Teachables: How to navigate grammar
Now, this is a tricky one.
So many Singaporean students are affected by little gaps in their grammar and I mean it when I say affected, because it quite literally affects the quality of their output. The best ideas, the best organisation, the precision of an answer can all be compromised by an innocuous grammatical error.
It is a bit of a dip into cultural politics, but it is always interesting to me how Singapore is considered to be an English speaking nation, which it is, but with little nuances like this present in our linguistic context.
I feel bad for my students in that, since it is taken for granted that we are English speaking, the examinations are designed to take that for granted as well, not respecting the fact that we are still from Asian backgrounds, with many of us speaking another language altogether at home.
The phenomenon of Singaporeans not being poised in both English and their “native” tongue is a bit of a sociological issue, I feel. Neither here nor there. Not masters of a single language, but jacks of both, but expected to be masters of both.
I would be remiss too, if I did not mention the silent judgment that comes with this.
I sometimes feel a pang of jealousy when I teach students English as a language, because they have their own languages perfected, with English being the one they are learning. Not like us - in the middle - always :)
I think the history of the country leads us that direction anyway - so, there is nothing to actually be ashamed about, but …
Before I get too emotional and possibly irrational about all this - I will jump to the matter at hand - what do we do about it? Strengthened grammar is still what one should strive for when learning a language anyway.
For me - as someone who leans towards organic and authentic long-term study, perfecting grammar is all about finding patterns, not grinding out exercises. Just like vocabulary, isolated practice is not that best way to learn past being a child, basically. So, here are some pointers as to how to navigate this space holistically.
Look at write-ups you have done (essays are a good source) or even personal writing. If you do not have a repository of this, create it - write a sample of your feelings or a story each week
Get a teacher or whomever you trust (AI? lol… no) to go through it and find the errors therein
Do not obsess over them, but acknowledge them and see if you are able to correct these patterns in your next write-up
If you do not understand a specific grammar error, then it is finally time to dip into isolated study - take a look at the “rules” and how they apply
Keep doing this till all the kinks are smoothened out, basically - like exercise
Enjoy the process as well - it’s really quite exciting when something naturally changes for the better with consistency. Academically, the system works as you are tested, not for grammatical prowess per se, but for how your grammatical skills work together with the paper and its expectations.
