An interview with GrammarBob

This mock interview is an edited rendition of a conversation I had with a colleague English language teacher who wanted to know more about me and what I do.?

Why the name GrammarBob, Leon?

Truth be told, it's been the working title of a project that started well over ten years ago. The name stuck and eventually became an alter ego of sorts. There's a new name for the project though: grammarCORE.

Is it all about English grammar?

No, so don't be fooled by the name. It's all about promoting effective language teaching and inspiring teachers of English. My focus happens to be on making the grammar part more efficient and more palatable.??

Surely there must be more exciting things to focus on than grammar?

Absolutely. That's exactly why it's so important to limit the amount of grammar in language teaching, especially for beginners. Learners should develop their feeling and preferably love for English. That'll never happen if there's too much focus on grammar points that are relatively unimportant but can be difficult and frustrating.?

What's wrong with grammar, in your opinion?

The main problem lies with how coursebooks present grammar, how teachers introduce grammar, and how students experience grammar. If you start out on the wrong foot, that influences the entire journey.

Fortunately, more and more language teachers are adopting a lexical approach. At the same time, however, certain grammar books based on traditional methods are more popular than ever. Schools require their teachers to use those books; inexperienced teachers turn to them for support. That way, a flawed system perpetuates itself.

So you support a lexical approach yet focus on grammar. Isn't that contradictory?

No, not at all. It's about finding the right balance between too much grammar and too little. I've made it my thing to talk about which grammar matters most, but I believe in lexical approaches to learning English. As Lexical Lab's Hugh Dellar puts it: "Without grammar you can say little, but without vocabulary you can say nothing."

Could you give an example?

Well, it's about structuring words and expressions into sentences, and it's about ways of getting that across to language learners. One of my favourite comparisons is to driving lessons. You'll only become a proficient driver by practising a lot, which means getting out on the road. But before jumping into traffic, you should at least know which side of the road to drive on.?That's what essential grammar does: it shows the crucial points of language structure. Armed with those, you should practise using real language instead of doing boring exercises.

So I think this is the real issue: are you describing the rules of English, or are you helping learners? The first centres on grammatical structure too much, as if English learners are all little linguists and grammarians. They're not. They want to communicate in English and couldn't care less about abstract rules. So there's a significant difference between explaining grammar rules or handing learners the essential tools for getting to grips with the language.?

And what do you consider essential for learning English??

What sets English apart from other languages are its word order and its use of verb forms. Those typical patterns define the structure of English. If it were only a matter of using different words, then language learning would be relatively easy. Without the essentials, however, you'd be speaking any other language but with English words.?

You name two grammar points, so how can you have only one rule?

That's the magic of this One Rule, SvVOPT: it includes both. It shows English word order as well as the typical pattern of verb forms.

And what about all other English grammar rules, don't they matter?

SvVOPT rules because the patterns of word order and verb forms are essential. That's not to say that other grammar points aren't at all important, but students will acquire them over time.?

When taught explicitly, most grammar is frustrating for students as well as for teachers. And then there's the jargon, with common words that happen to mean something completely different in grammar. The more confusing jargon you use, the more frustrating it gets.

So what can we expect of Leon Lentz and GrammarCORE?

My GrammarBob motto has always been"to boldly go where no grammar has gone before and make essential English grammar easy for all."?Yes, inspired by Star Trek. Over the years, what started as GrammarBob has evolved into grammarCORE: a grammar Concept for One-Rule English. It aims to make a vital difference.?

What difference is that?

I'm proposing a healthy balance between too much grammar and too little or none at all. From the feedback I get, I know that many teachers are struggling to find that balance. Too much is frustrating and doesn't help. Too little ignores the typical patterns that shape the English language.?

Having seen how my one-rule helps English learners, I hope that English teachers will adopt this approach. So the new online courses that I'm writing are for teachers who really want to empower their students - and themselves - with less yet more effective grammar.?

Thank you, Leon. Any famous last words?

Well, I could repeat that SvVOPT rules, that this one rule gives you a solid foundation in English and that less is more when it comes to grammar. But most of all, I wish to inspire fellow English teachers. So I hope they'll read my articles and let me know what they think.?

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My continuing mission: to boldly go where no grammar has gone before and make essential English grammar easy for all

leonsgcore = Leon's grammarCORE: I help English language teachers discover how a radically new approach to grammar will empower them and their students