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Graduate Diploma TESOL Module 4 Essays

The document outlines the requirements for submitting essays and work for Module 4 of the Graduate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. It includes a selection of essay topics in Section A related to grammar, pronunciation, and teaching challenges, as well as various mini-questions in Section B that cover phonemic transcription, morphemes, and semantic differences. Students are instructed to follow specific formatting guidelines and provide detailed responses to demonstrate their understanding of the material.

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17 views5 pages

Graduate Diploma TESOL Module 4 Essays

The document outlines the requirements for submitting essays and work for Module 4 of the Graduate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. It includes a selection of essay topics in Section A related to grammar, pronunciation, and teaching challenges, as well as various mini-questions in Section B that cover phonemic transcription, morphemes, and semantic differences. Students are instructed to follow specific formatting guidelines and provide detailed responses to demonstrate their understanding of the material.

Uploaded by

nasik5540
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Graduate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - Module 4

ESSAYS AND WORK TO BE SUBMITTED

You should submit one essay from section A and all the parts of section B.

Please write or type on A4 size paper, leaving a margin on the left for any
comments your tutor may wish to make. Start section B on a new sheet of
paper.

SECTION A

1 What is the place of grammar in language teaching?


How necessary is it for a teacher of English as a Foreign
Language to have a knowledge of English
grammar? How necessary is it for the teacher to have
a knowledge of the grammar of the students’
language or languages?

2 Outline some of the difficulties for learners of English posed by the


English verbs system, both in form and meaning. Suggest steps a
teacher might take to overcome these difficulties.

3 Describe the specific difficulties in English pronunciation met by a


group of learners known to you.

SECTION B

Answer all mini questions.

N.B. If you are not using the same phonemic transcription as we use in Unit 4,
please indicate the source of yours. Also indicate if you are using American
or other standard pronunciation, and the source of the phonemes.

4 A What are these words in normal English script?

/naɪf/ /mɪθɒlədʒɪ/ /aɪlənd/ /kjʊə/ /jʊmərəs/

/əkwaɪə/ /ɪgzæmɪneɪʃən/ /jʊni:k/ /θættʃ/


B Write these words in a phonemic transcription:

thumb, weather, deserve, knights,


walked, stupid, houses, watching,
shoelace, United States of America.

C Distinguish very briefly between phonetics and phonology

D Write this sentence in normal script:

/ælɪs wəs bɪgɪnɪŋ təget verɪ taɪəd əv sɪtɪŋ baɪ hə sɪstə ɒn ðə bæŋk ənd əv
hævɪŋ nʌθiŋ tədʊ: : wʌns ə twaɪs ʃi: həd pi:pt ɪntu: ðə bʊk hə sɪstə wəz
ri:dɪŋ bʌt ɪt hæd naʊ pɪktʃəz ɔ: kɒnvəseɪʃə nz ɪn ɪt ənd wɒt ɪz ðə jʊ:s əv ə bʊk
θɔ:t ælɪs wɪðaʊt pɪktʃəz ɔ: kɒnvəseɪʃənz/

E In the third line of the passage in D, had occurs twice, once


transcribed /həd/ and once /hæd/.

What is the phonological reason why?

F Write this sentence in a phonemic script.

Mrs Thatcher flew to New York to have talks with


President Reagan - is is REEgan or RAYgan, by the way?

G Write down some minimal pairs which distinguish the sounds

i) /f/ and /v/


ii) / θ/ and /f/
iii) / æ/ and /ai/
iv) /ɒ/ and /ɔ:/

H Would you teach your


Elementary class bucket
or a pail , or would you teach
both words, and why?
I What is the mistake in
each of these sentences? If
you can, suggest how it might
have arisen.

i) One speaks English here. (On a


notice outside a shop) ii) No one of them
answered my letters.
iii) He’s used up all
what I gave him. iv)
After lunch we went to
shopping.
v) I have finished the composition this morning.
vi) Please take your dinner with us.
vii) I didn’t ate it because I am not eating pork.
viii) We enjoyed so much at the beach. ix) The driver damaged his arm and
three passengers were destroyed.
Only one was not
wounded in the accident. x)
She leaves in an apartment.

J How transparent do you feel these words are,


supposing students know at least one meaning of
the constituent morphemes:

firework; lamppost; right-hand man; half-


heartedly; left-winger; birthday card; leave out;
good-looking;
first-class; make off with

K Describe as precisely as you can what happens


(in manner and place of articulation) when saying
the phrase Queen of Spades.

L How many embedded sentences are there in


the following sentences? If you can, analyze
them by means of a tree diagram or any other way.
Comment on the overall complexity

i) Alice was just beginning to think to


herself, ‘Now, what am I to
do with this creature when I get it home?’
when it grunted again, so
violently, that she looked down into
its face in some alarm.

ii)This time there could be no mistake


about it: it was neither more
nor less than a pig, and she felt that it
would be quite absurd for her to carry
it any farther.

M The following passage from


‘The History of Mr Polly’
contains a number of words
which are surely beyond
a 20,000 word vocabulary. They
have been changed into
nonsense words so that you are
in the same position as an
advanced student reading the
book. What can you deduce
from the context (including
grammatical clues) about
the italicized words?

