Mastering the grammar of any language involves both
intuition and rules. Clearly, every language user relies more heavily on one
approach but neither by itself is foolproof. Both students and teachers require
reinforcement of the weaker sense in order to hone their knowledge of a
language. For example, ESL students benefit from grammar teaching that
strengthens both approaches. Likewise, ESL teachers, whether native or
non-native speakers cannot depend on intuition or knowledge of rules alone to
master grammar and must invest in complementing their knowledge. I can attest
to that process as I view my career as an ESL teacher.
Clearly, a good ear and an analytical mind both aid in
learning in English grammar. Due to the quantity of English language material
available worldwide, both audio and written, students can and do access English
material from an early age and develop an instinctive grasp of “what sounds
good”, sometimes almost to the level of those living in an English-speaking
country. However, the grammar, vocabulary and register of much of this material
are often very low, e.g., rap songs and TikTok videos. Thus, the learner may
normalize a very low level or even incorrect sentence structure. By contrast,
the formal grammar rules provide a certain scaffolding for correct grammar use.
However, they also add an additional layer of processing before producing the
sentence, which reduces fluency and confidence. Furthermore, formal rules may
lead to artificial speech, i.e., structure that does not actually reflect actual language use. For example, it is possible to ask the question “With whom am I
speaking” but the vast majority of English speakers say “Who am I speaking
with”. Thus, overly rule-based speakers sound rather unnatural in terms of
fluency and structure. Thus, it is not advisable to rely on only one approach.
Consequently, ESL students benefit from grammar
teaching that creates both confidence and formal structure. For those students
that hesitate to express themselves because they lack confidence in their
knowledge or feel a need to be perfect, it is important that ESL teachers
encourage spontaneous speech based on intuition. The solution is to emphasize
that the listener will most probably fully understand the meaning even if there
are grammatical errors. Moreover, the formal error may actually be the far more
common form. For example, Americans tend to use past simple instead of present
perfect in situations describing current consequences to past actions. Compare
UK “I have eaten lunch.” (and am not hungry) to US “I ate lunch.” For “natural”
speakers, learning the rules helps them identify and rectify improper use and interference
from their native language. For example, in formal language like means "similar to", not "such as", as it is used in conversational speech. To err is not only human but actually better for
communication in terms of fluency and natural language while a little knowledge
of the rules can help them reduce grammar errors that create interference with
meaning.
This issue also affects ESL teachers and their mastery
of the material. On the one hand, native-language English teachers may have a
highly-developed “ear” for the correct form. However, they often lack a formal
knowledge of the rules as English classes in the US and UK generally do not
teach grammar rules. For such teachers, it is vital to actively study the
formal rules and, just as importantly, their similarities and differences with
the first language(s) of the students. The former is required in order to
properly explain while the latter is necessary to “hook” that information into
the minds of the students. On the other hand, many non-native speakers develop
an excellent understanding of the former rules as they have learned them in
ESL classes. Unfortunately, many teachers, especially from those countries
where governments have limited travel to English-speaking countries, have far
less developed awareness of how people actually speak. Furthermore, they often
are unaware of the nuances of grammar, i.e., the unspoken meaning that a native
speaker would naturally pick up. When a parent asks a 15-year-old American girl
what she was doing at 3:00 in the morning, the issue goes far beyond her
physical location at the time. Thus, a complete teacher not only knows the
rules but also the practice.
My journey as an ESL teacher reflects this dual need.
Having educated parents and being a reader, my English was quite proficient.
Yet, I failed standardized English tests because, having dyslexia, I read
sentences instead of words. I applied my intuitive skills, including predictive
reading, to become a highly effective reader but a poor analyzer of sentences.
When I became an ESL teacher, I invested significant time and effort to
understand how to teach grammar. I first grasped the rules and then sought (and
seek) ways to transmit this information to my students not only to help them understand the concepts but also intuitively apply them in their use of
English. After more than 30 years of English, my fellow staff members consider
me an expert on grammar, which I find quite amusing. I even view it as a
revenge on my 11th grade English teacher, who gave me a “D” in her
class. Learning how to teach English is an ongoing process.
In summary, language knowledge is a mélange of
intuitive and formal knowledge of grammar and structure. Either one by itself
is not sufficient to produce high-level language. Every language learner begins
the journey with different levels of competency in the two aspects. However, to
create the best language, both have to work in concert. It takes two to tango.
