Introduction to English Grammar (ENG112)

Content

The course introduces students to a descriptive grammar of the English language. Course topics include word classes, types of phrases and clauses, adverbials, the verb system, word order variation, parallelism, and conciseness. Students learn terminology needed to describe these structures and explain their usage. The course also addresses points of difficulty for learners of English, particularly in the use of nouns, pronouns, and determiners, the present, past, and future forms of verbs, the modal verbs, and passive voice. Students also learn strategies to achieve sentence variety, clarity, and conciseness in their academic writing. In the lectures and seminars, students will analyse and discuss English usage in sentences and short written texts.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

• broad knowledge of central themes and methods within the subject area
• broad knowledge of grammatical structures in English

Skills

Students will be able to

• Describe the structure of different types of phrases, clauses, and sentences
• Explain how grammatical forms convey meaning
• Identify points of difficulty for learners of English
• Identify and remedy common errors in English usage
• Explain the correct usage of grammatical structures in English
• Correctly use nouns, pronouns, determiners and the present, past, and future verb forms and modal verbs in active and passive voice
• Write clearer, more concise sentences, making good use of parallel structure
• Use reference works and other resources to improve their spoken and written English

General competence

By the end of the course, the students will be able to:

• Describe the structure of the English language and explain correct usage, using terminology learned in the reading and in the lectures and seminars
• Use a variety of sentence types and write more clearly, concisely, and accurately
• Edit and revise a short document (examples: incident report, e-mail, instructions, story, PowerPoint presentation, etc.)

Required prerequisite knowledge

Required previous knowledge

None.

Recommended prerequisites

The course presupposes a solid command of written and spoken English.

Exam

Coursework requirements

Written midterm assignment

One written assignment

In order to take the exam, students must have passed the obligatory written assignment.

If the assignment is assessed as not approved on the first attempt, students are given one opportunity to submit a revised assignment.

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Allen Clarence Jones

Study Adviser:

Margrethe Melin

Study Adviser:

Anne Marie Nygaard

Method of work

A combination of lectures and group seminars.

Open for

Open course for all students with an active right to study and who meet the requirements for general university admissions certification (GSK).

Course assessment

There must be an early dialogue between the course supervisor, the student union representative and the students. The purpose is feedback from the students for changes and adjustments in the course for the current semester.In addition, a digital course evaluation must be carried out at least every three years. Its purpose is to gather the students experiences with the course.

Literature