Date:  Fri, 11 Feb 1994 10:18:50 CST

From:  Dennis Baron <debaron[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UIUC.EDU>

Subject: Re: An English Grammar Text



In Message Thu, 10 Feb 1994 18:50:12 -0600, mftcf[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UXA.ECN.BGU.EDU writes:



>I would like some help on a textbook problem. This summer I get to teach

>(we only get a shot about once every five years) and I need the money so

>I said OK. The course is English grammar, which I havent taught in five

>years or so. The corse is for teacher ed. majors, the book should be as

>practical

>and non-theoretical -- non-technical, please!!!!!! these kids scare easy --

>as possible. I prefer one with lots of good exercises. The kids are

>expected to know the basic structure of English, parts of speech, etc.

>In short, something like enlightened traditional grammar. The book I

>used to use -- THE SCOPE OF GRAMMAR -- is, I think, surely out of print.

>Any suggestions?

>

>Tim Frazer



Tim--



I sympathize with your plight. There is no satisfactory book, at least

I've found none. When I teach our grammar course I use a combination of

materials. Last time I used Finegan and Besnier's intro linguistics

text together with a xerox packet of essays, exercises. I teach what

I think they need, not what they want. And what I think they need is

really a whole language approach to grammar. SO while we spend the

mandatory week on phonetics and phonology, and another couple on syntax,

I devote most of the course to language attitudes, usage controversies,

variation and change, language and gender, literary style, slang, all the

fun stuff, and I show them how they can make language an interesting

subect in and of itself for the students they will be teaching.



Other folks, of course, just use Martha Kolln or Mark Lester's books.

But I just don't like them, and can barely stay awake using them.



Dennis

--

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