20150326-Michael Chugani 褚簡寧：又中又英——Religiously, regularly, consistently, or dutifully.
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧：又中又英——Religiously, regularly, consistently, or dutifully.
2015-03-26
How important is grammar? Opinion is split （divided） on the matter. Grammar is religiously taught in Hong Kong schools but not religiously taught in American schools. I recently stumbled across an article on the internet about grammar. The writer, a teacher of English as a second language, discussed whether grammar should be religiously taught. I agree completely with his opinion that grammar is important but should not be the main focus when teaching English as a second language. He pointed out in his article that having a good knowledge of English grammar in itself doesn't mean a person can automatically communicate well in English. I have pointed out many times it is useless to know grammar inside out if you can't speak or write well in English.
If you are religious, it means you believe in a religion, such as Christianity. But the word religiously can also mean regularly, consistently, or dutifully. Grammar is dutifully taught in Hong Kong schools, but in the US, only private schools focus on teaching grammar. Many government schools that provide free education do not. If you stumble across something, it means you come across, or discover something by chance. If you find a wallet full of money while walking in the street, you can say you stumbled across a wallet full of money. To know something inside out means to know about something very well, or thoroughly. I have a friend who knows computers inside out. He knows so much about computers that he even built one for me.
In the article that I came across on the internet, the writer pointed out that some English courses focus so much on grammar that they seem to prepare students to be grammarians rather than users of English. A grammarian is a person who studies and writes about grammar. In the writer's opinion, the main goal of teaching a language as a second language is to make students users of that language, not grammarians. I agree completely. Grammar is important, but do not focus so much on it that you don't learn how to communicate in the language you are learning.
* * *
文法有多重要？這方面一直意見分歧（split）。香港學校都嚴謹地（religiously）教授文法，美國的學校卻沒有怎樣規律地（religiously）教文法。我最近偶爾讀到（stumbled across）網上一篇關於文法的文章，作者是一名教導英語為第二外語的老師，他探討是否應該如此規律地（religiously）教授文法。文法是重要，但當教授英語作為第二外語時，它就不應作為重點。對於他這個見解，我完全同意。他在文中指出，擁有英語文法的上等知識，並不代表那人便可自然而然地用英語好好溝通。我已多次指出，若你不能好好地說或書寫英語，即使你對文法瞭如指掌（inside out），仍是沒用的。
若你是religious，即是說你相信某一宗教（religion），例如基督教。但religiously這個字也可解作恆常地、始終如一或盡責地。香港的學校都盡責地教授文法，但在美國，只有私校才會集中教授文法，許多提供免費教育的官校則不然。若你stumble across something，即你偶爾遇到或發現某事。若你走在街上時發現一個滿是錢的銀包，那你便可以說你stumbled across a wallet full of money。To know something inside out即是徹底地熟知某事，我就有一位朋友對電腦瞭如指掌（inside out）。他對電腦熟悉到一個程度，甚至替我組裝一部出來。
我在網上偶然讀到的那篇文章裏，作者指出有些英語課程過份集中於文法，看來像是訓練學生成為語法學家（grammarians）多於英語使用者。Grammarian就是研究文法的學者。在作者而言，教授某種語言成為第二語言的主要目標，就是令學生成為該語言的使用者而非語法學家（grammarians）。我完全同意。文法固然重要，但不應過度專注其上，以免你學了卻不懂怎樣用該語言來溝通。mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
2015-03-26
How important is grammar? Opinion is split （divided） on the matter. Grammar is religiously taught in Hong Kong schools but not religiously taught in American schools. I recently stumbled across an article on the internet about grammar. The writer, a teacher of English as a second language, discussed whether grammar should be religiously taught. I agree completely with his opinion that grammar is important but should not be the main focus when teaching English as a second language. He pointed out in his article that having a good knowledge of English grammar in itself doesn't mean a person can automatically communicate well in English. I have pointed out many times it is useless to know grammar inside out if you can't speak or write well in English.
If you are religious, it means you believe in a religion, such as Christianity. But the word religiously can also mean regularly, consistently, or dutifully. Grammar is dutifully taught in Hong Kong schools, but in the US, only private schools focus on teaching grammar. Many government schools that provide free education do not. If you stumble across something, it means you come across, or discover something by chance. If you find a wallet full of money while walking in the street, you can say you stumbled across a wallet full of money. To know something inside out means to know about something very well, or thoroughly. I have a friend who knows computers inside out. He knows so much about computers that he even built one for me.
In the article that I came across on the internet, the writer pointed out that some English courses focus so much on grammar that they seem to prepare students to be grammarians rather than users of English. A grammarian is a person who studies and writes about grammar. In the writer's opinion, the main goal of teaching a language as a second language is to make students users of that language, not grammarians. I agree completely. Grammar is important, but do not focus so much on it that you don't learn how to communicate in the language you are learning.
* * *
文法有多重要？這方面一直意見分歧（split）。香港學校都嚴謹地（religiously）教授文法，美國的學校卻沒有怎樣規律地（religiously）教文法。我最近偶爾讀到（stumbled across）網上一篇關於文法的文章，作者是一名教導英語為第二外語的老師，他探討是否應該如此規律地（religiously）教授文法。文法是重要，但當教授英語作為第二外語時，它就不應作為重點。對於他這個見解，我完全同意。他在文中指出，擁有英語文法的上等知識，並不代表那人便可自然而然地用英語好好溝通。我已多次指出，若你不能好好地說或書寫英語，即使你對文法瞭如指掌（inside out），仍是沒用的。
若你是religious，即是說你相信某一宗教（religion），例如基督教。但religiously這個字也可解作恆常地、始終如一或盡責地。香港的學校都盡責地教授文法，但在美國，只有私校才會集中教授文法，許多提供免費教育的官校則不然。若你stumble across something，即你偶爾遇到或發現某事。若你走在街上時發現一個滿是錢的銀包，那你便可以說你stumbled across a wallet full of money。To know something inside out即是徹底地熟知某事，我就有一位朋友對電腦瞭如指掌（inside out）。他對電腦熟悉到一個程度，甚至替我組裝一部出來。
我在網上偶然讀到的那篇文章裏，作者指出有些英語課程過份集中於文法，看來像是訓練學生成為語法學家（grammarians）多於英語使用者。Grammarian就是研究文法的學者。在作者而言，教授某種語言成為第二語言的主要目標，就是令學生成為該語言的使用者而非語法學家（grammarians）。我完全同意。文法固然重要，但不應過度專注其上，以免你學了卻不懂怎樣用該語言來溝通。mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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