By taking a look at the example on the previous page, we can recognize that there would be a mountain of difficulties if a learner tried to "translate" into the other language word for word what was being said. Learning another language is extremely complex and requires not just learning words and cultural norms, but changing the way in which one thinks.

How do I know I am teaching grammar in a meaningful way?

When teaching, we need to consider the needs of the learner. While for some learners, the teaching of grammar will be very important, for others it will not. Whether or not the learner will consider grammar important may depend upon a variety of factors such as age, level of education, level of second language proficiency and what the target language will be used for.

⁴Marianne Celce- Murcia, 1991 as cited in H. Douglas Brown, Teaching by Principles: An interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, 1994), p. 349. Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education.