Grammar Dimensions 4. [antikvár]

From the Series Director To the Teacher ABOUT THE SERIES Grammar Dimensions, Second Edition is a comprehensive and dynamic, four-level series designed to introduce English-as-a-second or foreign language students to the form, meaning, and use of English grammatical structures with a communicative orientation. The series has been designed to meet the needs of students from the beginning to advanced levels and includes the following: • Grammar Dimensions, Book 1 beginning/high beginning • Grammar Dimensions, Book 2 intermediate • Grammar Dimensions, Book 3 high intermediate • Grammar Dimensions, Book 4 advanced The textbooks are supplemented by workbooks, cassettes, instructor's manuals with tests, and a CD-ROM entitled Grammar 3D. THE STORY OF GRAMMAR DIMENSIONS Everywhere 1 went teachers would ask me, "What is the role of grammar in a communicative approach?" These teachers recognized the importance of teaching grammar, but they associated grammar with form and communication with meaning, and thus could not see how the two easily fit together Grammar Dimensions was created to help teachers and students appreciate the fact that grammar is not just about form. While grammar does indeed involve form, in order to communicate, language users also need to know what the forms mean and when to use them appropriately. In fact, it is sometimes learning the meaning or appropriate use of a particular grammar structure that represents the greatest long-term learning challenge for students, not learning to form it. For instance, learning when it is appropriate to use the present perfect tense instead of the past tense, or being able to use two-word or phrasal verbs meaningfully represent formidable learning challenges for ESL students.