Using short texts to improve grammar.

      Using correct grammar is important for understanding the English language and the English subject better. Being able to use correct grammar is also important if you are going to use written communication, as we often do. Social media is being used more frequently, and being able to write correct grammar is perhaps more important now than before.


Therefore it is important for teachers to learn grammar to pupils. However, I think the choice of method is something to be discussed. Most pupils will arguably “hate” learning grammar, because many pupils will find it to be hard and frustrating to understand and master. It is essential for teachers to keep the pupils motivated when teaching grammar, as it can be difficult/boring for pupils. If the pupils are motivated and encouraged when working with grammar, it will most likely go much easier. Exactly how to motivate pupils can of course be discussed further.




There are several exercises we can use when we are teaching grammar. I have observed few grammar exercises myself, but I got ideas from Introducing English Grammar (p. 132). 

The exercise is explained below, followed but how I would use them in a teaching situation. 

Exercise example: 


A)        Underline all the verbs and nouns you can find in this text. 


B)        This text is written in present tense, try to re-write the text in past tense.


Task A is quite straightforward. However, as the teacher you should find a text that is manageable, but not to easy, depending on what age group you are teaching. If the text chosen is a good fit for the task, the students will get a lot of practice distinguishing the verbs and the nouns. Another idea is to pair up the students, and see if they have different answers. How to choose what word class to focus on depends on what kind of text is chosen. 


Task B is another example of how a text can be used for students to practice grammar. As long as the text chosen is written in present tense, the plot of the text is not as important. The reason I would chose to do this task after task A is because most of the present tense verbs they find in task A will most likely be different when written in past tense. 

Kristian Granås.