AJ2203 Grammar A

Faculty of Education
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Renata Jančaříková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Christopher Williams, M.A., Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Renata Jančaříková, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Timetable of Seminar Groups
AJ2203/01: Mon 8:00–9:50 učebna 62, R. Jančaříková
AJ2203/02: Mon 12:00–13:50 učebna 5, R. Jančaříková
AJ2203/03: Thu 13:00–14:50 učebna 10, R. Jančaříková
AJ2203/04: Mon 10:00–11:50 učebna 53, Ch. Williams
AJ2203/05: Mon 12:00–13:50 učebna 64, Ch. Williams
AJ2203/06: Mon 8:00–9:50 učebna 53, Ch. Williams
Prerequisites
B2 level and higher.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
'Grammar A' course is designed for the 1st year students and as such it consolidates and develops the students' knowledge of English grammar. The entry level is expected to be at least B2. As it is the first grammar course in the programme, the aim is also to help students adapt to a university style of teaching.
The main objective of the course is to consolidate and further develop the students' knowledge of grammar by presenting grammar as a system whose elements are interconnected and influence each other. Grammar is studied as a complex whole with a focus on functions and meanings and mutual comparison of grammar features that help students understand the grammar system as such. The course also includes basic linguistic terminology, the knowledge of which is essential for the students' independent work with the course materials and recommended sources as well as their future studies (courses in English syntax mainly). Students will be able to (SWBAT) compare sentences in terms of grammar and meaning, as well as compare Czech and English grammar where such comparison is noteworthy; SWBAT correct mistakes in sentences and explain their corrections; SWBAT provide explanations and examples of their own to illustrate the grammar points discussed; SWBAT analyze stretches of language and justify choices of structures, tenses, articles, etc., and identify the speaker's attitudes and intentions.
PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS: This course raises students’ awareness of similarities and differences between English and their native language/mother tongue and thus enables them to identify potentially problematic areas for their future learners.
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to: - analyse a simple sentence (function vs. form, i.e. sentence elements vs. phrases);
- distinguish between types of verb (transitive, intransitive, linking) and use them in sentences to show understanding of the individual types and their complementation;
- understand the difference between finite and non-finite forms and clauses and use them in context and supply their own examples;
- use English tenses in context and understand differences between tenses, i.e. simple vs. continuous, perfect tenses;
- identify and explain the verbal categories of tense, voice, mood and aspect with a focus on the differences in form and meaning;
PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS: This course will increase students' independence so that in the future they will be able to identify errors in their students' language and provide appropriate and sufficiently illustrative examples of various grammatical phenomena.
Syllabus
  • 1. Basic syntactic terminology: sentence and sentence structure; sentence elements; types of phrase (e.g. noun phrase and verb phrase); types of verbs (transitive, intransitive, linking); sentence vs. clause; simple vs. multiple sentence
  • 2. General linguistic terminology: markedness; types of reference (generic vs. specific); open vs. closed word classes (including new words in English; pro-forms; ellipsis
  • 3. Main verbs - finite vs. non-finite forms, verb phrases and clauses; spelling changes; irregular verbs; verb phrase structure
  • 4. Primary auxiliaries - be, do and have, and their uses and functions; have sth done
  • 5. Modal auxiliaries - marginal modal auxiliaries (dare, need, used to, would for past habits); modal idioms; semi-auxiliaries (modality in detail is covered in syntax courses)
  • 6. Passive - structure and meaning, comparison with the passive in Czech; reasons for using the passive; agent
  • 7. Reported speech - sequence of tenses, reporting verbs, reported questions, word order
  • 8. Present tenses - present simple vs. present continuous; tense vs. time (present tense with past reference)
  • 9. Past tenses - past simple vs. past continuous; used to vs. would
  • 10. Present perfect and past perfect - simple and continuous and comparison with the past simple and past cont. (discussed previously)
  • 11. Expressing future - structures used to express the future in English
Literature
    required literature
  • BIBER, Douglas, Susan CONRAD and Geoffrey N. LEECH. Longman student grammar of spoken and written English. First published. Harlow: Longman, 2002, vii, 487. ISBN 9780582237278. info
  • YULE, George. Oxford practice grammar : with answers. Updated edition first publis. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, vii, 274. ISBN 9780194214766. info
  • YULE, George. Oxford practice grammar : supplementary exercises with answers. First published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, v, 132. ISBN 9780194579872. info
    recommended literature
  • GREENBAUM, Sidney and Randolph QUIRK. A student's grammar of the English language. First published. Harlow: Longman, 1990, 490 stran. ISBN 0582059712. info
  • CHALKER, Sylvia. A student's English grammar : workbook. First published. Harlow: Longman, 1992, 186 stran. ISBN 0582088194. info
  • SWAN, Michael. Practical English usage. Fourth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, xxx, 635. ISBN 9780194202435. info
  • ALEXANDER, L. G. Longman English grammar. Edited by R. A. Close. London: Longman, 1988, x, 374. ISBN 0582558921. info
  • DUŠKOVÁ, Libuše. Mluvnice současné angličtiny na pozadí češtiny. 3. vyd. Praha: Academia, 2003, 673 s. ISBN 8020010734. info
  • HEWINGS, Martin. Advanced grammar in use with answers : a self-study reference and practice book for advanced learners of English. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, ix, 340. ISBN 0521498694. info
  • SPARLING, Thomas Donaldson, Simona KALOVÁ and Chris RANCE. English or Czenglish. Avoiding Czechism in English. 1st ed. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2021, 319 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-9965-4. info
  • SIDE, Richard and Guy WELLMAN. Grammar and vocabulary for Cambridge advanced and proficiency : fully updated for the revised CPE. Harlow: Longman, 2002, 288 s. ISBN 0582518210. info
  • Crystal, David. 50 Questions about English usage. Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers. Cambridge University Press, 2021. 112 s. ISBN 9781108959186
  • HUGHES, John and Ceri JONES. Practical grammar. Andover: Heinle Cengage Learning, 2011, 288 stran. ISBN 9781424018079. info
Teaching methods
homework, self-study, class discussions, pair work, group work, online forums
Assessment methods
Upon successful completion of the course, you will earn 2 ECTS credits. Each ECTS credit represents 25 to 30 hours of work. In the seminars, full-time students are expected to spend 16 hours, while the remaining 34–44 hours are allocated for self-study.


Requirements in detail: 1. ATTENDANCE - compulsory, one unexcused absence is acceptable, all other absences have to be duly recorded in the IS
2. HOMEWORK/ SELF-STUDY/ CLASS PARTICIPATION- the work in class is based on the materials that the students are required to study before the seminars. SELF-STUDY is mandatory, expected and necessary for successful completion of the course.
3. ONLINE QUIZZES in the Moodle course (11 quizzes, 1 per topic)
4. 2 PROGRESS TESTS
5. FINAL WRITTEN TEST taken in the exam period (pass mark: 70%)
Students are required to work regularly in the moodle course using the study and practice materials provided
Methods of assessment: progress tests, online quizzes, final test, online discussions
For more info and cont. assessment details, see the moodle course.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=2774

More details on the plan, requirements and aims, and a large number of study and practice materials including online quizzes are provided in the moodle course.

AI: In the course, the use of AI is permitted for learning but not for cheating.It is acceptable to use AI for brainstorming ideas, basic proofreading, and suggestions for improvement. It is unacceptable to have a text generated, translated or reformulated. Remember to acknowledge all innovative ideas that are not yours. For generated ideas, use in-text citations. At the end of each assignment, state how you worked/did not work with AI. When in doubt, consult your teacher.

The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023.
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