Courses offered through the Vanguard Taylor Language Institute are offered at Vanguard College unless otherwise indicated.
APPLIED LINGUISTICS II (Syntax and Discourse) – Blended (online and in class)
Online Portion
January 1, 2015 – May 11, 2015
In Class Portion
May 25, 2015-May26, 2015
(TSL 413/PS0302/GS0302) - 3cr. hrs.
Professor: Jordan McEwan
[email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will enable students to understand and explain English syntax. A functional, communicative approach to
teaching grammar will be emphasized.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of the session, students should be able to do the following:
 understand the language structures of English, i.e., parts of speech, sentence formation and a wide variety
of rules and conventions
 describe these language structures clearly
 prepare lessons to teach grammar
COURSE MATERIALS and/or COURSE TEXTS
Parrott, Martin, Grammar for English Language Teachers New York, Cambridge University Press, 2000,
Class notes: Applied Linguistics II. – Provided on arrival in class.
ATTENDANCE & ASSIGNMENTS POLICY
Though this is an on-line course, the nature of the subject matter and skill set require that portions of the course be
completed on-site in order to allow students time to practice teaching the material. Approximately 70% of the
course will be completed on-line, while the remaining 30%, approximately one and a half days of class time, will be
completed at Vanguard. Students must submit the on-line assignments a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the beginning
of the on-site class time. Readings must be completed prior to arriving in class. On-site class begins on May 25 and
ends May 26.
In-class Teaching assignments:
During the in-class time, students must complete two practice teaching assignments on grammatical topics. Each
assignment will be approximately 30 minutes of teaching time and must be prepared according to the directions in
the syllabus. For the grammar teaching points, resources will be suggested and the student must prepare the
teaching from scratch. For the Error correction lessons, existing language clips will be used, and the clip to be
analyzed will be forwarded to the students electronically once they have been assigned. Depending on numbers,
students may be required to collaborate with other students in preparing and presenting their topic.
Some of these teaching assignments will be presented on the first day of class (May 25, 2015), so it is essential that
students contact the professor and choose their topics ahead of time in order to prepare before class. Students who
arrive and are not prepared to teach will not receive credit for these assignments.
COURSE OUTLINE
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The teaching notes for sessions 1-6 below may be found online. Please download and review the session file, then
download and complete the activities as instructed. The readings must all be completed prior to arriving in class.
Date
To be
completed online prior to
arriving in class
Topics
Session 1 – Intro to Grammar
 Overview of systems
 Introduction to grammar
 Parts of speech
Readings
Parrott p. 4-6
Assignments
 Parts of Speech Activity
 Inflectional Morpheme
Activity
Session 2 - Overview of the Sentence
 Subject & predicate
 Complements
 Sense classification and sentence
shapes
Parrott p. 247-330

Session 3 – The Verb Phrase
 Verb types & forms
 The auxiliary system
 The twelve tenses
 Modals
Parrott p. 93-208


Verb Tense Activity
Lesson plan #1 (To be
completed and submitted to
instructor)
Session 4 – The Noun Phrase
 Noun classes & formation
 Functions of nouns
 Determiners & articles
 Teaching vocabulary and nouns
Parrott p. 7-17


Noun Activity
Article Activity
Session 5 – Adjectives & Adverbs
 Forms and functions
 Comparatives & superlatives
 Phrases & clauses
 Teaching adjectives & adverbs
Parrott p. 28-82



Adjective Activity
Adverb Activity
Adverbial Clause Activity
Session 6 – Prepositions
 Forms & functions
 Metaphorical uses
 Grammatical, lexical and complex
prepositions,
 Teaching prepositional phrases
Parrott p. 83-92


