Chapter 9: The Grammar Debate
📖 PSTET English Language - Paper I & II
🎯 Chapter Overview
Welcome to one of the most intellectually engaging chapters in your PSTET preparation! The role of grammar in language teaching has been hotly contested for decades, with passionate advocates on both sides. As a future teacher, understanding this debate is crucial—not just for passing the exam, but for making informed decisions in your classroom.
In this comprehensive chapter, you will learn:
✅ The historical shift in grammar teaching—from central pillar to questioned practice
✅ Arguments FOR explicit grammar teaching: Why many educators believe rules matter
✅ Arguments AGAINST explicit grammar teaching: Why some argue grammar should be "caught, not taught"
✅ A critical perspective: Moving beyond the debate to find a balanced approach
✅ Grammar in communication: How to teach grammar as a meaning-making resource, not a set of rigid rules
✅ Practical classroom strategies: Activities that integrate grammar with authentic communication
💡 PSTET Connection: The syllabus explicitly mentions "Critical Perspective on the role of grammar in learning a language for communicating ideas verbally or in written form" . This chapter directly addresses this topic, which forms a key part of the pedagogy section.
⚖️ 9.1 A Critical Perspective on the Role of Grammar: Arguments For and Against
🔑 The Historical Context
To understand the current debate, we must first understand how grammar teaching has evolved over time.
| Period | Approach to Grammar | Key Characteristics |
|:---:|::---|:---|
| Pre-20th Century | Central to curriculum | Grammar-Translation Method; Latin-based grammar; memorization of rules |
| Early-Mid 20th Century | Routinely accepted | Grammar as a core component of L1 curriculum; structural syllabuses |
| 1960s-1970s | Rejection begins | Growing criticism; grammar seen as irrelevant to language learning |
| 1980s-1990s | Communicative turn | Move away from explicit teaching; focus on communication, not rules |
| 2000s-Present | Re-examination | Recognition that grammar matters, but questions of how and what remain |
In Anglophone countries particularly, there was a historical shift from routine acceptance that explicit grammar teaching is essential to one which rejected grammar on the grounds of its irrelevance to the process of language learning . This shift was paralleled in second language teaching with the move away from grammar-translation approaches to communicative language teaching, where learners acquire grammatical competence through using language in communicative contexts rather than through explicit teaching .
✅ Arguments FOR Explicit Grammar Teaching
Proponents of explicit grammar instruction argue that teaching grammar directly and systematically is essential for language development. Let's examine their key arguments:
Argument 1: The Sentence Machine Argument
| Aspect | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Core Claim | Without explicit grammar teaching, learners "item learn"—they establish one-to-one relationships with individual words, phrases, or sounds |
| The Problem | Students have limited capacity to retain and retrieve information |
| The Solution | Explicit grammar rules allow learners to generate limitless new sentences from finite rules |
| Analogy | Learning grammar rules is like learning mathematical formulas—once you know the formula, you can solve countless problems |
This argument, articulated by Thornbury (1999), suggests that without knowledge of underlying rules, learners cannot generate novel sentences—they can only repeat what they have memorized .
Argument 2: Accuracy and Clarity
| Aspect | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Core Claim | Grammar ensures precise communication of meaning |
| Example | "I saw a man on a hill with a telescope" vs. "With a telescope, I saw a man on a hill"—grammar clarifies relationships |
| Classroom Implication | Explicit teaching helps students avoid ambiguity and express themselves clearly |
Argument 3: Preventing Fossilization
Argument 4: The "Cultural Perspective"
Argument 5: Metalanguage and Reasoning
📌 Linguistic Metaconcepts: These are "higher order concepts that facilitate the understanding or categorisation of the lower order concepts they thematically organise" . For example, understanding the metaconcept of agreement helps learners grasp various specific concepts like subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, etc.
❌ Arguments AGAINST Explicit Grammar Teaching
Critics of explicit grammar instruction raise compelling counter-arguments. Let's examine their position:
Argument 1: Krashen's Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
Krashen (1981, 1982, 1985) has consistently argued that grammatical competence develops naturally through comprehensible input, not through formal instruction .
