Why do I need to be able to teach advanced grammar?
Students who would like to improve their grade in exams (such as the TOEIC) often reach a “plateau” because their teacher isn’t able to teach or explain advanced grammar points. This is frustrating for your students, because they never quite reach the exam score they deserve.
Is advanced grammar just for teachers who want to get their students through exams such as TOEIC?
Not at all. All EFL teachers will obviously benefit from having a greater grasp of some of the more complex elements of English grammar. It will give you much more confidence and of course you will be able to teach Advanced (C1) and Proficiency (C2) groups.
What will I learn on the advanced grammar course?
Standard TEFL courses cover all the basic tenses in their simple, continous and perfect forms, as well as parts of speech, modal verbs, passives and so on. This is easily enough to get going as a teacher particularly when teaching the lower levels.
But higher level students who want to do well in exams need knowledge of more complex grammar.
So the course covers areas such as inversion (had I known..), non defining relative clauses (Dartmoor, which is in Devon, is famous for its…) cleft sentences (what I want to know is…), advanced question tags (left on the first train, didn’t he), and mixed conditionals (I wouldn’t be here now if I hadn’t been wearing my seat belt).
Will I learn anything else?
You will also receive tips on how to get your students performing better in their exams, a revision of solid methods of teaching grammar (which you may have forgotten from your TEFL course!) as well as games and activities for each grammar point covered.
Advanced grammar session for existing teachers
How can I incorporate advanced grammar into my teaching?
We will provide you with a toolbox of games and activities so that your students can practice each grammar point we cover in an enjoyable way
How can I learn all the advanced English grammar in just one day?
You can’t of course! On our course you’ll learn the key elements of English grammar which learners at higher levels get tested on. Remember that this is about grammar for learners of English, who have their own specific problems, often based on the differences between their own language (L1) and English.
For example, many speakers of French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese have difficulty with things native speakers do naturally, such as ending sentences with a preposition, eg “Who are you going with?” or “which learners at higher levels get tested on“.
Confidence builder course for TEFL teachers
One of the best things about knowing more advanced grammar is that it gives you more confidence as a teacher, especially when students ask you questions like:
- What’s the rule for using words like “rarely” or “seldom” if you want to begin a sentence with them? What if there’s no auxiliary?
- What’s the difference between “You took the day off did you?” and “you took the day off, didn’t you?” How does the intonation change?
- When do I use “either” and when do I use“neither”?
- When do I use “so” and when “because”?
- Why we can say “That’s the guy I helped” (without the “who”) but not “That’s the guy helped me”?
- What’s this structure: “If I hadn’t been seen leaving the party in Downing Street, I wouldn’t be being asked all these questions today”?
- Answering differently, eg “Why haven’t you done the washing up?” “Stop nagging – I’m going to!”
Will I need advanced grammar knowledge to understand the course?
Not if you already have a TEFL certificate from a reputable organisation and know the basics such as what an adverbs and pronouns are. Don’t worry – it’s often the simplest aspects of English which end up being very diffucult for our students, for example the use of the word “the”. Why do we say “Jupiter, Saturn but the moon and the sun? Why don’t we say “the Monday” if the French and Spanish do in their languages, and why don’t we say “I like the dogs”?
I can’t do the course right now. Can you give me some tips in the meantime?
Sure. The main one is to provide several example sentences of the same grammar point, and have students notice what’s going on. Often the rule itself is no more than a tendency, and students can create their own example sentences based on the patterns they see in your example sentences. Often the “rules” are secondary.
How will it help me get my students through their exams?
Part of the course is on exam techniques – suggestions you can give to your students so that they approach exams in the best possible way.
This 6 hour course is specifically designed so that you understand the grammar that students really need to get those vital extra points for exams such as the TOEIC.
Can I do it online?
Yes this course can be done online or in class with us here in Toulouse
How much does it cost?
The course costs 120 euros as part of a group and 300 as a 1 to 1 , all taxes and materials and attendance certificate included.
Does it satisfy QUALIOPI requirements?
Yes, all TEFL Toulouse’s professional development courses satisfy the qualiopi requirement of showing ongoing professional development for teachers of English. A Certificate of attendance is awarded.
How can I pay?
The course can be paid for with FIFPL credits if you are already an “Autoentrepreneur” and we offer special group rates for 5 students or more which may be of interest to language schools.