Catholic University of Mozambique

Institute of Distance Education

The importance of grammar and vocabulary in teaching and learning the English language
in Mozambique

Student name: Celestino Adelino Massitala Student code: 708233440

Tete, September, 2023

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 Catholic University of Mozambique

Institute of Distance Education

The importance of grammar and vocabulary in teaching and learning the English language
in Mozambique

Student name: Celestino Adelino Massitala Student code: 708233440

Course: Degree in Computer Science teaching

Chair: Ingles
Year of Attendance: 1st year
Teacher: Dr. António Pintarocha Nota

Tete, September, 2023

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Índex
1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3

2. The importance of grammar and vocabulary in teaching and learning the English language in
Mozambique .................................................................................................................................... 4

2.1. Teaching grammar and its importance ................................................................................. 4

2.1.1. Grammar Definition .......................................................................................................... 4

2.1.2. Learning grammar in the acquisition of the English language ......................................... 5

2.1.3. Vocabulary ........................................................................................................................ 7

2.1.4. Teaching Language Skills ................................................................................................. 8

2.1.5. Vocabulary teaching: traditional x communicative approach .......................................... 9

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 10

Bibliographic references ................................................................................................................ 11

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 1. Introduction

The theme of this work is: The importance of grammar and vocabulary in teaching and learning
the English language in Mozambique. However, English is certainly an important and
indispensable tool for Humanity, as it not only gives us the privilege of communicating with others,
but also connects us with the world as it is a language spoken in any corner of the world, which is
why it is important teaching grammar and vocabulary in English. In the case of Mozambique,
English has greater implications in the job market and in other areas such as tourism, commerce,
business, etc., which in a way leads us in an infallible way to use the English language as the
country grows. and attracting the international part.

This work is divided into three parts: the first corresponds to pre-textual elements from the cover
to the introduction, and the second corresponds to the development where there were some
bibliographic references that supported the construction of the body of this work, and the third part
corresponds to the conclusion and the bibliography. And to carry it out, the bibliographic method
was used, where some records such as manuals, books, scientific articles, among others, were
consulted, which supported the development of the work itself.

General Objective

Know the importance of grammar and vocabulary in teaching and learning the English
language in Mozambique.

Specific objectives

Describe grammar learning in English language acquisition

Describe the Teaching of Language Skills.
Explained the vocabulary teaching process: traditional x communicative approach.

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 2. The importance of grammar and vocabulary in teaching and learning the English
language in Mozambique

Before we address the importance of grammar, it is considered essential to address Language

Teaching through Tasks, which arises at the basis of communicative language teaching.

According to Hedge (2000, p. 71 cited in Luce, 2009) communicative language teaching is intended
as a “method developed to “involve student learners in tasks with a purpose, which are inserted in
meaningful contexts and which reflect and enable the practice of language as it is used authentically
in the world outside the classroom” (p.19).

Language Teaching through Tasks has the purpose of promoting examples and situations of
authentic communication, which present a communicative purpose based on the exchange of
information, in dialogue between individuals, with a real purpose, which does not present the
development of accuracy as a greater purpose. linguistic, without focusing on meaning.

It is therefore necessary to give students the opportunity to practice the language in a way similar
to situations that will occur in real, everyday life, so that they can develop proficiency (Luce, 2009).

In this method, teaching is process-centered. In this way, there is no prior specification of the
content that will be taught, but learning activities are developed with the aim of encouraging
students to exchange and build knowledge consistent with reality.

2.1.Teaching grammar and its importance

2.1.1. Grammar Definition

It is important to know that the term grammar has different definitions depending on the author and
what he understands and what type of grammar he is referring to.

For Mioto et al. (2007) “the term grammar leads us to think of a thick and unreliable book, full of
rules that we can never memorize and that, at best, has a distant connection with the language we
speak” (p.16).

