English Grammar

What is prescriptive grammar and how does it differ from descriptive grammar? Do people use English in the same manner in all communicative contexts? Should schools teach Standard American English or dialects spoken by the majority of students? You'll form your own opinions after studying this module.

2 8/23 (wk 2, T)

Syllabus Quiz (in class)

Introduction to Grammar (Ch. 1)

1.1 Defining grammar

1.2 Tacit vs. focal grammar

1.3 Prescriptive vs. descriptive grammar

1.4 Grammar vs. usage

1.5 Practice

3 8/25 (wk 2,Th)

Varieties of English (Ch. 2)

2.1 Standard English

2.2 Two major sources of variations in language

2.3 Diachronic variations (historical variations)

2.4 Synchronic variations (regional & social dialects)

2.5 Which variety to teach

2.6 The Grammar Debate

2.7 Unit assessment (Quiz 1)

MODULE 2️⃣: MORPHOLOGY (Ch. 3)

How can we define words in written and spoken English? Are words the smallest meaningful unit in language? Do the '-s' ending in flowers and walks mean the same? You'll be able to break down words into the smallest meaningful units (i.e., morphemes) after completing this module.

4 8/30 (wk 3, T)

3.1 Levels of linguistic analysis

3.2 Beyond sentences: Discourse analysis (optional)

3.3 What are words

3.4 Words and morphemes

3.5 Derivational morphemes

3.6 Inflectional morphemes

3.7 Morphemes: summary

5 9/1 (wk 3, Th)

3.8 Other word formation processes

3.9 Fun facts about English words

3.10 Unit assessment (Quiz 2; Grammar Scrapbook #2)

MODULE 3️⃣: WORD CLASSES (Parts of Speech/POS) (Ch. 4-6)

What kind of words do we need to convey an idea in speaking or writing? What words classes does a simple sentence like "Dogs bark" contain? You'll gain a deeper understanding of word classes in this module.

6 9/6 (wk 4, T)

4.1 Word Classes: Introduction

4.2 The Open-class Words

4.2.1 Nouns (Quiz 3; Grammar Scrapbook #3)

7 9/08 (wk 4, Th)

4.2.2 Lexical Verbs (Quiz 4, Self-assessment #1; Grammar Scrapbook #4)

8 9/13 (wk 5, T)

4.2.3 Adjectives (Quiz 5; ; Grammar Scrapbook #5)

9 9/15 (wk 5, Th)

4.2.4 Adverbs

4.2.5 Interjections (Quiz 6; Grammar Scrapbook #6)

10 9/20 (wk 6,T)

4.3 The Closed-class Words

4.3.1 Determiners (Quiz 7)

11 9/22 (wk 6, Th)

4.3.2 Pronouns (Quiz 8)

12 9/27 (wk 7, T)

4.3.3 Prepositions (Quiz 9)

13 9/29 (wk 7, Th )

4.3.4 Conjunctions (Quiz 10; Grammar Scrapbook #7)

4.3.5 Auxiliary Verbs

4.4 Unit Summary

MODULE 4️⃣: PHRASES (Ch. 7)

When speaking or writing, we do not use single words often. Instead, we combine words into phrases and phrases into clauses. Depending on the its core word, a phrase can be an NP, VP, PP, AdjP, or AdvP. A basic sentence contains an NP and a VP.

14 10/4 (wk8, T)

5.0 Phrases: Introduction (self-assessment #2, due on 2/28)

15 10/06 (wk 8, Th)

5.1 Noun phrases (NP): Form

16 10/11 (wk9, T)

5.1 Noun phrases (NP): Function (Quiz 11, Mid-course reflection; ; Grammar Scrapbook #8)

Fall Break (10/12-10/14, no classes)

17 10 /18 (wk10, T)

5.2. Verb Phrases (VP): Intro (Quiz 12)

18 10/20 (wk 10, Th)

5.2.1 Verb Phrases (VP): Tense & Aspect (Quiz 13)

19 10/25 (wk 11 , T)

5.2.2 Verb Phrases (VP): Voice

20 10/27 (wk 11 Th)

5.2.3 Verb Phrases (VP): Mood (Quiz 14; ; Grammar Scrapbook #9)

21 11/1 (wk 12, T)

5.3 Adjective Phrases (AdjP)

5.4 Adverb Phrases (AdvP)

5.5 Prepositional phrases (PP)

5.6 Phrases: Review

5.7 Unit assessment (Quiz 15, Self-assessment #3)

MODULE 5️⃣: CLAUSES & SENTENCES (Ch. 8-12)

When an NP and a VP meet, a clause (an complete idea) is born (e.g.,"Dogs bark."). In real life, we often need to communicate complex ideas. What kind of sentences and clauses can we construct to achieve this purpose? The last module addresses this question.

22 11/03 (wk12,T)

6.1 Sentences, clauses, vs. phrases

11/08 General Election Day (No Classes)

23 11/10 (wk 13, Th)

6.2 Basic Clause Patterns: Copular, Intransitive, & Transitive

24 11/15 (wk14, T)

6.2 Basic Clause Patterns: cont'd (Quiz 16)

25 11/17 (wk14, Th)

6.3. Finite vs. Nonfinite Clauses

6.3.1 Finite dependent clauses

6.3.1.1 Relative/Adjectival clauses (Quiz 17)

26 11/22 (wk15, T)