239830 Grammar and Usage (S) (SoSe 2014)

This course will review the grammatical structure of English with emphasis on those areas that present special difficulty for German-speaking learners. We will consider verbs with respect to tense, aspect, voice and mood; the use of adjectives and adverbs, count and non-count nouns, and punctuation--especially commas and relative clauses. You will be expected to assess your own strengths and weaknesses with resepct to grammar and to do additional work at home in those areas where you need more practice. We will try to view grammar and usage in the context of effective communication--what choices are available in any given situation and how do your choices affect your ability to say more precisely what you mean? To what extent can you produce and recognize sentences that native speakers would regard as acceptable in a particular context? How can you improve both your accuracy of expression and the naturalness of your communication in English?

Requirements for participation, required level

You must have passed the departmental Entrance Test or one of the recognized equivalents to take part in this course. If you are assigned a place in this course, you must be there at the first meeting to claim your place or it will be given to someone on the waiting list. Students who drop out of this course after the first 4 weeks without a good reason will not be given priority in getting a place in future grammar courses.

Bibliography

Raymond Murphy English Grammar in Use

Martin Hewings Advanced Grammar in Use

Michael Swan Practical English Usage