Preposition Activity
Lesson Plan #2 (To be
completed and submitted to
instructor)
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
Subjects & Predicates
Activity
Sentence Writing Task (to be
submitted to instructor)
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Grammar Teaching Points
(Contact instructor to select your
teaching topic)
 Phrasal verbs
 Verb classes & sentence
shapes
 Determiners
 Adverbial clauses
 Prepositional phrases
 Independent and dependent
clauses
 Noun clauses
 Gerunds & Gerund phrases
 General Service List &
Academic Word List
 Passive Voice
Practice
teaching
assignments to
be prepared
prior to
arriving in
class.
To be covered
during in-class
sessions
Non-finite clause constructions
Coordinate constructions and complex
sentences
Negation & questions
Pronouns, pro-forms & ellipsis
Preparing grammar-focused lessons
Final issues
Parrott p. 209-246,
331-393, 423-426
Final Exam (To be completed
and postmarked within 3 days of
the close of class)
To be
completed after
class
COURSE MARK BREAKDOWN
Applied Linguistics II: Grammar & Syntax - 3 credits
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Text readings ...................................................................................................................... 10%
Self-examination essay ........................................................................................................ 10%
Error correction - practice teaching ................................................................................... 10%
Teaching on grammar point ................................................................................................ 15%
Grammar lesson plans (2X15%) ......................................................................................... 30%
Final exam ........................................................................................................................... 25%
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Please note that some assignments must be completed before arriving in class.
1.
Readings (10%)
Readings in Parrott are to be completed along with the session topic indicated on the schedule. All readings
must be completed prior to arriving in class. Students will be required to check off which readings have been
completed in order to receive credit for them.
Criteria: punctuality, completeness.
Due: According to schedule above.
2.
Self-examination essay (10%)
Students will apply their grammatical analysis skills to their own language use. They will choose at least two
aspects of their own use of grammar and discuss them. The goal of this assignment is for you to critically reflect
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on your own language patterns, especially in comparison with others. Some good starting point questions are:
Do you speak perfect English? Why or why not?
Does someone you know speak ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than you? Why or why not?
Do you know someone who is always correcting you? Do you correct others?
If you were to sit down with Shakespeare or Dickens, what would they think of your speech?
If you speak another language, do you sometimes use the other language’s grammar?
Do you have trouble using formal grammar for papers?
NOTE: It does not have to deal exclusively with English, but, if dealing with another language expect
to write a longer paper, as all structures will need to be analysed and compared with English grammar
(it is the focus of the course.)
Criteria: critical thinking, analysis, clarity, content
Due: April, 2015
3.
Error correction practice teaching (10%)
This assignment focuses on your ability to pick up on and explain errors in speech. You will be sent an
example of a second language speaker who has not attained native-like fluency. You will examine the
patterns and develop a lesson which explains an error the speaker is making, and then teaches the proper
pattern. This is done as though you were teaching an EAL class and should include examples of correct and
incorrect usage and explanations of potential confusion, as well as an activity or task. Students must be
prepared to teach upon arrival in class. Students who arrive in class but are not prepared to teach will not
receive credit for the assignment. Upon arrival in class, you will be assigned a time to present your lesson.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Prepare the presentation of the error: you will need to explain the error the speaker(s) are
making in a clear and precise manner.
Give clear instructions to the class. Remember to keep in mind how you would give
instructions to an EAL class.
Facilitate the actual doing of the task.
Wrap up by giving a brief oral reflection to the class regarding dealing with error analysis and
correction.
Depending on class numbers, you may need to collaborate with another student. If this
happens, you will be given contact information for the other student to facilitate collaboration.
NOTE: You will have 30 minutes in total so keep in mind your time management. If you have
questions during the preparation of your lesson, please contact the instructor.
Criteria: following instructions, clarity, creativity, time management, analysis
Due: Students must arrive in class prepared to teach. Teaching times will be assigned on arrival, but some
will be taught the first day.
4.
Teaching on Grammar Point: (15%)
Contact the instructor to choose a grammar teaching point from the list above. Please indicate first and second
choices, since some topics may already be taken. Depending on class numbers, you may need to work with a
partner. Your partner’s contact information will be provided to facilitate collaboration.
1.
2.
Research your particular task so that you understand it thoroughly and can explain it to others.
Prepare a brief lesson using the following outline:
a. Give an introduction which activates prior knowledge and elicits the feature of
language you are focusing on. This should be creative and catch the students’ interest.
b. Clearly explain the feature of grammar; its meaning and significance and why
understanding it is essential to teaching/learning English. Prepare a handout which
provides clear teaching about this point.
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c.
d.
Facilitate activities which check the students are able to test their understanding of the
point. (i.e. worksheet, drills, handouts)
Lead them in communicative activities which will use that point of grammar in
natural/authentic communication. (i.e. games, communicative activities, pair work)
You will need to produce your own materials for this lesson. Some resources will be suggested to
you. The lesson you present should be no more than 30 minutes in length, and should be HIGHLY
CREATIVE!! Have fun with this one.
Again, students must be prepared to teach on arrival in class. Students who arrive, but are not
prepared to teach will not receive credit for the assignment. If you have questions regarding this
assignment, please contact the instructor before arriving in class.
Criteria: Following directions, clarity, creativity, content
Due: Students must arrive in class prepared to teach. Teaching times will be assigned on arrival, but some
will be taught the first day.
5.
Lesson Plans: (30% - 2 @ 15% Each)
A task to practice developing contextualized grammar-focused lessons. For each of the lesson plans, specify
the class and context in which you are teaching: that is, specify the age, ethnicity, and language level of the
students in your class. Also specify their educational background, and their linguistic or vocational goals. Are
they planning to attend university? Get a job in a particular field? Do they just need ‘survival English’? For
their language levels, you may specify them as low beginner, mid beginner, high beginner, low intermediate,
mid intermediate, high intermediate, etc.
Each lesson plan is to include the following elements:

A description of the students as above. You may make each lesson geared towards a different
group of students.

