[quote=“IYouThem”]Q: After reading these sentences, do you feel that it is, or it is not necessary (at the appropriate time or level) to explain the grammar of the following example when teaching English?
Ex:
a) Swimming is great exercise.
b) I am swimming in a sea of confusion.
c) I was thrown into a swimming pool.
d) Everything’s going just swimmingly.
In a), “swimming” is a noun (and the Subject). In b), it’s a verb (and/or may be an Object). In c) it’s an adjective. In d) it’s an adverb.
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I get the feeling that you are just starting out this stuff so I’ll try to explain it the way I wish it was explained to me when I started out.
First off, in “b,” swimming is DEFINITELY NOT an object, it is part of the verb phrase “is swimming.” In “I am tired of swimming” the noun “swimming” is the object of “of,” but in “I am swimming” it combines with “am” to tell what the subject IS DOING. It’s part of a verb phrase.
Yes, it is appropriate to teach all this grammar at the appropriate time or level, but what is the appropriate time or level? That is not really such a trick question. The appropriate time or level is when they already have it half assed understood and are still making mistakes with it, or when they start to become curious and start asking about it. Failing those two conditions, the time to teach it is never probably.
(You definitely DON’T want to burden people with grammar explanations until they are pretty well familiar with the vocabulary, that is, have seen it used many times and have a pretty good idea what it meant. Often your best tool there is translation, for example “Youyong shi hen hao de yundong” (hope I got that right) for “swimming is good excercise” and “ta zai youyong” for "he is swimming. Tons of repitition after that. Swimming is good exercise. Is walking good exercise? Yes, walking is good execrcise? Is drinking beer good exercise? No, drinking beer is not good exercise, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
If you have done that and they are still having trouble with it (they won’t) or they ask about it (they won’t) then maybe teach it as a grammatical concept.
Your example number two adds a metaphor that “might” confuse people, if it does take it out, though it probably won’t.
DEMONSTRATE the present progressive. I am bouncing a ball (you really are.) Say, “I am bouncing a ball.” Ask, "Are you/ is he/ is she bouncing a ball? Etc. etc. etc.
The ing form of verbs can be the subject or object of a sentence. Subjects are things. Things are nouns, even if they are abstract things or things that are the names of activities.
The ing form of verbs can be used as adjectives. You swim in a swimming pool but wade in a wading pool. They are both pools. “Swimming” and “wading” describe the noun “pool.” Words that describe nouns are adjectives. The ing form can’t be used as an adjective in a sentence like the adjective “hot” is used in a sentence like “She is hot,” because in the sentence “She is swimming,” “is swimming” tells what she IS DOING, it’s a verb phrase.
The “swimmingly” example is a rare usage (a lot of what you, as a native speaker, think is common is actually rarer than you imagine) so don’t introduce it or explain it unless it is happened upon. If it is happened upon say that it is a metaphorical use of an adverb form. Metaphor is a basic language function that most seem to be familiar with. If you have an assistant tell her to tell them it’s a “biyu de shoufa” meaning “It’s going well.” Explain that adverbs frequently seem to describe entire sentences, as this one does here. You might want to substitute "beautifully’ into the same spot.
I practically NEVER teach any of this stuff explicitly, btw. I will soon start though with one adult because I can tell he is operating on the assumption that he knows a lot about grammar when in fact the ideas “he already has” swimming around in his head are all bits and pieces he picked up listening to people (both western and chinese) who didn’t know what they were talking about. He is quite intelligent and very analytical. I “think” it might make sense trying to sort out the rats nest in his brain but I don’t think for an instant that it will make a spit of difference if he doesn’t actually hear the patterns hundreds or perhaps thousands of times, and if he doesn’t understand both precisely what the words are and what they mean.
[/quote] I figure the odds of such an event are similar to the odds of my encountering a