Grammar Theories and Teaching Approaches Worksheet

A teacher asks students to repeat sentences such as “I am reading,” “I am writing,” and “I am studying” several times in order to help them internalize the grammatical structure. Which theory best explains this teaching approach?

• Cognitive Grammar

• Behaviorist Theory of Grammar Learning

• Communicative Grammar

• Universal Grammar

A student says, “She go to school every day,” and then pauses to correct the sentence to “She goes to school every day” after recalling a grammar rule. Which theory explains this process?

• Monitor Hypothesis

• Structural Grammar

• Cognitive Grammar

• Universal Grammar

A linguistics professor argues that children can acquire complex grammar even with limited language input because they are born with an innate linguistic ability. Which theory does this statement reflect?

• Structural Linguistics

• Communicative Grammar

• Universal Grammar

• Behaviorism

A language teacher organizes grammar lessons around sentence patterns such as “Subject + Verb + Object” and asks students to practice variations of the pattern. Which perspective does this reflect?

• Structural Perspective of Grammar

• Cognitive Grammar

A grammar book states that sentences should not end with prepositions and recommends rewriting "Who are you talking to?" as "To whom are you talking?" What type of grammar approach is this?

• Descriptive Grammar

• Structural Grammar

• Prescriptive Grammar

• Cognitive Grammar

A linguist studies how people actually use language in everyday conversations rather than judging whether their grammar is correct. What approach is this?

• Prescriptive Grammar

• Descriptive Grammar

• Behaviorist Grammar

• Structural Grammar

A teacher explains grammar using the dimensions of form, meaning, and use when presenting the present progressive tense. Which scholar strongly supports this approach?

• Stephen Krashen

• Diane Larsen-Freeman

• Ronald Langacker

• Charles Fries

A lesson on prepositions focuses on how words like "over," "above," and "across" reflect different conceptual ways of viewing spatial relationships. Which theory supports this teaching approach?

• Descriptive Grammar

• Structural Grammar

• Grammar Pragmatics

• Transformational Grammar

Which theory focuses on the mental processes involved in learning grammar?

• Behaviorism

• Cognitive Grammar

• Structural Grammar

• Universal Grammar

Students participate in a discussion activity answering the question, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” while practicing conditional grammar structures. Which teaching perspective does this illustrate?

• Structural Grammar

• Communicative Perspective of Grammar

• Prescriptive Grammar

• Behaviorist Grammar