Re: Grammar Friends 2 Teacher's Book 20
Niki Wienberg
Notice the gap ("__(i)") in the relative clause. That gap could sorta be filled by the word "them" (in meaning only, though, not physically), and so, that gap has the function of object in that relative clause. And there is a link from that gap to the relative word "who/that/whom", and a link from that relative word to the noun "friends". They are all linked together.
Now, in a traditional grammar perspective, the expected "correct" answer might be the one expecting the relative word "whom", which is in accusative case. Teachers often want that because a pronoun that functions as an object is usually expected to be in accusative case.
Because the relative word is fronted (in front of the relative clause), we native English speakers will very often use the relative word "who" here instead of "whom". The relative word "who" is in nominative case, which is usually the case of pronouns that function as subject in a clause. Since the corresponding gap is not functioning as subject (rather, it is functioning as object), traditional grammars tend to frown on this type of usage.
Some modern grammars (such as the 2002 CGEL) would consider the relative word "that" in your example sentence to be a marker of subordination, not a pronoun. And so, that eliminates entirely the old bogus argument put forth by pedants that the pronoun "that" shouldn't be used to refer to people -- and by the way, the pedants were wrong on that point too.
If you're in an argument, er, disagreement, with your teacher on this, then you can get some grammatical support from the 2002 reference grammar by Huddleston and Pullum et al., The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL).
Back in the days of yore, one would never say my friends who...; it was always my friends that.. But the word that had more forms to it, which, at least approximately, allowed there to be a distinction between people and objects. Take the following chart:
But which did not feel sufficiently animate, and so the speakers of English again searched for a new word. This is obvious in that the man which is very rare, if not outright incorrect, in Modern English. Eventually people decided upon who/whom for the job. In fact, who/whom almost so utterly pushed out that that, in many grammars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, who/whom and which were listed as the proper words to use, with that being considered obsolete. We all know, however, that that was not content to be pushed to the side, as it now seems to be the commonest of the four words.
The series was written to support the syllabus of Family and Friends but is an ideal supplement to any Primary English course. There are lots of controlled activities to help children improve their written grammar.
Children meet new grammar within everyday contexts they are familiar with, such as family or friends of the same age. This means because they know the vocabulary it makes it much easier to concentrate on the grammar.
Discusses the basics of composing solid paragraphs and essays in preparation for freshman composition. Covers finding one's own writing process, writing essays based on one's own experience and perceptions, and writing essays involving texts and research. Emphasizes grammar, proofreading, and peer review. Useful for review of competencies 4, 6, and 7.
Provides coverage of the writing process, grammar and usage, research and documentation. Also presents discussions of critical reading, academic writing, reading and writing arguments, writing in the disciplines, and public writing. Useful for review of competency 1.
Midway through the first day she turned to one of the African American students and said something to the effect of 'you should just drop my class now.' Being in a small town, racism wasn't anything new to us. When we got our first assignments back another infuriating occurrence happened. Nearly every white student received an A on their first paper. Some of these were read aloud, in which sentences like 'and I ain't even met him yet' were dictated from some of the older white females. Their incorrect grammar was ignored, their grades did NOT reflect their ability or effort. One of the African American students read a *perfect* paragraph of his paper. He had beautiful word fluency, sentence structure, and no errors that stood out to me (or anyone sitting near me). His grade was a low C.
A critical friend is a person or organization outside a classroom, school, or program who provides guidance and feedback (e.g., on instruction or professional development). This small-scale study of head teachers and their critical friends was conducted in the United Kingdom to better understand the dynamics of the critical friend relationship. The article includes a review of the literature on critical friend relationships in schools and lists the work, conduct, and characteristics of a critical friend. The findings of the study emphasize the collegiality and support as well as the critical eye that a critical friend brings, and highlight the importance of both participants in the critical pair relationship, which is shaped by the actions and personalities of the partners.
Just as we have to provide time for students to write, we have to help students develop fluency in writing. Students who struggle with handwriting, spelling, grammar, and typing have a difficult time getting their ideas down on paper. They spend too much effort on executing the mechanics of writing. Think about a time when you were writing and struggling to come up with the spelling for a word. You likely ended up using a shorter, more well-known word. Such an experience may have interrupted your writing process. Students who spend too much time on mechanics will not achieve as much productive writing as their more fluent peers. Therefore, it is important to teach and have students practice skills such as handwriting and word processing.
Another way to engage students with writing is to let them choose their own topics. There is no doubt that it is necessary for students to develop skills for writing to a prompt, but this does not need to be the goal for every writing assignment. Students who are given some opportunities to choose topics tend to be more motivated writers. They begin to look for opportunities to share what they are learning through writing. For example, Henry, a kindergartener, loves snakes. He reads about them all the time at home and decided he wanted to share what he knew about snakes with his peers. He wrote his own field guide about local snakes and shared it at school. This is one example of a motivated and engaged student that ended up reading and synthesizing information into writing that his young friends could read and enjoy.
Some of my friends, colleagues and tandem-partners have been beginners in German. It depends on what they have needed, I have taught them to introduce themselves, to know basics in the grammar, to learn German by speaking and listening.
Intensive German was especially for tandem-partners who intended to travel or live in a German-speaking region. We looked at everyday situations, and often they wanted me to teach them vocabulary and grammar.
YES! Look, I don't know about everyone who joins the program, but for me and my friends that I made through CIEE, teaching was not originally the plan. We all majored in other things, I studied art, my friend Nina studied Psychology. Even though teaching is what I wanted to do with my art degree, I still had no clue how to teach, and how to teach these students things like grammar. I felt 100 times more confident in my ability to teach an English class after getting my TEFL certificate. I learned a lot about how I like to learn, how I can help others learn, the basics of lesson planning and received a crash course on English grammar. My schools growing up never taught me grammar, and without my certification, when asked in Spain to teach the kids about zero conditionals, I wouldn't have known exactly what to do. It was an investment into my future, I can now work freelance as an ESL teacher, and work at schools in my state too. Spain is an incredible place, filled with some of the kindest and welcoming people. It is a country everyone should visit at least once, and I have been beyond blessed to have been able to live there for a year, learn the language and embrace the culture. The students are so happy to have people from outside of Spain come and share their language and culture with them. It really is an experience of a lifetime.
What advice would you offer to future TEFL students / Teach Abroad participants?
To future TEFL students, this is an investment into yourself, into a career that can really make a difference in the lives of so many. If you're considering getting certified, just know it'll be worth it. The certificate never expires, and there are several countries for you to go, and so many opportunities! I received a job offer to go to Greece for 6 months through the CIEE TEFL Facebook group, and I see people post cool jobs around the world every day there. To Teach Abroad participants, know that wherever you are going, you're making a difference. While something as simple as speaking your own language to others may seem like nothing to you, these students are so appreciative of your presence. I will miss my students with all my heart, and I am so thankful for taking this opportunity. Teach Abroad has given me incredible job experience, great references, contacts, options for future jobs, and friends for life. If you are scared to move to another country to teach, just know that you will always have a support system. My advice to those considering it: Seek Discomfort! Say yes! To my fellow recent grads with no clue what comes after graduation: apply to CIEE. Teach abroad gives you the option to travel, make money, make a difference, gain job experience, network, and for some of us, figure out what we truly wish to be. I ended up falling in love with teaching, and am now pursuing teaching as a career. Thank you Spain, my kiddos, and CIEE.
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