AJ1204 Grammar B

Faculty of Education
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Renata Jančaříková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Radek Vogel, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Renata Jančaříková, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Prerequisites
AJ1203 Grammar A || AJ2203 Grammar A
B2 level and higher.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 12 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
'Grammar B' course is designed for the 1st year students as an advanced course consolidating and developing the students' knowledge of English grammar. The course is a continuation of course Grammar A taught in the previous term.
The main objective of the course is to present grammar as a system and study it as a complex whole with focus on functions and meanings and mutual comparison of particular features. The course builds on the students' knowledge of basic linguistic terminology, which they acquired in the previous course. At the end of the course students will be able to:
compare sentences in terms of grammar and meaning as well as compare Czech and English grammar where such comparison is noteworthy;
correct mistakes in sentences and provide correct option(s);
provide explanations and examples of their own;
analyze stretches of language and justify choices of structures, and identify the speaker's attitudes and intentions;
identify the most common problems in the use of English by Czech learners, mainly due to interference of Czech, and learn to apply this knowledge in their future teaching profession.
Full time students only: the lectures present relevant linguistic terminology and theoretical background for the seminars devoted mainly to practice.
Combined students: a two-hour seminar provides both the theoretical background and practice.
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to: - understand and explain the characteristic features of the word classes discussed (nouns, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions);
- observe and explain the use of the grammar points discussed in context;
- give their own examples to show understanding of the grammar issues discussed;
- identify and correct the most common mistakes in grammar;
- compare similar items with focus on their use and meaning;
- understand differences between English and Czech grammar to identify possible problems of Czech learners;
- analyze the functions and aspects of English, thus developing their skills, such as analytic thinking, creativity in designing lessons and teaching materials, and adapting learning content for practical needs, which are qualities essential for teachers.
Syllabus
  • 1. Nouns - introduction - count vs. non-count nouns, grammar vs. meaning (two meanings of the same word, one count, the other non-count); partitives
  • 2. Determiners - introduction - positions of det. in the noun phrase (pre-determiners, central determiners, post-determiners)
  • 3. Articles - article use with common nouns
  • 4. Articles - article use with proper nouns
  • 5. Nouns - number (variable vs. invariable nouns), subject-verb agreement
  • 6. Nouns - gender (marked vs. unmarked), dual gender, common gender, gender markers; case - 's genitive vs. of construction, meanings of 's genitive (possessive, descriptive, etc.)
  • 7. Pronouns - introduction, personal pronouns
  • 8. Pronouns - reflexive pronouns, reciprocal, demonstrative, interrogative
  • 9. Pronouns - indefinite pronouns and their compounds
  • 10. Adjectives and adverbs - formation; characteristic features, position of adjectives (attributive, predicative, postpositive), order of adjectives in noun phrases
  • 11. Adjectives and adverbs - adverbs functioning as adverbials and modifiers, comparison of adjectives and adverbs
  • 12. Prepositions and prepositional phrases
Literature
    required literature
  • BIBER, Douglas, Susan CONRAD and Geoffrey N. LEECH. Longman student grammar of spoken and written English. First published. Harlow: Longman, 2002, vii, 487. ISBN 9780582237278. info
  • YULE, George. Oxford practice grammar : with answers. Updated edition first publis. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, vii, 274. ISBN 9780194214766. info
    recommended literature
  • YULE, George. Oxford practice grammar : supplementary exercises with answers. First published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, v, 132. ISBN 9780194579872. info
  • QUIRK, Randolph and Sidney GREENBAUM. A Student s Grammar of the English Language. 1. vyd. London: Longman, 1990, 490 s. ISBN 0-582-07569-6. info
  • ALEXANDER, L. G. Longman English grammar. Edited by R. A. Close. London: Longman, 1988, x, 374. ISBN 0582558921. info
  • CHALKER, Sylvia. A student's English grammar : workbook. First published. Harlow: Longman, 1992, 186 stran. ISBN 0582088194. info
  • DUŠKOVÁ, Libuše. Mluvnice současné angličtiny na pozadí češtiny. 3. vyd. Praha: Academia, 2003, 673 s. ISBN 8020010734. info
  • SWAN, Michael. Practical English usage. Fourth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, xxx, 635. ISBN 9780194202435. info
  • SPARLING, Don. English or Czenglish? : jak se vyhnout čechismům v angličtině. 1. vyd. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1989, 274 s. info
  • SIDE, Richard and Guy WELLMAN. Grammar and vocabulary for Cambridge advanced and proficiency : fully updated for the revised CPE. Harlow: Longman, 2002, 288 s. ISBN 0582518210. info
  • HEWINGS, Martin. Advanced grammar in use : a self-study reference and practice book for advanced learners of English : with answers. Third edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013, ix, 294. ISBN 9781107697386. info
  • MANN, Malcolm and Steve TAYLORE-KNOWLES. Destination C1 and C2. London: Macmillan, 2008, 312 stran. ISBN 9780230035409. info
Teaching methods
lecture (full-time programme only), group work, pair work, group and class discussion, self-tests, online discussions, homework, self-study
Assessment methods
Upon successful completion of the course, you will earn 4 ECTS credits (2 credits for seminar work and self-study plus 2 credits for the exam). Each ECTS credit represents 25 to 30 hours of work. In the seminars, full-time students are expected to spend 16 hours, while combined students will spend 12 hours. The remaining 34– 44 hours for full-time students and 38–48 hours for combined students are allocated for self-study.


Requirements (Friday students - combined programme; teacher: Renata Jančaříková)
1. Attendance
2. Active participation - class work is based on students' independent work on the topics assigned
3. Mid-course test
4. Moodle online quizzes (12 ouizzes)
5. Grammar Forum - 1 contribution per student on a topic discussed in the course
Students are required to work regularly with the materials in the Moodle course and other study materials, i.e. SGEL by Greenbaum and Quirk, SEG Workbook by Chalker, Longman Student Grammar by Biber et al., Oxford Practice Grammar by Yule and Grammar I (see Literature). For details of continuous assessment, see the Moodle course.
Methods: progress tests, online quizzes, online discussions, written test
Language of instruction
English
Study support
https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=1000
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Note related to how often the course is taught: kombinované studium: výuka v blocích.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: kombinované studium: výuka v blocích.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
Online support for combined students - Moodle course (Renata Jančaříková)- http://moodlinka.ped.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=1000

Moodle course (Radek Vogel - full-time students) https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=3737


In the course, the use of AI is permitted for learning but not for cheating. It is acceptable to use AI for brainstorming ideas, basic proofreading, and suggestions for improvement. It is unacceptable to have a text generated, translated or reformulated. Remember to acknowledge all innovative ideas that are not yours. For generated ideas, use in-text citations. At the end of each assignment, state how you worked/did not work with AI. When in doubt, consult your teacher.

The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2025/AJ1204