X Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2018

The grammar of the language can be complicated and appear confusing. There are three important reasons for these difficulties; they are connected with the clash between function and form: the similarities and differences of the students’ own language and the language they learn; and various exceptions and complications in both the languages.

For example, it is common knowledge that the Present Continuous Tense is used to describe the actions taking place now, in the present. What, then, is it being used in these examples?

He’s meeting her at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon.

He’s always complaining.

Imagine the scene a year ago. It is two o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon. I’m standing near the old factory.

All these sentences use the Present Continuous Tense but they do not refer to the present moment. The first is referring to a future arrangement; the second to a repeated habit and the third one is actually a story about the past.

On the other hand, the same meaning can be expressed by using many different forms. The situation in the future can be expressed in the following ways:

I’ll see her tomorrow. I’ll be seeing her tomorrow. I am seeing her tomorrow. I’m going to see her tomorrow. I’m to see her tomorrow. I see her tomorrow.

All of these grammatical constructions are different, and they all represent fine differences in meaning. The second sentence suggests that the meeting tomorrow has been definitely arranged, whereas the third sentence suggests that it is a plan, though not yet a definite arrangement. The last sentence implies the arrangement is official.

Students have to make decisions about the structure (form) to learn, and what use (function) the structure is to be put to. It is clear that if students are introduced a new piece of grammar, they must be clear about the function and the form of the new language.

The second reason why English grammar is difficult for students lies in the difference between English and their own language.

Adjectives behave differently in English and Russian, both in terms of their position and how they agree or don’t agree with nouns. English adjectives do not generally change when they apply to “masculine” or “feminine” words or plurals. There are some other examples: word order problems, different uses of the Present Perfect Tense and the Past Indefinite, the use of the articles.

The new grammar should be practiced in specific patterns when students get to use many sentences and/or questions using these patterns.

Now we come to the third reason why English seems difficult for Russian students: it is full of exceptions to grammar rules. For example, the irregular verbs, the nouns that do not change in the plural, the nouns that change a sound inside the word (women, teeth).

The complexity of English grammar is very depressing for some students. The grammar problems can be solved either with more examples or with personalized questions and patterns and a lot of grammar exercises to automatise the patterns.

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