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精选优质文档-倾情为你奉上An impressive English lesson1If I am the only parent who still corrects his childs English, then perhaps my son is right.To him, I am atediousoddity: a father he isobligedto listen to and a manabsorbedin the rules of grammar, which my son seemsallergicto.2I think I got serious about this only recently when I ran into one of my former students, fresh from anexcursionto Europe.How was it? I asked, full ofearnestanticipation.3She nodded three or four times, searched the heavens for the right words, and thenexclaimed, It was, like,whoa!4And that was it.Thecivilizationof Greece and the glory of Romanarchitecturewerecapturedin acondensednon-statement.My students whoa! wasexceededonly by my head-shakingdistress.5There are many different stories about the downturn in the proper use of English.Surely students should be able todistinguishbetweentheir/there/theyreor thedistinctivedifference betweencomplimentaryandcomplementary.They unfairly bear thebulkof thecriticismfor these knowledgedeficitsbecause there is a sense that they should know better.6Students are notdumb, but they are being misled everywhere they look and listen.For example, signs ingrocerystores point them to thestationary, even though the actualstationeryitems pads,albumsand notebooks are not nailed down.Friends and loved ones oftenproclaimtheyve justatewhen, in fact, theyve justeaten.Therefore, it doesnt make any sense to criticize our students.7Blame for thescandalof this language deficit should bethrustupon our schools, which should be setting high standards of English languageproficiency.Instead, they only teach a little grammar and even less advanced vocabulary.Moreover, the younger teachers themselvesevidentlyhave little knowledge of these vital structures of language because they also went withoutexposureto them.Schools fail toadequatelyteach the essential framework of language, accurate grammar and proper vocabulary, while they should take the responsibility of pushing the young onto the path ofcompetentcommunication.8Since grammar is boring to most of the young students, I think that it must be handled delicately, step by step.The chance came when one day I was driving with my son.As we set out on our trip, he noticed a bird injerkyflight and said, Its flying so unsteady.I carefully asked, My son, how is the bird flying?Whats wrong? Did I say anything incorrectly?He got lost.Great! You saidincorrectlyinstead ofincorrect. We use adverbs to describe verbs. Therefore, its flying sounsteadilybut not sounsteady.9Curious about my correction, he asked me what an adverb was.Slowly, I said, Its a word that tells you something about a verb.It led to his asking me what a verb was.I explained, Verbs are action words; for example, Dad drives the truck.Driveis the verb because its the thing Dad is doing.10 He became attracted to the idea of action words, so we listed a few more:fly, swim, dive, run.Then, out of his own curiosity, he asked me if other words had names for their use andfunctions.This led to a discussion of nouns, adjectives, and articles.Within thespanof a 10-minute drive, he had learned fromscratchto the major parts of speech in a sentence.It was painless learning and great fun!11Perhaps, language should be looked upon as a road map and a valuable possession: often study the road map (check grammar) andtuneup the car engine (adjustvocabulary).Learning grammar and a good vocabulary is just like driving with a road map in a well-conditioned car.12The road map provides the framework and guidance you need for your trip, but it wont tell you exactly what trees or flowers you will see, what kind of people you will encounter, or what types of feelings you will be experiencing on your journey.Here, the vocabulary makes the journeys true colors come alive!A good vocabulary enables you to enjoy whatever you see as you drive along.Equipped with grammar and a good vocabulary, you have flexibility and excellent control.While the road map guides your journey to yourdestination, an excellent vehicle helps you to fully enjoy all of the sights, sounds and experiences along the way.13Effective,precise, andbeneficialcommunication depends upon grammar and a good vocabulary, the two essentialassetsfor students, but they are not being taught in schools.14Just this morning, my son and I were eating breakfast when I attempted to add milk to my tea.Dad, he said, If I were you, I wouldnt do that. Itssour.15Oh my!I said, swelling with pride toward my son, Thats a grammatically perfect sentence. You usedwereinstead ofwas.16I know, I know, he said with a long agreeable sigh. Its thesubjunctivemood.17I was, like, whoa!专心-专注-专业
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