as written grammar in terms of all belonging to the use of grammar
generally rather than a particular system. These different arguments, although noted, do not
present difficulty to the most widely acknowledged theory of spoke grammar and therefore shall
not be considered within the ambit of this discussion. Suffice to say however that the argument
presented for spoken grammar is not a unified position, although supported by the majority of
academic writers. The argument for spoken grammar is essentially that it is a distinct approach
from that used in written grammar. There is an argument for a linear model of grammar with
spoken grammar being separate and distinct, although familiar through the use of written
grammar (Brazil, 1995). Over time this model has evolved into a dynamic system of grammar
that is easily adaptable and flexible for language use and inclusion (Carter & McCarthy, 1997).
The distinction is practically important for language use as often the use of written grammar in
speech and conversely spoken grammar in writing, can often not be contextually appropriate and
can lead to confusion. Simply put, people generally do not speak the way that they write and they
certainly do not write the way that they speak.

Spoken grammar often includes contractions, such as ‘I’ll’, ‘don’t’ or ‘can’t’ which are strictly
speaking not appropriate in written grammar, as well as the inclusion of slang words or
colloquialisms. Spoken grammar also includes breaking of strict written grammar rules such as
beginning sentences with prepositions. Conversely, there is grammatical syntax that exists
almost exclusively in written grammar that is not used in spoken grammar such as the existence
of the perfect past tense. Spoken grammar is also more dynamic and immediate, therefore often
including many grammatical errors that are unacceptable in written grammar. This is as a
productive of rapid speech and thought development. Written grammar is more planned and
precise, therefore allowing fewer margins for error and engaging with a more sophisticated
vocabulary and format of idea presentation. Spoken grammar is often more communicative as it
presents ideas at a lower level of engagement, making it more accessible in a way and therefore
communicative. It also is capable of more effectively conveying a tone, furthering the
assessment of spoken grammar as communicative.

Grammar Assessment
Definition- What is Grammar?
Crystal (1995) says it is "... that branch of the description of language which accounts for
the way in which words combine to form sentences.”
“English grammar is chiefly a system of syntax, that decides the order and patterns in
which words are arranged into sentences.” (Close, 1982)
The Importance of Grammar
 Why assessing grammar?
1. Linguistics or communicative competence
2. Structures or functions
3. Usage or use
4. Prescriptive or descriptive
Assessing Grammar
1. Assessment is another fundamental aspect of teaching.
2. Assessment can help you determine a student's proficiency in a language.
3. Using assessment can help to identify the strengths and weaknesses a learner has.
4. Teachers also need to use constant assessment to determine how well students are
comprehending the material that has been covered or how much information they picked
up from a specific course.
5. Assessment and evaluation are not the same yet they are closely related.
6. Assessment relates to individual student learning. It is the act of collecting information
and making judgments on a language learner’s knowledge of language and ability to use
it.
7. Evaluation refers to a broader term concerning a collection and interpretation of
information relating to the value of an entire course or program for the reach of specific
functions or goals.
A. .Diagnosing students strengths and weaknesses.
B. Deciding what to and what not to teach next.
C. Giving students feedback.
D.Seeing students progress.
E. Handing students a final grade. Reasons to assess:

Formative assessment and Summative assessment

a. Formative- ongoing process
b. Summative- at the end of learning
1.Authentic assessment is another way to check for students' understanding of grammatical
rules. For example, they might be asked to take a newspaper article and make corrections or
improvements.
 Recognition Production
For students to identify errors in a given For students to show communicative skills.
context
Multiple choice items ⃝ Completion items ⃝

Error-recognition ⃝ items Paraphrase

True/False ⃝ Editing
Pairing and matching items Sentence transformation
Sources:
1. Crystal, David. 1995. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2. Magdalenda, Jonathan. (W/D). Testing grammar. © 2015 www.pascaums.ac.id