Please be advised that I couldn’t be at our English leson. [from Jess]
Type of error
Semantic: unclear meaning.
Student data
Jeremy, male low-intermediate EL. L1: Portuguese, L2: French. Format: e-mail to teacher.
What student did correctly
He knew that he needed a modal in the sentence and knew the right one; he recognized the need for a formal register in speaking to the teacher; he used the proper contraction for his chosen modal; and he got the word order right.
Interlanguage system
Perhaps he doesn’t fully understand the meaning of the modal “can.” He understands, however, the modal’s form and use. Or, as a speaker of two languages, he does know the meaning as well, and may be guessing at the lexical item based on what he knows, slipping up on the tense.
Corrected error
[?Please be advised] that I can’t be at our English class.
Ways to help avoid or overcome errors of this type
Work with the form / meaning / use model. Elicit what he knows about its form and when we use it. And then get him to think about the meaning. And fit related modals into the FMU model to reinforce.
You must to ask a question. [from Gen]
Type of error
Adding infinitive form of verb following a modal.
Student data
Maria, female El Salvadoran student, age unknown, writing assignment.
What student did correctly
She understands the meaning of the modal and has its auxiliary form correct (“must ask”), as well as the proper use of the direct object and its article.
Interlanguage system
She is making a common error in confusing the form of the modal auxiliary “must” with its phrasal modal form, “have to.” She is probably generalizing her knowledge of the more common (and informal) form.
Corrected error
You must ask a question.
Ways to help avoid or overcome errors of this type
Comparing the regular modal form with the phrasal form. Solicit examples from Ss: give me sentences with must and with have to. They write them in one of two columns and look for patterns.
Then try it with can and be able to so more patterns emerge. We could make up interesting exercises based on these, but my objective would be to gather data sets that they could start to get the rhythm of.
Grammar Books
For Teachers
- Thornbury (How To Teach Grammar): “Modality, then, is a grammatical means by which interpersonal meaning can be conveyed.”
- The ELT Grammar Book (Firsten) Introduces modals in the present and future several chapters before getting to the past. It has nice simple explanations of the modals, with features like “’May in a Nutshell’” and Troubleshooter tips for Ts: problems we’re likely to come up against. There’s also a section with teaching ideas for each chapter. One fun exercise involves telling fortunes and reading palms, inventing a new game, writing a questionnaire, planning a city, dealing with real-life problems… p 155–157. Good book.*
Texts for Students
- Grammar in Context 2 (Fifth Edition) p 240: “A modal adds meaning to the verb that follows it.” Begins with a list of all modals and phrasal modals. Then gets into negatives, questions, must & its meanings and alternatives, can/may/could & alternates, should/had better, more about must, etc. So, it begins with form and then explores meanings & use (e.g. politeness).
- The New Grammar in Action (Book 2) introduces modals by meaning/use one at a time: First can: statements, negatives, questions; then have to/should; earlier: can could, would for requests.
- Grammar Sense 1: Meaning and use first, with use more clearly defined than in Grammar in Action. E.g.: “May and might for present and future possibility,” “Modals of request and permission,” Modals of advice, necessity and prohibition.”
- Grammar Connection 2 consists of content-based units. Modals are covered first by use: “Business: The Hospitality Industry” covers “Can, may for permission; can, could, would for requests,” etc. P 189, Lesson 25 is Criminology: Forensics and deals with may, might and could for possibility, and will, may, might for future. They use circle the word multiple choices, stories, t/f, complete the sentence, etc.
- Grammar Links 2 is also theme-based. They open a robust chapter with no explanation or overview, but just a reading/listening about language. Then it has Ss put words in one of three columns for past, present and future. Kinda nicely done. Next it introduces another chunk of text to get the form in people’s heads, without prescriptively describing it. Only on the third page does it begin to get to the tables and charts. Then there’s a bunch of form stuff — a lot, and then a cloze…
* Sample lesson plan from this book. Pose some ethical dilemmas: You’ve gotten a scholarship to a four-year college but you can’t bring your spouse, the person you’re engaged to is pressuring you to get married sooner, your father is seriously ill and can longer work, you want to study sociology but your family wants you to be a doctor… Cone prepared with enough of these so Ss can divided into snall groups and use at least three different modals in describing a solution.
My own: Write a play: an American teenager and his/her friend disagreeing with parents on a particular rule. I will not. You must….Give them the modals/present.
From Five-Minute Activities (Ur): Evidence. For can/must: Find a statement like “the school must be on fire.” On S or pair doesn’t know that’s what they’re talking about. The other Ss give clues: I can smell smoke, it’s getting hotter in here, people are jumping out of the window. p. 92: what might you do with it? (might/could): find a simple object and imagine other uses for it.
From Grammar Practice Activities (Ur). Desert Island Equipment. Imagine what you might be shipwrecked with. What would you do with it. I would use a sail for a sheet/dress. Brainstorm vocab first. We could … Could also be a competition to see which team comes up with most uses for set of vocab items.