230536 Grammar & Usage (S) (WiSe 2021/2022)

PRACTICAL ORGANISATION

This seminar will take place in "hybrid synchronous" mode, with a twist. Most of the participants will be at home and participate via Zoom - me included. (This is due to my very high risk status vis-à-vis Covid infection.) Those students who have to or want to be on campus at the time of the seminar can go to the seminar room every week and participate together via Zoom there. Instead of breakouts, these students can form actual groups for the interactive group-work phases. These students MUST please have a) their own devices, so they can follow on Zoom and b) headphones with microphones. Your devices' built-in mics and speakers can't be used in a seminar room, as there is massive echo and feedback if others are using also their devices' built-in mics and speakers nearby. When you speak yourself, you might also have to lift the earphones (but still use the earphones' microphone) or mute your speakers, because otherwise there's an annoying echo. This mode should enable those at home and on campus to participate, however, and at-risk participants to be safe.

SEMINAR CONTENT

This seminar focuses on those areas of English grammar and usage that present particular challenges to (already proficient) users of English as a foreign language; its main purpose is to make sure that you have the ability to use grammatical structures, collocations and idiomatic formulations appropriately and correctly in a variety of contexts, with particular attention to the kind of language appropriate to an academic register. Apart from increasing your own mastery, you will, it is hoped, also pick up ideas for effective grammar instruction (which is useful even for those who are not planning to become teachers).

Requirements for participation, required level

BM1 seminars are typically taken in the first or second semester.

Bibliography

To be introduced, scrutinised and discussed in class.