English : Grammar in Practice

Teacher(s)

Palagro Manuela; Vanderputten Caroline;

Language

English

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to: • Use irregular verbs • Define, on the basis of examples, the grammatical concepts related to tenses, the passive voice, the conditional, reported speech and sentence analysis • Use various grammatical structures (e.g. tenses, spelling rules) in context • Justify the use of various grammatical structures and spelling rules • Compare different grammatical structures (meaning, function, register, etc.) • Describe English phonemes according to their VPM profile (Voice, Place of articulation, Manner of articulation) or APL profile (Aperture, Part of the tongue, Lips) • Define, on the basis of examples, concepts related to phonetics and English phonology • Transcribe words and utterances in phonetic script • Decipher phonetic script

Content

First term (BMHAN1111A): tenses (incl. irregular verbs and spelling rules), conditional sentences, passive voice; introduction to English phonemes.

Second term (BMHAN1111B): introduction to articulatory phonetics and phonetic transcription; introduction to syntax (parts of speech, phrases, clauses, functions); reported speech; subordinate clauses; articles and nouns; plural nouns; adjectives.

Teaching methods

1. Students attend a 60-hour course (30 hours + 30 hours), in which the material is initially presented in a theoretical, lecture-based format (main reference: Murphy, R. 2019. English Grammar in Use Intermediate 5th Edition. CUP. + Foley M., Hall D., 2009. Advanced Learners’ Grammar. Longman, as well as documents made available on Moodle). This is followed by systematic in-class exercises designed to assess the students’ level of understanding (main reference: Hashemi, L., Murphy, R. 2019. English Grammar in Use, Intermediate, 5th Edition. Supplementary Exercises. CUP.).
   
   For the “Phonetics and Phonology” component, the phonemes are introduced briefly during the first semester, in order to enable students to make optimal use of the phonological system in their other English courses (both oral and written language proficiency).
    
2. During the second semester, in addition to the weekly classes, students work independently at home on a list of words and sentences to be transcribed (for the “Phonetics and Phonology” component), as well as on a list of irregular verbs (for the “Grammar” component), taken from Berland-Delépine’s Grammaire anglaise de l’étudiant (Ophrys, 2000). These two lists are included in the course materials distributed to students at the beginning of the academic year.

Remote online teaching if stricter social distancing measures are required due to Covid-19.

Evaluation methods

Written examination in January (30% of the final grade) and in June (70% of the final grade). The self-study material (list of irregular verbs and transcription exercises) is part of the course material and may be assessed.

Remote online exam if stricter social distancing measures are required due to Covid-19.

Bibliography

Berland-Delépine, S. 2000. Grammaire anglaise de l'étudiant. Ophrys.
Foley M., Hall D., 2009. Advanced Learners’ Grammar. Longman.
Hurford, J.R. 1994. Grammar. A student's guide. CUP.
Jones, D., Roach, P., Setter, J. & Esling, J. 2011. Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary. CUP.
Murphy, R. 2019. English Grammar in Use. A self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students of English 5th Edition. CUP.
Hashemi, L., Murphy, R. 2019. English Grammar in Use. To accompany English Grammar in Use 5th Edition. Supplementary Exercises. CUP.
Roach, P. 2009. English Phonetics and Phonology. CUP.
Swan, M. 2005. Practical English Usage. OUP

Teaching materials

• Documents sur Moodle + Murphy, R. 2019. English Grammar in Use. A self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students of English 5th edition. CUP. + Hashemi, L., Murphy, R. 2019. English Grammar in Use. Supplementary Exercises. CUP.

Faculty or entity

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