Argument 2: The Communicative Competence Argument
Argument 3: The Lexical Chunks Argument
Argument 4: Irrelevance to Learning Process
Argument 5: Decontextualized and Boring
| Aspect | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Core Claim | Traditional grammar teaching is dry, rule-bound, and demotivating |
| The Problem | Drills and exercises that privilege grammatical identification and labelling do not engage learners |
| Result | Students develop negative attitudes toward language learning |
📊 The Debate at a Glance: For vs. Against
| Aspect | FOR Explicit Teaching | AGAINST Explicit Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| Theorists | Thornbury, Van Rijt | Krashen |
| View of Language | A rule-governed system | A natural, organic phenomenon |
| View of Learning | Conscious understanding aids use | Subconscious acquisition is key |
| Classroom Focus | Explanation, practice, correction | Input, interaction, communication |
| Key Benefit | Generativity, accuracy, reasoning | Fluency, naturalness, motivation |
| Key Drawback | May not transfer to use | May lead to fossilized errors |
🔍 Beyond the Binary: A Critical Perspective
The debate is often presented as an "either-or" choice, but thoughtful educators recognize that reality is more complex. Consider these nuances:
Distinction 1: Form-Focused vs. Function-Focused Teaching
| Approach | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Form-Focused | Teaching grammatical structures for their own sake | "Today we will learn the present perfect tense: have/has + past participle" |
| Function-Focused | Teaching grammatical structures as they serve communicative purposes | "Today we will learn how to talk about life experiences" (using present perfect) |
Distinction 2: Traditional Teaching vs. Traditional Grammar
Van Rijt teases out this important distinction :
| Concept | Focus | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Teaching | How grammar is taught | Methods: drills, memorization, labelling |
| Traditional Grammar | What grammar is taught | Content: parts of speech, sentence types |
The implication: We might reject traditional teaching methods while still valuing grammatical knowledge—presented differently.
Distinction 3: Instrumentalist vs. Cultural Perspective
| Perspective | View | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Instrumentalist | Grammar should be taught only if it serves literacy or competence | Pragmatic, outcome-focused |
| Cultural | Grammatical knowledge is valuable in its own right | Educational, humanistic |
The Research Gap
Van Rijt notes that the extensive literature debating grammar teaching has tended to focus on why grammar might be taught—the pedagogical rationales. The lacuna (gap) in research lies in studies examining the cognitive conceptual learning of grammar itself—how learners actually develop understanding .
A Balanced Conclusion
✅ PSTET Insight: The syllabus asks for a "critical perspective"—this means recognizing the validity of both viewpoints and understanding that effective teaching lies in thoughtful integration, not ideological purity.
💬 9.2 Grammar in Communication: Teaching Grammar as a Tool for Ideas
🔑 Reimagining Grammar: From Rules to Resource
The key insight of modern language pedagogy is that grammar is not an end in itself but a resource for making meaning . This perspective, grounded in the work of linguist Michael Halliday, views grammar as:
| Traditional View | Communicative View |
|---|---|
| Grammar is a set of rigid rules | Grammar is a flexible resource |
| Rules must be memorized | Patterns are understood in context |
| Correctness is the goal | Effective communication is the goal |
| Grammar is separate from meaning | Grammar creates meaning |
| Learn rules, then apply | Discover patterns through use |
📚 Grammar as a Meaning-Making Resource
When we teach grammar communicatively, we help students understand that grammatical choices shape meaning.
Example: Active vs. Passive Voice
| Sentence | Focus | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| "The government announced new policies yesterday." | Active: who performed the action | Focus on the doer (government) |
| "New policies were announced yesterday." | Passive: the action itself | Focus on the event; doer is less important or unknown |
Teaching Question: Instead of "Change this sentence to passive voice," ask "Why might a writer choose the passive voice here?"
