CONTEMPORARY FICTION AS AN EFFECTIVE SOURCE FOR TEACHING GRAMMAR

This paper analyzes the impact and value of using contemporary fiction as a methodological and didactic source for teaching English grammar.Being an integral part of the whole complex of mastering English, grammar takes the leading role as it provides the basis for a fluent linguistic function within interpersonal communication.Grammar is often associated with structures and compared with a frame for a successful linguistic interaction.According to Harmer [1], teaching grammar can be overt, when the teacher actually provides the students with grammatical rules and explanations, and the information is openly presented by the instructor [1, 4].This principle is widely applied by the teachers, but, as the authors state, one of the key drawbacks is isolation of grammatical structures from a real-life situation.Consequently, students may feel insecure in using the acquired grammatical skills in their real communication.Another principle of teaching grammar is called covert and defined by Harmer [1] as a process of presenting grammatical materials in such a way that grammatical facts are hidden from students, their attention is drawn to the activity or the text rather than to the grammatical structure introduced [1, 3].The study emphasizes that the above mentioned covert principle for teaching grammar may be effective and fruitful.The authors state that teaching grammar often faces such issues as decontextualized grammar presentation, problems with transferring grammatical skills into a real communicative situation and lack of materials combining meaning, use and form.The paper offers applying contemporary fiction as a methodological and didactic source for teaching grammar.It is considered by the authors as a kind of covert grammar teaching.The authors aim to prove that contemporary fiction is an effective and resourceful basis for teaching grammar as it serves as a source of living language.Furthermore, contemporary fiction provides a living linguistic context for understanding and perception various grammatical structures.The authors specify that contemporary fiction is important in teaching English and can be engaged into teaching grammar as it boosts the connection with relevant themes, improves language skills that function as a unit, fosters critical thinking about modern world.To prove the statement, the authors used a contemporary fiction novel as a methodological frame for teaching and practicing grammar.The novel was precisely analyzed.Due to this analysis, the authors identified key grammatical structures of the novel and designed various grammatical activities according to the students' language level.The activities comprised different lexical and grammatical tasks aimed at grammar consolidation and enhancing the existing English level by means of the materials of the novel.After this experimental practical lesson, the students were questioned through a questionnaire.The obtained answers gave the authors a basis for a further analysis of a real effectiveness and advisability of applying contemporary fiction in teaching English grammar.Due to this investigation, the authors proved their assumptions that contemporary fiction may serve as an effective source for teaching grammar due to its connection to the living linguistic context.