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Fundamentals of English Grammar (Teacher's Guide)

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There seems to be a question as to the value of teaching students grammar from an academic standpoint. There has also been criticism of the academic nature of the Fundamentals of English Grammar by Betty Azar. I have read Stephen Krashen's books and I agree that students need comprehensible input and not just academic knowledge of English; however, from my experience as a language learner and teacher, I have discovered that students need a combination of both "form and function" of the language. Betty Azar's book, Fundamentals of the English Language, provides the "form" practice that students need to master these structures that carry meaning. After the students do the drill practices in Azar's book, I provide my own extension exercises which allow students to integrate these structures into their every day speech (function).

I have discovered that language at the intermediate level starts to move into the realm of the intangible, which means acquiring language is no longer easy to extrapolate from mere deduction. Language acquisition that comes from the deductive process at this and more advanced levels is often highly inaccurate in both form and meaning as students erroneously try to transform it back into what is familiar to them. Consequently, achieving accuracy becomes a very time-consuming endeavor which is difficult to manage in a large classroom. Given the time constraints on language learning and the increasing demand for understanding and communicating technical information, these "academic" structures are essential for acquiring language that is concise and unadulterated.

To enhance comprehension, I always do my own presentation of the material with my own examples and demonstrations before I ask the students to look at Azar's seemingly "academic" explanation. The oral and written drill practices contained in the book allow students to stay focused on accuracy so they can achieve mastery when they are asked to produce language of their own utilizing these targeted structures. If it is only conversational language that one wants to learn or to teach, sure, try some other book.

There is, however, another reason to teach students grammar structures: grammar tests are one mode the educational institutions use to screen students from higher education. Most, if not all, of the standardized tests given as prerequisites for college study are focused on grammar. (It's what they erroneously call "writing".) I feel to deny a motivated student mastery of the language at that level is denying them the tools they need for achieving success in our present system. Betty Azar's Fundamentals of English Grammar presents these structures in a very organized fashion, and my students who learn the material do very well on these tests and are able to continue with their educational goals.