HIGH INTERMEDIATE GRAMMAR

LEVEL B
ESL 025 02
SPRING 2009

Instructor: Andrew English

Office: 417
Telephone: 617 427 0060 X5120
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:10-8:30 & 10:30-11:20, Tuesday
and Thursday 8:10-8:30 or by appointment.
Class Schedule: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11:30-12:20, Room 105
email: aenglish@rcc.mass.edu

Course Description: This is the second grammar course of the academic ESOL sequence
and is designed for students with a high-intermediate level of comprehension and
knowledge of English grammar. Students will analyze the rules of English grammar,
learn to recognize and use a greater variety of grammar structures and verb tenses, and
differentiate each of these verb tenses from the other. This course does not satisfy degree
requirements.
Prerequisite: ESL 015, ESL 05011, or placement test
Credits: 6

Required Texts:
- Grammar In Use Intermediate, second edition by Raymond Murphy with William R.
Smazler, Cambridge University Press., NY, 2001, ISBN 0-521-62597-1

Additional Materials:
- Teacher authored materials
- Videotapes
- Audio materials found in the language lab
- Focus on Grammar program found in the language lab

Course Topics and Tentative Course Schedule:

The following 14 units will be covered in this course. We will spend approximately 1
week on each unit. Tests will be given periodically throughout the semester. Students will
be told of the test dates well in advance. This schedule may be modified according to the
pace and needs of the class. There will be a Final Exam the week of May 8-13, 2009.

Unit 1 Be- Simple present tense, questions, negatives, and tag questions
Unit 2 Simple present tense, questions, negatives, and tag questions
Unit 3 Present continuous tense, questions, negatives, and tag questions
Unit 4 Future tense (will and going to, full form and contractions),
questions, negatives, and tag questions
Unit 5 Simple past tense, regular and irregular, questions, negatives, and
tag questions

Andrew English, Roxbury Community College, Wednesday, February 11, 2009

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Unit 6 Past Continuous, questions, negatives, and tag questions
Unit 7 Present perfect and present perfect continuous
Unit 8 Modal and semi-modal verbs (must, would, have to, ought to,
might, may in positive and negative sentences)
Unit 9 Comparative and superlative adjectives, and complex
comparisons (asas, less than)
Unit 10 Future real conditional (If you come, I will be happy)
Unit 11 Prepositions of time and place
Unit 12 Make vs. do
Unit 13 Reported speech
Unit 14 Adjective clauses

Teaching Procedures: A variety of methods will be used in this class. The language lab
will be used, especially Focus on Grammar computer programs. Students will be
expected to answer and generate questions about stories from newspapers and other
publications and discuss their content as well as identifying structures learned. Students
will be expected to summarize orally material that they have read. Students will work
regularly in pairs and/or small groups and report back to the class as a whole.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:
ask for and give clarification
explain situations in writing and ask for explanations
give and understand directions
express opinions- spoken and written
give and acknowledge advice
request permission- in writing and orally
recall and describe past events- juxtaposing time
write questions

Andrew English, Roxbury Community College, Wednesday, February 11, 2009

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 STRUCTURES

TO BE MASTERED: TO BE INTRODUCED:
1. simple present tense, present 1. present perfect tense
continuous tense, simple past 2. present perfect continuous tense
tense, future tense 3. make vs. do
2. questions and negatives, including 4. reported speech
tag questions 5. future continuous
3. comparatives and superlatives 6. present unreal conditional
4. complex comparisons (asas, less 7. adjective clauses
than)
5. modal and semi-modal verbs
(must, would, have to, ought to,
might, may in positive and
negative sentences)
6. prepositions of time and place
7. future real conditional

Evaluation: Grades will depend on the amount and quality of the work done by the
student. A passing grade of D represents a minimum of 70% mastery of objectives.
Your final grade will be evaluated in the following manner:

Grammar Tests :40%

Final Exam :15%
Oral Performance :30%
Homework :15%

Tentative Test Schedule: Tests will be given periodically throughout the semester,
approximately every three weeks. Students will be told of the test dates well in advance.
This schedule may be modified according to the pace and needs of the class. There will
be a Final Exam the week of May 8-13, 2009.

Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all classes. Students who miss more
than 6 classes may not receive a passing grade for this course.

Observations: Classes will meet promptly at 11:30. Students are expected to attend all
classes. Attendance will be taken every day. Attendance is extremely important since in
each class various grammatical points will be discussed. If you are absent it is your
responsibility to find out the assignment(s) and to complete it by the date it is due.
Frequent or prolonged absences (or lateness) may affect your grade and consequently
your Financial Aid.

English is the only language to be used in the classroom!

Cell phones are to be turned off during class time!

Andrew English, Roxbury Community College, Wednesday, February 11, 2009

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