Specific objectives of the instructor for this lesson. (e.g. “at the end of this lesson the learners
will be able to…”)

Four distinct lesson stages (labelled as such)
1) an introduction task to catch the students’ attention and lead naturally into the topic
2) a presentation task in which you teach them about this aspect of grammar
Note: the content you are to teach must be included in the lesson, not just ‘teach
them about ____’.
3) a controlled practice task which focuses on the form
4) a free use task which focuses on the meaning and use of this item

Bibliography of at least 3 sources (e.g. grammar texts, course books, online sources)

Prepare your lesson as it you were going to teach for one hour on that topic.
Note: Your lesson plan should be clear enough and complete enough that someone else could
present it from the materials you hand in. You must include all materials (visuals, tapes,
worksheets, etc.) to be used in the lesson. i.e. If your lesson plan says, “Show them pictures of
____” those pictures must be included.
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Lesson Plan #1 – To be submitted after completing sessions 1-3. Choose one of the following topics for
your lesson plan:
i. Verb tenses: Prepare a lesson comparing the present progressive tense to the present simple
tense.
ii. Verb tenses: Prepare a lesson comparing the present perfect tense to the simple past tense.
iii. Verb tenses: Prepare a lesson comparing the future progressive tense to the present perfect
tense.
iv. Sentences: Prepare a lesson to help students understand the difference between the subject
and the predicate
v. Sentence: Prepare a lesson helping students to understand and use our normal sentence
order of S-V-O. This will require them understanding the roles of subjects and object.
vi. Sentence: Prepare a lesson helping students to understand the difference between a direct
object and an indirect object.
vii. Sentence: Prepare a lesson helping students to understand the difference between a subject
complement with a predicate nominative, and a subject complement with a predicate
adjective.
Lesson Plan #2 - To be submitted after completing sessions 4-6. Choose one of the following topics for
your lesson plan:
i. Nouns: Prepare a lesson helping students to understand the difference between count and
non-count nouns, and use the appropriate expressions of quantity.
ii. Nouns: Prepare a lesson helping students to understand and use a variety of noun-forming
derivational suffixes.
iii. Adjectives: Prepare a lesson helping students to understand and use the appropriate order of
adjectives according to the Royal Order.
iv. Adverbs: Prepare a lesson helping students to understand and use the various functions of
adverbs – how they modify not only verbs, but also adjectives, other adverbs, or entire
sentences.
v. Prepositional phrases: Prepare a lesson helping students to understand and use prepositional
phrases in an adjectival or adverbial manner.
vi. Comparatives & Superlatives: Prepare a lesson for either adverbs or adjectives in which
you teach students how to use the rules for forming the comparative and superlative forms.
Criteria: following directions, accuracy, creativity, neatness, thoroughness, punctuality.
Due: According to schedule above. All lesson plans must be submitted by 2 weeks prior to class beginning.
6.
Final Exam (AL II) (25%)
Due Date: May 21, 2015
The final exam will be a take-home exam. It must be completed and postmarked within 72 hours of the end of
class. The exam will be distributed on the last day of class in a sealed envelope. Do not open the envelope
until you are ready to begin the exam and have put away all study and resource materials. No resource
materials may be used during the writing of the exam.
Criteria: accuracy
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
I have the expectation that every assignment is done with scholastic integrity and honesty. Assignments that are
plagiarized (i.e. work that is not the students’ own work) will be given a grade of zero. I have the expectation that the
student will honestly report the completion of reading assignments on the schedule.
GRADING SYSTEM
*See Appendix II
COURSE BIBLIOGRAPHY
*See Appendix III
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APPENDIX I
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Modular Courses
 Students missing a full day (or equivalent) of a modular course, due to an excused
absence, will be assigned extra work.
 Students missing a full day (or equivalent) of a modular course, due to a non-excused
absence, will fail the course.
 Any unexcused absence will be penalized at 5% per hour.
 Students may also obtain an excused absence in the case of bereavement, family
emergency, or illness (with a doctor’s note provided), but there are no unexcused
absences without penalty permitted.
 Professors may implement a stricter policy for their courses; however, they must/will not
apply a more lenient policy.
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APPENDIX II
ALPHA GRADE DESCRIPTIONS*
*Taylor Seminary students enrolled in this VTLI course should also refer to the policies included in the current academic catalogue. Be sure to
speak with your faculty advisor about any issues that require clarification.

