ENGLISH GRAMMAR: AN ALTERNATIVE DIDACTIC GUIDE

Learning grammar is usually considered boring, and it is quite true if it is taught as if there were no explanations and if rules were meant to be learned by heart without questioning or trying to understand its mechanism.

On the other hand if reasoning is encouraged, if questions raised help even teachers to investigate why, the process of learning becomes more interesting and pushes learners towards the attempt to master proficiency actively instead of just passively accept a given rule.

The secret, I think, is to figure out how the language works and what’s behind it. Language, after all, is culture and it serves the purpose to expresse the deep mind set of the people that use that specific language to communicate.

This page collects all the grammar posts I have written to help students gather just basic information with simple examples that are meant to clarify its uses, I have also added the main aspects that could be confusing for a learner of English as a foreign language, especially those that seem more baffling to Italians, I’ve tried to underline its peculiarities and given explanations as to how to tackle them best.

It’s structured like a book with brief sections that proceed along a path of growing complexity, it also includes summary charts and video lessons.

BASIC ENGLISH 1

COMPARING ITALIAN AND ENGLISH VERBS – PART 1

PARTS OF SPEECH

THE SENTENCE STRUCTURE

THE ARTICLE

SOME/ANY (INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES)

THE NOUN

Relative and Other Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

Prepositions

The Present Tense – Summary Chart

Adjectives and Adjective Order

COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

VIDEO LESSONS

The Neutral Pronoun “IT” and spelling skills

BASIC ENGLISH 2

COMPARING ITALIAN AND ENGLISH VERBS – PART 2

PRESENT SIMPLE

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

THE PAST SIMPLE

THE PAST CONTINUOUS

MODAL VERBS part 1: MAY – MIGHT and CAN – COULD

MODAL VERBS part 2: WILL – WOULD, SHALL – SHOULD and MUST – OUGHT TO

The Past – Review and Summary

THE FUTURE

The Future – Summary Chart

VIDEO LESSONS

PAST TENSES – Video Lesson n. 1 – Past Simple

PAST TENSES – Video Lesson n. 2 – Used To and Would

PAST TENSES – Video Lesson n. 3 – Past Continuous

Video Lesson n. 1 – Modal Verbs: Can/Could – May/Might

Video Lesson n. 2 Modal Verbs: Will/Would – Shall/Should – Must/Ought To

INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS: THE DURATION FORM

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS

IF-CLAUSES OR CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

THE PASSIVE FORM

REPORTED SPEECH – part 1

REPORTED SPEECH – part 2

ENGLISH VERB TENSES – TEMPI VERBALI INGLESI

GRAMMAR REVIEW – ALL THE VERB TENSES

Parts of Speech – Grammar Review Charts

Second Year Class Projects

A SUNRISE IN THE VELD

A SUNRISE IN THE VELD – part 2

VIDEO LESSONS

REPORTED SPEECH – Video Lesson n. 1 – Introduction to Reported Speech

REPORTED SPEECH – Video Lesson n. 2 – More in Detail

How To Write A Professional Email

© L. R. Capuana

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