🎯 Principles of Teaching Grammar Communicatively
Principle 1: Grammar in Context
Instead of: A decontextualized worksheet on past tense
Do This: Read a story about someone's holiday; discuss what they did; students share their own holiday experiences
Principle 2: Discourse-Based Grammar
Principle 3: Grammar as Choice
Principle 4: Discovery Learning
Principle 5: Integration with Skills
🏫 Practical Strategies for Teaching Grammar Communicatively
Strategy 1: Use Authentic Materials
Strategy 2: Contextualized Grammar Tasks
Strategy 3: Project-Based Learning
Strategy 4: Role-Play and Drama
Strategy 5: Total Physical Response (TPR) Plus
Strategy 6: Text-Driven Approaches
Strategy 7: Metatalk and Collaborative Exploration
📋 A Communicative Grammar Lesson: Example
Topic: Describing past experiences (Present Perfect tense)
| Stage | Activity | Grammar Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Context Setting | Teacher shows pictures of interesting places and shares: "I have visited Agra. I have never been to Kashmir." | Meaning: life experiences |
| 2. Noticing | Students read short profiles of people and underline sentences about their experiences | Form: have/has + past participle |
| 3. Guided Discovery | In groups, students answer: "What pattern do you notice? When do we use 'have' vs. 'has'?" | Rule formulation |
| 4. Controlled Practice | Students complete sentences about their own experiences using prompts | Accuracy practice |
| 5. Communicative Task | "Find someone who..."—students mingle asking and answering questions to complete a survey | Fluency and personalization |
| 6. Reflection | Class discusses: "What interesting things did you discover about your classmates?" | Meaning focus |
📊 Comparison: Traditional vs. Communicative Grammar Teaching
| Aspect | Traditional Approach | Communicative Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Point | The rule | The context |
| Sequence | Explain rule → Practice → (Maybe) use | Experience language → Notice pattern → Understand rule → Practice → Use |
| Focus | Form and accuracy | Meaning and appropriateness |
| Error Treatment | Immediate correction | Selective; focus on errors that impede meaning |
| Texts | Specially written, simplified | Authentic or adapted authentic |
| Student Role | Receptive, practice | Active, discovery-oriented |
| Teacher Role | Explainer, corrector | Facilitator, guide |
📝 Practical Classroom Activities
Activity 1: Grammar in Stories
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Procedure | Read a short story; students identify all past tense verbs; discuss why past tense is used for storytelling |
| Variation | Students change a story from past to present and discuss how the effect changes |
Activity 2: Sentence Combining
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Procedure | Give students short, simple sentences; ask them to combine them into more complex sentences using conjunctions |
| Focus | Relative clauses, coordination, subordination |
| Extension | Discuss which combinations work best for different purposes |
Activity 3: Grammar Through Songs
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Procedure | Use a song lyrics gap-fill; students listen and complete; discuss grammatical patterns in the lyrics |
| Example | Songs with conditionals ("If I were a boy..."), past tense narratives, etc. |
Activity 4: Error Analysis
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Procedure | Provide sentences with errors (from anonymous student work); students identify and correct errors; discuss why the errors occurred |
| Benefit | Develops editing skills and grammatical awareness |
Activity 5: Grammar Games
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Procedure | Use games that require grammatical accuracy for success |
| Examples | Sentence auction (students bid on grammatically correct sentences), grammar board games, "20 Questions" (question formation) |
📝 Chapter Summary: Quick Reference Guide
🔑 Key Terms for PSTET
📊 The Debate Summary
| Position | Key Arguments | Key Theorists |
|---|---|---|
| FOR Explicit Teaching | Sentence machine argument; accuracy; prevents fossilization; cultural value; metalinguistic awareness | Thornbury, Van Rijt |
| AGAINST Explicit Teaching | Krashen's hypothesis; communicative competence; lexical chunks; irrelevance to use | Krashen |
💡 The Balanced View
📚 Practice Questions
Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. According to Krashen, learners do not internalize grammatical items that are:
a) Used in communication
b) Presented formally
c) Part of their L1
d) Simple in structure
Q2. The "sentence machine argument" for teaching grammar states that:
