Reddit reviews Pragmatics (Oxford Introduction to Language Study Series)

The trouble with grammar is that it is only one part of multi-component communication system and in some ways is the least important. Arguable the most important thing is lexis, that is to say vocabulary. After that, what is important depends the form the communication takes. Grammar is very important for textual skills, that is reading and writing. However, when it comes to oral communication, grammar is not very important for two basic reasons: 1) written grammar and spoke grammar are different, and 2) speaking is simultaneous and therefore co-constructed.

To take each one of these points in turn...

90% of the grammar in grammar books and textbooks, including speaking textbooks, is written grammar and not spoken grammar. There are lots of reasons for this which I won't go into here because what's wrong with textbooks is a whole other topic, but let me give you a simple example. English is written in clauses, sentences and paragraphs. English is spoken in phrases and turns. Sometimes turns comprise complete sentences, for example questions, but more often than not they don't. Take for example the typical greeting exchange that all jr. high school students learn:


A: How are you? (FS)

B: I'm fine. (FS) [I] thank you. (FS) And you? (Ph).

A: I'm fine, too. (FS)


It comes off as stilted and unnatural largely because of the full sentences (FS). A more typical interaction might be something like:


A: Hey man. (Ph) What's up? (FS)

B: Oh. (Ph) Hey. (Ph) What's going on? (FS) [I] haven't seen you in ages? (FS)

A: Yeah. (Ph). Like five years, right? (Ph)

B: Something like that. (Ph) Wow. (Ph)


Now I'm not claiming that the above conversation is perfect, or particularly natural (it is a staged conversation after all), but I think you'll agree that it at least seems to be more natural. Notice that the only full sentences are questions and you'll be hard pressed to find a grammar book or textbook that will teach students to respond to a question with a question even though this is a somewhat common structure found in spoken English.

The second reason grammar is not so important for speaking is that it's co-constructed. So if one party in the conversation makes a mistake and the other person does't understand, a correction can be asked for. For example:


A: I go to school and teacher say I have no homework.

B: But today is Saturday.

A: Yesterday I go to school.

B: Oh. Yesterday you went to school. Ok.


Again, not claiming that this conversation is something that might actually happen, but the point is that because the message receiver is present in the communication, corrections can be made. In writing because the reader (or more appropriately the writer) is not present, grammatical accuracy is necessary to communicate meaning.

So what does this have to do with your original question asking about a course for grammar? Well, unless you are teaching writing, I would suggest that you learn about conversation interactional skills and pragmatics. It will absolutely open your eyes to the ways that English is actually used, as opposed to how people think English is used. A good introduction to pragmatics is the Oxford Introduction to Pragmatics by George Yule. Actually, I recommend all of the titles in the Oxford Introduction to Language Study series. They are written for non-academics and are quite accessible. Not too expensive either.

If you still want a good resource for grammar, try Scott Thornbury's How to Teach Grammar.