The following chart contains the Alpha Grad Descriptions adopted as of June 2005 as the standard for
marking assignments and courses at Vanguard College. Purely objective assignments and most exams will
continue to be marked using percentage grades. All other assignments will be assigned a letter grade based
on the following Alpha Grade Descriptions.
To interpret an assigned mark simply read the Alpha Grade Description assigned to that letter grade.
Percentage conversions for calculating final marks will be based on the base number for each grade, e.g. an
assignment given a B grade will be calculated at 83%.

ALPHA
GRADE
GRADE POINT
AVERAGE
PERCENT
ALPHA GRADE DESCRIPTION
A+
4.0
97-100
A
4.0
93-96
A-
3.7
90-92
B+
3.3
87-89
B
3.0
83-86
B-
2.7
80-82
C+
2.3
77-79
C
2.0
73-76
C-
1.7
70-72
D+
1.3
67-69
D
1.0
63-66
D-
0.7
60-62
F
0.0
35-59
Exceptional Work- An “honourific” grade. Demonstrates a compete and
comprehensive understanding of the subject matter, full mastery of all concepts and
skills including interpretive, analytical, stylistic and grammatical skills, and evidences a
striking intellectual initiative and originality.
Superior Work- A superior grasp of the subject matter. Conceptual ability and skills
including interpretive, analytical, stylistic and grammatical skills are consistently at a
high level. Shows intellectual initiative and originality.
Very Good Work to Superior Work - A very good grasp of the subject matter.
Conceptual ability and skills, including interpretive, analytical, stylistic and
grammatical skills are moving toward a consistently high level. Shows some
intellectual initiative and originality.
Strong Work - Substantial understanding of subject matter and concepts. Good to
very good interpretive and analytical skills. Stylistic and grammatical skills meet or
exceed acceptable college requirements. All course objectives and requirements
achieved.
Good Work - Substantial understanding of subject matter and concepts. Good
interpretive and analytical skills. Stylistic and grammatical skills meet acceptable
standards at a college level. All course requirements and objectives achieved.
Average to Good Work – Average to above average understanding of subject matter
and concepts. Average to above average interpretive and analytical skills. Relatively
few stylistic and grammatical errors. All major course requirements and objectives
achieved.
Average Work - Average understanding of subject matter and concepts. Average
interpretive and analytical skills. May struggle with some grammatical and stylistic
skills. All major course requirements and objectives achieved.
Acceptable Work - A basic understanding of subject matter and concepts. Fair but not
necessarily good interpretive and analytical skills. Other skills may be fair or
incomplete. Some major and /or minor objectives of the course may not be complete.
Minimally Acceptable Work - Some understanding of subject matter and concepts
and only partial development of relevant skills. Some major and/or minor objectives of
the course may not be complete.
Unsatisfactory Work - Unsatisfactory understanding of subject matter and concepts.
Weak skill development. May have significantly weak stylistic and grammatical skills.
Major course requirements may be incomplete or poorly done*.
Poor Work - Weak understanding of subject matter and concepts. Marginal skill
development. May have significantly weak stylistic and grammatical skills. Major
course requirements may be incomplete or poorly completed*.
Marginal Work - Work is marginal in all areas. Significant portions may be at a
failing level. Major course requirements may be incomplete*.
Insufficient evidence of a minimal understanding of course matter and concepts,
insufficient evidence of minimal skill development and interpretive and analytical
ability. May have failed to achieve major and minor objectives of the course.
* Some professors require all major course requirements to be complete and will not assign a passing grade until all assignments or work is complete within the stated time limit
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APPENDIX III
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burns, Anne and Helen de Silva Joyce. Focus on Grammar. Sydney, Australia: National Centre for English
Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, 2001.
Butt, David. Using Functional Grammar: An Explorer’s Guide. Sydney, Australia: National Centre for English
Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, 2003.
Celce-Murica, Marianne and Diane Larsen-Freeman. The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher’s course. Boston,
Massachusetts: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1983.
DeCarrico, Jeanette. The Structure of English: Studies in Form and Function for Language Teaching. Ann Arbor:
The University of Michigan Press, 2000
McCarthy, Michael. Spoken Language and Applied Linguistics. Cambridge, England; New
York: NY: Cambridge University Press, 1998. [401.41 M116s 1998]
Swan, Michael. Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage, 3rd, ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Yule, George. Explaining English Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
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