Seen in this way, we understand grammar as the rules that are used in the language with the aim of
showing what is correct and what is wrong, as if there were only one correct way of speaking and

4
as if this were, in a certain way, unattainable. . However, many other grammar definitions are
presented to us.

Antunes (2015), in his book Far Além da Grammar, makes us reflect that grammar is an area of
many conflicts, as there are many meanings that exist regarding the term. According to the author,
it can be a set of rules that define the functioning of a language, as well as norms that regulate the
use of the standard language. Grammar can also be considered a perspective for studying language
facts, a study discipline and a descriptive-normative compendium on language. Therefore, we
realize that grammar is not a term with a single closed concept, but can be shaped depending on
what you intend to use and understand about it.

The study of grammar has always been a subject much discussed and used by schools in general
and has been used to this day due to its importance and importance in learning a foreign language
and organizing native speech. Its relevance, whether in the mother tongue or in a foreign language,
cannot be denied under any circumstances and Bastone defends this thesis by promoting that a
language without grammar would be a true chaos and that it shows a structure and regularity that
is the basis of the language, bringing the possibility of talking about the 'linguistic system'.

Grammatical rules aim to standardize the language of a people, enabling individuals to express
themselves more clearly, conveying exactly what they want to say and, therefore, maintaining
better communication. Paraphrasing Houaiss (2004), grammar is the set of prescriptions and rules
that determine the considered correct use of written and spoken language. However, grammar is
focused on the general patterns of the language and its ability to form phrases and sentences based
on combinations of words and grammatical characteristics, then expressing a precise and probably
unique meaning.

2.1.2. Learning grammar in the acquisition of the English language

Learning grammar when acquiring a second language is more necessary considering that it happens
consciously in this process, differentiating itself from the native language that happens naturally
and unconsciously, appearing, in turn, to not require grammatical rules. that govern the structure
of the language.

Larsen (1997) presents some points about grammar that he does not agree with and that, currently,
can be considered myths based on the studies carried out. Are they:
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 Grammar is acquired naturally; it does not need to be taught;
Grammar is a set of meaningless forms;
Grammar is made up of arbitrary rules;
Students have different learning styles, so not everyone can learn grammar;
Grammar provides rules/explanations for all structures in the language;

All educational institutions in Mozambique should adopt a new working methodology with regard
to this issue so that their students do not complete their studies without any mastery, based on the
myths surrounding the teaching of the language's grammar and without real knowledge of its
importance for learning a second language, which is English, and improving your mother tongue.
Students need to give meaning to this knowledge obtained and only after that, will they be able to
understand the importance that grammar plays when expressing their ideas.

Ellis (2003) shows an interesting way of teaching verb tenses when learning the English language
using a timeline. He states that this line makes visible time flow so that the student can see more
clearly how one tense differs from another and how a single tense refers to different times.

The Mozambican education system needs to consider the fact that English grammar is, at times,
complex and this complexity of the language, as in any other, should not just be memorized, it
needs to be truly understood. When an individual learns the grammar that involves every language,
whether mother tongue or second language, they are able to have a greater command of speaking,
writing and expressions used in people's daily lives.

Regarding the teaching of grammar, however, the teacher can define grammatical content present
in the subject's curriculum and design tasks that require the learner to employ the curriculum's
grammatical structures.

Still Ellis (2003) understands tasks as something developed from a work plan, with the aim of
encouraging students to seek the pragmatic use of language to reach a final result. The focus of
pedagogical activities must be given to meaning, through communicative activities close to the
language used in everyday life, that is, the language used outside the classroom. The task involves,
in addition to

Language Teaching through Tasks focuses on the form associated with meaning, seeking to
maintain students' attention in communication. They are encouraged to solve problems that arise
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in the interactive process, paying attention to linguistic aspects. There are times when teachers and
students need to focus on grammatical forms, which sometimes represent difficulties (Pinto, 2011).

