01. Introduction

Welcome to English 2200!

What is English 2200?
Why English 2200?

A little task

How do we form questions in English?
How would you make the following statements into questions using tags?

  • Joe ate the pizza, didn’t he?
  • He didn’t have any food, _____?
  • Mel and Jerry never study, _____?
  • The students have worked hard, _____?
  • Mr. Jones won’t give us a raise, _____?

What are the steps we did automatically?

What will this course help you do?

  • Recognize what is grammatical (spot the rules)
  • Write grammatically
  • Help others to express themselves in the best way possible

Course objectives

  • Understand and be able to accurately use terms and concepts related to morphology and syntax
  • Be able to analyze the major grammatical structures of English
  • Be able to explain grammar influences and uses

By the end of the course, you can do this: Screenshot 2024-08-27 133117

Introduce yourself!

  • Your name
  • Your major
  • Any fun fact about you?
  • What do you think of this course so far?

Some requirements

  • Prerequisite: English 2500
  • Access to Canvas
  • Textbook: Altenberg, E. P., & Vago, R. M. (2010). English grammar: Understanding the basics. Cambridge University Press.
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Attendance

If you have to miss class, you must inform your instrcutor. Missing class without notice will take points away.

Tips for success

  • Make note of assessment dates
  • Check your emails
  • Use this Github page as recaps
  • Don’t wait until the last minute
  • Review diagrams and take quizzes
  • Ask questions

Diagnostic quiz

Do the diagnostic quiz on Canvas.

Study of grammar

Questions to discuss

  1. Before this course, how would you define what “grammar” is?
  2. Do you know someone who is a strict “grammar police”? Do you agree with them? Why?
  3. Can you think of any expressions you use now that a different generation might not understand?
  4. Can you think of any expressions that someone from a different geographic area uses but you find awkward?
  5. Share a time when you criticized or were criticized because of your language use. What was it that made the language nonstandard — was it an error or a dialect difference? Do you feel the correction was appropriate?
  6. How should language teachers handle dialect differences in the classroom?

Pick a few questions to discussion with people around you!

Homework