a) Grammar rules are unnecessary
b) Without explicit rules, learners cannot generate new sentences
c) Machines can teach grammar better than teachers
d) Sentences are learned as whole chunks
Answer: b) Without explicit rules, learners cannot generate new sentences
Q3. Van Rijt's research on linguistic metaconcepts found that:
a) Metaconcepts confuse students
b) Understanding metaconcepts supports grammatical reasoning
c) Traditional grammar is always better
d) Grammar should not be taught at all
Answer: b) Understanding metaconcepts supports grammatical reasoning
Q4. The "lexical chunks argument" suggests that:
a) Grammar rules are the most important
b) Language is acquired through whole phrases, not assembled word-by-word
c) Vocabulary is less important than grammar
d) Chunks should be memorized without understanding
Answer: b) Language is acquired through whole phrases, not assembled word-by-word
Q5. Teaching grammar as a "meaning-making resource" means:
a) Grammar rules are not important
b) Grammar is a tool for creating and shaping meaning in communication
c) Students should memorize all rules
d) Grammar is separate from meaning
Answer: b) Grammar is a tool for creating and shaping meaning in communication
Short Answer Questions
Q6. Differentiate between "traditional teaching" and "traditional grammar" as distinguished by Van Rijt.
Suggested answer: Van Rijt distinguishes between traditional teaching, which concerns how grammar is taught (methods like drills, memorization, and labelling), and traditional grammar, which concerns what grammar is taught (content like parts of speech and sentence types). This distinction allows us to reject ineffective teaching methods while still valuing grammatical knowledge presented differently .
Q7. Describe two practical strategies for teaching grammar communicatively.
Suggested answer:
Using authentic materials: Bring real texts like newspaper articles, stories, or songs into the classroom. Have students notice grammatical patterns in these authentic contexts rather than studying rules in isolation .
Project-based learning: Design extended projects that naturally require various grammatical structures. For example, creating a class magazine requires descriptive, instructional, and persuasive writing, giving students authentic reasons to use different grammatical forms .
Q8. What is the "instrumentalist view" of grammar teaching, and how does it differ from the "cultural perspective"?
Suggested answer: The instrumentalist view holds that grammar should only be taught if it serves the practical purpose of becoming more literate or linguistically competent. The cultural perspective, in contrast, values grammatical knowledge as worthwhile in its own right, regardless of its immediate practical application. The instrumentalist view asks "Is this useful?" while the cultural perspective asks "Is this valuable knowledge?" .
🌟 Final Words of Encouragement
Dear future teacher,
The grammar debate is not something to be "solved" but something to be understood and navigated. As you step into your classroom, you will face this question daily: How much grammar? Which grammar? Taught how?
Remember these key insights:
✅ Both sides have valid points—thoughtful teaching draws from both traditions
✅ Context determines approach—what works for one structure, one class, one moment may not work for another
✅ Meaning is the goal—grammar serves communication, not the other way around
✅ Your students are your guide—observe what they need and respond accordingly
The question is not "Should I teach grammar?" but "How can I help my students use grammar to express their ideas with clarity and power?"
Your success mantra:
"I teach grammar not as a set of rules to be memorized, but as a toolkit for making meaning. I help my students discover that grammar is their friend, not their enemy."
📖 Preview of Chapter 10
In Chapter 10, we'll explore The Language Learner and the Classroom—understanding the challenges of teaching in diverse classrooms, language difficulties and disorders, and how children use language as a tool for learning and interaction.
📘 Proceed to Chapter 10: The Language Learner and the Classroom
📚 References
PSTET Official Syllabus, Punjab School Education Board
Krashen, S. (1981, 1982, 1985). Second Language Acquisition Theory
Myhill, D. (2022). Review of Van Rijt: Understanding Grammar. Applied Linguistics
Myhill, D. (2018). Grammar as a meaning-making resource. *L1-Educational Studies*
Tomlinson, B. (2024). Grammar in Use. In Practical Grammar Teaching
Van Rijt, J. (2020). Understanding Grammar: The Impact of Linguistic Metaconcepts