Mozambican education must consider the study of grammar important in order to stimulate written
and oral speech in students, reflecting real situations, in an interactive way. However, when
difficulties are identified in understanding a grammatical form, teachers must intervene, allowing
a better understanding of the form and providing explanations.

It is not being advocated that the study of grammatical sequences disconnected from the
communicative process be advocated, but rather that the needs expressed by students at the time of
learning should be responded to spontaneously (Pinto, 2011).

For Willis (1996), when employing tasks, the teacher must always keep in mind that the meaning
is more important than the form; that the objective of communication must be achieved and that a
result must be produced. Tasks may involve making a list, based on interaction between students;
ordering, making categorizations; of comparisons about something from different points of view;
problem solving, involving reasoning; sharing experiences, talking about themselves; and creative
projects (Willis, 1996 cited in Luce, 2009).

Willis (1996) also considers the following as essential conditions for learning foreign languages:
exposure, rich and comprehensible input from the use of oral and written language; the use of
language to perform tasks; and motivation to read, write and speak.

The author also lists a fourth condition considered desirable: instruction, as an opportunity to focus
on form. The author also argues that language teaching through tasks should be developed in three
phases. The first, pre-task phase, involves the introduction to the task. In it, the teacher will present
the topic, seeking to arouse students' interest, explaining how it will be developed. Students are
exposed to the language in order to provide greater understanding, using audio, video materials or
materials from other people performing a similar task.

2.1.3. Vocabulary

Quantitative ability refers to vocabulary when it becomes communicative, although knowing a

certain number of words in the foreign language is just one step in the process. How do people
learn vocabulary?

7
According to Holden and Rogers (2001), the tendency to learn a new language begins in ascending
order:

“We learn families of words and mentally associate their use, this association possibly
occurs when we have a purpose. Foreign language vocabulary is the oral practice of
linguistic theory. It is important to mention that to learn a good vocabulary, stimulation,
dynamics and exercise are fundamental to acquiring a language. There are countless
activities that can be developed to learn vocabulary, such as games, illustrated dictionaries,
activities with music and dialogues. Vocabulary expansion activities are offered by the
teacher and depend on the student's acceptance of adding desire and dedication. It is
important to enrich students’ vocabulary, but it is even more important to provide ways for
them to discover the meanings of words on their own.” (p. 40)
According to Barros (2006), the biggest problem for students is their limited vocabulary. To
improve this, it is important that he has daily contact with the language. Reading for 15 to 30
minutes a day is a good strategy, that is, practicing outside the classroom, even for just a few
minutes a day, is extremely important for improving and expanding vocabulary.

2.1.4. Teaching Language Skills

For Holden and Rogers (2001), the four language skills refer to knowing: listening, speaking,
reading and writing everything in the foreign language. They also include others inserted in other
contexts: taking notes, summarizing, describing, telling a story, writing a letter, which include
social skills, study skills and self-awareness skills.

The relationship between reading and vocabulary in a foreign language is exactly the relationship
between the world inside and outside the classroom. There are many words in a foreign language
that do not modify their structure in the mother tongue, these are generally international words
(which sometimes appear with different pronunciations and spellings) such as: bar, scanner,
website.

The objective of presenting these relationships is to make a connection between the classroom and
the outside world, in addition to the relationship between English and the student's own mother
tongue. Learners themselves are the first to identify lexical problems as their biggest source of
problems in the second language, and this self-assessment supported by large error collections like
the Utrecht corpus consistently shows that lexical errors outnumber grammatical errors in English.
ratio of three or four to one. (Meara, 1984, p.229 cited in Rodrigues 2004, p. 82)

8
When the student learns a new word, he must not only assimilate its meaning, but also its
pronunciation and its grammatical function. Vocabulary development occurs through direct contact
with the language and, especially for intermediate and advanced levels, reading is especially
recommended, as it provides vocabulary development mainly for literary, technical and scientific
terms. It is recommended that the student starts using monolingual dictionaries and watching films,
listening to music in the new language, all this contact outside the classroom becomes pleasurable
for the student and can also be done at home, with the family. or with friends. When teaching a
foreign language class, it is clear that activities with music and films are well accepted by the
student, especially teenagers and children, who see this as leisure and it is up to the teacher to
combine it with learning both in the classroom and outside. -class.

