Teaching English Grammar Penny Ur 2015

The problem

Students often make mistakes even after doing exercises correctly.

The problem: they can get it right when they are thinking about it.

When they are creating their own sentences, they are thinking about the meaning, not the form. So they naturally make slips.

What can we do?

Learners need experience with exercises that attend both to form and to meaning

form-focused------------------------------meaning-focused

‘make sure ‘make sure you it’s correct’----------------------------------communicate’

controlled--------------------------------------------------free

decontextualized ---------------------------contextualized

Mechanical practice

Make sentences using the present perfect

• Lina can’t find her key. (lose)
• Peter weighed 80 kilos before, now he weighs 60. (be on a diet)
• Mark and Dana are delighted. (pass the test)
• Becky won’t be playing today. (break her leg)
• Sam will be late. (have an accident)
• We aren’t going on holiday after all. (change plans)