Grammar Necessary or not

[Suthipong]

Someone suggested me to throw away grammar books and study English without paying attention to grammar rules. Do you agree with that ?

 

[Rover_KE]

No.

 

[Munch]

To expand on what Rover said, it is not a good idea. Native speakers pick up on grammar patterns because they are immersed in the language when they are young. For almost all non-native speakers, it is best to learn some of the rules of English grammar.

However, the more you read, write, speak and listen to English, the more you will improve. Also, don't be afraid to speak English if you are not sure about the correct grammar or vocabulary. It is better to try but make a mistake than to never try at all.

All grammar = bad
No grammar = bad

 

[TheParser]

Someone suggested me to throw away grammar books and study English without paying attention to grammar rules. Do you agree with that ?

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) I believe that you should study all the grammar books possible and

always try to speak and write standard English.

(2) When you speak or write badly, people lose respect for you and for

what you are saying. For example, I read that President Wilson (our 28th

president) used to say things like "He don't like me," but he was

always sure to say "He doesn't like me" when in public!!! He did not want

people to lose respect for him or to set a bad example for children. (P. S.

I understand that "He don't like me" was considered "good" English during

the earlier part of the 19th century. Teachers were finally able to stop

this practice.)

(3) Of course, sometimes it is not "socially acceptable" to

speak "correct" English.

(a) For example, here in the United States, few men would ever say

"It is I." That might sound like a "sissy." So everyone says:

"It is me."

But you should know why "It is I" is correct. And the only way to know the

reason is to study the rules. (By the way, it is "good" English to

occasionally start a sentence with "but" or "and.")

 

[birdeen's call]

I agree. Learn grammar or you'll always have problems communicating in English.

 

[Tullia]

Someone suggested me to throw away grammar books and study English without paying attention to grammar rules. Do you agree with that ?

books for grammar someone I suggest away through english to study pay rules attention not for grammar agreeing you that with?


Sometimes, grammar is very important


However, I agree with the above poster: grammar should not be the only focus. It's all about finding the right balance - learning the rules correctly without inhibiting confidence, and encouraging students to use the language without being afraid of all their mistakes all the time.

 

[Raymott]

Someone suggested me to throw away grammar books and study English without paying attention to grammar rules. Do you agree with that ?

You will have realised from your recent thread on how to use "been" that there are two ways to understand or communicate this.
1) Understand that "been" is the past participle of "be", with all the usual implications of that fact. (Grammar)
2) Make an exhaustive list, say 100 examples, of how "been" can be used and hope that a pattern will emerge. (Learning by induction).

There's a role for both. Children learn their first language largely by method 2, but I agree with everyone else that 1. is also necessary for adults who want more than a phrase-book command of a language.

 

[farhanishak]

Someone suggested me to throw away grammar books and study English without paying attention to grammar rules. Do you agree with that ?

I disagree. I am not a native English speaker and having paid attention to the grammar rules has helped me better my English language proficiency.

 

[Abstract Idea]

----- Not an ESL teacher -----

Someone suggested me to throw away grammar books and study English without paying attention to grammar rules. Do you agree with that ?

Let me respectfully slightly disagree with the posters above.
We are all suspect to answer your question, because we all love grammar.

Personally whenever I study a foreign language I would like to focus on its grammar.
When I am learning a foreign language I really want to fully learn its grammar, not only because of its own beauty but also because it helps my learning task.

But I understand that this varies from individuals to individuals. There are people who may learn better without focusing on grammar. It depends on the style, abilities and goals of the learner. Are you having serious problems with grammar while studying ESL? Maybe you should give a try to different teaching methods with less grammar stuff. The bottom line, depending on the learner, some teaching methods relying minimally in grammar may present better results.

This is a personal opinion.

 

[lauralie2]

Someone suggested me to throw away grammar books and study English without paying attention to grammar rules. Do you agree with that?

If it means stop using the books as a crutch, then, yes, I agree. Using the language, as opposed to dissecting the language, will bring you much more closer to your goal.

Like anything in life, though, moderation is the key. Grammar is good, but it's not what's going to get you speaking. You'll need confidence to do that. So, get out there and use the language ... without your book.

The quickest way to learn anything is in making mistakes (We sure do learn fast when that happens). Books, on the other hand, well, we have all the time in the world to get it right, make it perfect, read, re-read, and do it again;but use that knowledge? Yeah, ahem. We're so busy trying to remember the grammar that we never really get to say what it is we want to say because we are so focused on the grammar and getting it right, not on the act of communicating, on saying what we want to say in a way that reflects who we are and what we believe.

Be like NIKE (the New International Kind of English), Just Say it! ... then check with your book, if you have to.

 

[BobK]

The question 'Grammar Necessary or not' doesn't make any sense unless the reader supplies a bit of grammatical underpinning. Don't get hung up on grammar but it's impossible to be a successful user of language without it. Don't throw the baby [grammar - the essential structure of language] out with the bathwater [the sometimes irksome impedimenta that often get referred to as 'grammar'].

b