2.1.5. Vocabulary teaching: traditional x communicative approach

Rodrigues (2004) points out that the communicative approach has been preferred by teachers as it
provides a form of learning in which the student uses the language with the aim of communicating.
This allows you to work on the four skills, whereas in the traditional approach, also called the
grammar translation method, classes are taught in the mother tongue, with very little work on
orality.

The contents of the texts are not explored and neither is the vocabulary, what is generally done is
a simple translation of the text in question, the focus is on grammar, generally the vocabulary is
presented to the student in the form of bilingual lists of isolated words and decontextualized. The
traditional approach is the easiest for the teacher to use as it does not require much linguistic
competence and basically all the content given to the student is that of the textbook.

It is important to remember that there is a learning method based on the Audi lingual approach,
which suggests that most problems with the second language are related to the different
grammatical structures that exist in each language. The student is only taught basic vocabulary
because it is believed that learning a lot of vocabulary at the beginning of the language acquisition
process gives the student a false sense of security.

According to Zilberman (2006), theorists and teachers reacted to this exaggeration by students
regarding the role of vocabulary by reducing it in classes and emphasizing grammar. The relevance
of working on vocabulary and reading in foreign language classes is then problematized.
9
Conclusion
Having finished the work, it was possible to conclude that, Teaching Language through Tasks, has
the purpose of promoting examples and situations of authentic communication, which present a
communicative purpose based on the exchange of information, in dialogue between individuals,
with a real purpose, which does not present as its main purpose the development of linguistic
accuracy, without focusing on meaning. It was also possible to conclude that grammar can be
understood as a set of rules that define the functioning of a language, as well as the norms that
regulate the use of the standard. Grammar can also be considered a perspective for studying
language facts, a study discipline and a descriptive-normative compendium on language.
Grammatical rules aim to standardize the language of a people, enabling individuals to express
themselves more clearly, conveying exactly what they want to say and, therefore, maintaining
better communication. Finally, it was concluded that quantitative ability refers to vocabulary when
it becomes communicative, although knowing a certain number of words in the foreign language
is just one stage of the process. The tendency to learn a new language begins in ascending order:
we learn families of words and mentally associate their use, this association possibly occurs when
we have a purpose. Foreign language vocabulary is the oral practice of linguistic theory. It is
important to mention that to learn a good vocabulary, stimulation, dynamics and exercise are
fundamental to acquiring a language.

10
Bibliographic references
Antunes, I. (2015). Far beyond grammar: for language teaching without obstacles in the way. São
Paulo: Parabola Editorial.

Barros, F. (2006). Vocabulary must be improved.

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based learning and teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Holden, S., & Rogers, M. (2001). Teaching the English language. São Paulo: Special Book
Services Livraria.

Houaiss, A. (2015). Grammar conception.

Larsen, D. F. (1997). Grammar and its teaching: Challenging the myths.

Luce, M. S. (2009). Task-based foreign language teaching: a project with film reviews.
Dissertation (Master of Arts) – Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre.

Mioto, C., Silva, M.C.F., Lopes, R.E.V. (2007). New syntax manual. 3rd ed. Florianópolis: Editora
Insular.

Pinto, J. (2011). Task-based language teaching and focus on form: contributions to PL2 teaching
in Cape Verde. Lingvarvm Arena, v.2, p.27-41.

Rodrigues, D. F. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in English as a foreign language classes: a case

study. In: Research in applied linguistics: Teaching and learning a foreign language. São
Paulo: Unesp.

Zilberman, R. (1988). Reading: History and Society. São Paulo: Ideas Series.

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