So many slighting remarks have been made of late on the use of teaching grammar as compared with teaching science, that it is plain the fact has been lost sight of that grammar is itself a science. The object we have, or should have, in teaching science, is not to fill a child's mind with a vast number of facts that may or may not prove useful to him hereafter, but to draw out and exercise his powers of observation, and to show him how to make use of what he observes... And here the teacher of grammar has a great advantage over the teacher of other sciences, in that the facts he has to call attention to lie ready at hand for every pupil to observe without the use of apparatus of any kind while the use of them also lies within the personal experience of every one.
The Teacher's Grammar Book
The Teacher's Grammar Book, Second Edition introduces the
various grammars that inform writing instruction in our schools, and
examines methods, strategies, and techniques that constitute best
classroom practices for teaching grammar and writing. Designed for
students who are preparing to become English or language arts teachers,
as well as for credentialed teachers who want an easy-to-use guide to
questions of methods, grammar, and teaching, this overview of basic
English grammar includes the following major topics: a brief history of
grammar, teaching grammar, grammar and writing, traditional grammar,
transformational-generative grammar, cognitive grammar, dialects, black
English, and Chicano English. New in the reorganized and fully updated Second Edition:
*new chapter giving a brief history of grammar and grammar instruction;
*new chapter on best practices--strategies and techniques that actually work;
*expanded chapter on cognitive grammar--a topic not found in other texts of this nature;
*expanded chapter on dialects;
*summary
and evaluation of the minimalist program (Noam Chomsky's most recent
revision of transformational-generative grammar)--a topic unique among
texts of this kind; and
*reduced discussion of transformational grammar.
This book argues that language is a network of concepts which in turn is part of the general cognitive network of the mind. It challenges the widely-held view that language is an innate mental module with its own special internal organization. It shows that language has the same internal organization as other areas of knowledge such as social relations and action schemas, and reveals the rich links between linguistic elements and contextual categories. Professor Hudson presents a new theory of how we learn and use our knowledge of language. He puts this to work in a series of extended explorations of morphology, syntax, semantics, and sociolinguistics. Every step of his argument and exposition is illustrated with examples, including the kind mainstream theory finds it hard to analyse. He introduces the latest version of his influential theory of Word Grammar and shows how it can be used to explain the operations of language and as a key to understanding the associated operations of the mind.
To make grasping grammar easier and more fun, Just Enough English Grammar
uses colorful cartoons illustrate eachimportant grammar point. You see
the grammar concept in action, guaranteeing you will remember it next
time you need to use it in writing or in conversation. Learning grammar
has never been so easy!
A part of OXFORD publication "Oxford Learner's Grammar" - The Grammar Checker CD-ROM contains a fully searchable electronic index and hints for the learner and many more.