Slowly, argumentatively, and reluctantly,


Uncle Jim waded downstream. He tried threats,
he tried persuasion, he even tried a belated note of
pandon; Mr Polly remained insollerable, if in
secret a little perplexed as to the outcome of the
situation. ‘This cold’s getting to my lunner!’ said Uncle
Jim.
‘You want cooling. You keep out in it,’
said Mr Polly. They came round the bend
into sight of Nicholson’s lat, where the backwater
runs down to the Potwell Mill. And there, after
much furdor and several wainds, Uncle Jim made a
desperate effort and struggled into the clutch of the
overhanging morriers on the island, and so got out
of the water, with the mil-stream between them.
He emerged dripping and muddy with
poldentive. ‘By Gaw!’ he said.
‘I’ll skin you for this!’

N Explain the difference between


the following pairs of
sentences. Are there any pronunciation differences?

i) She read the letter which upset me.


She read the letter, which upset me.

ii) He keeps his canary in the bathroom.


He keeps his canary in the bathroom?

iii) They went to Austria and Italy.


They went to Austria and Italy ...

O Analyze this sentence into morphemes. Curly


brackets {} are often used to indicate
morphemes, and you can do so if you wish:

First he put his dirty sweater and socks into the


washing machine, then returned to the armchair in
front of the television.

P Are there any differences between the italicized


words?

You have made absolutely no


progress. If you want to progress,
you’ll have to work harder.

Q Is ‘room’ in these sentences one word or two?


Are there any teaching implications?

This room is quite small, we could use it as the office.


There’s not enough room in the case for your dressing gown.

In any language you know, do these


translate into one word or two?

R Give an example of a word in another language,


whose semantic field is different from the
nearest English equivalent. How do they
differ in meaning, and would the
difference pose any problem for a learner (of
English or the other language)?

Common questions

Powered by AI

The variations in pronunciation of 'had' (/həd/ vs /hæd/) are due to weak and strong form usage within context. The weak form (/həd/) is typically used in unstressed positions or when the auxiliary verb is in a contracted form with the following word, while the strong form (/hæd/) occurs when the word is stressed or when expressing contrast or emphasis .

Compound words and phrases such as 'firework' or 'good-looking' can pose semantic challenges because ESL learners may struggle with the non-literal meanings or cultural nuances involved. 'Firework' does not directly indicate anything related to work but rather pyrotechnics. Similarly, 'good-looking' involves an idiomatic understanding of attractiveness beyond the literal meanings of 'good' and 'looking'. This requires learners to move beyond literal translations, understanding cultural and contextual connotations .

To teach minimal pairs, educators can use auditory discrimination exercises where students identify and repeat pairs, contextual sentence drills that use words in minimal pairs, and mouth positioning guides to emphasize the physical articulation of sounds. Ensuring minimal pairs are practiced with high-frequency use in realistic dialogue enhances retention and understanding .

The difference lies in the presence of the comma, which changes the restrictive clause ('which upset me' is essential to identify the letter) to a non-restrictive clause (the act of reading upset the speaker). This alters the sentence meaning and intonation pattern, highlighting the importance of teaching punctuation alongside pronunciation to convey intended meanings in English .

Learners face challenges with the English verb system due to complex tenses, irregular verbs, and aspect differences that do not exist in their native languages. These difficulties include understanding the nuances between continuous and simple tenses and mastering irregular verb forms in past tenses. Teachers can employ strategies like context-based teaching, using timelines to visually demonstrate verb aspects, and creating exercises that focus on common irregular verbs .

Understanding 'progress' as a noun ('no progress') versus 'to progress' as a verb ('want to progress') is crucial because it affects sentence structure and meaning. ESL learners need to learn how word forms change syntactic roles and how those changes influence overall sentence meaning, impacting their ability to accurately comprehend and produce English sentences .

The sentence from Alice in Wonderland contains multiple embedded clauses (e.g., 'when it grunted again', 'that she looked down into its face'). This complexity can be overwhelming for ESL learners. Teaching should involve breaking down sentences into simpler structures and gradually introducing complex ones, using tree diagrams to visually represent clause relationships to enhance understanding .

A teacher's understanding of students' native language grammar can facilitate effective teaching by highlighting potential interlingual interferences and targeting specific grammatical structures that may confuse learners. This knowledge helps in anticipating errors, adjusting explanations, and creating lessons that build on existing linguistic frameworks, thus providing more efficient and relatable instruction .

ESL students may struggle with the consonant cluster /kw/ in 'Queen' and the voiced /z/ at the end of 'Spades'. These are not present in all languages and can lead to mispronunciation. Teachers can mitigate these issues by focusing on phonetic exercises that isolate troublesome sounds, encouraging repetition, and using tongue twisters or minimal pairs to practice correct articulation .

Educators can effectively teach 'room' by contextually differentiating its meanings, using visual aids to demonstrate 'room' as a physical space (a room in a house) versus 'room' as space available (room in a box). Role-playing and contextual sentence practices can help highlight these differences, ensuring learners grasp the varied applications in conversation .

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