English Grammar Test

The Grammar  Test is:

• an examination covering the basic descriptive grammar of English
• meant to ensure that you have the background you need to be able to teach English grammar confidently
• designed and graded within the Department of Applied Linguistics.

The minimum passing score is 75%.

1. M.A. TESOL students who wish to use a passing score on the Grammar Test to satisfy the MATESOL English grammar proficiency requirement.

2. B.A. or TESL Certificate students who:
   • want to take LING 470 Grammar for TESOL
   • but who have not yet taken LING 492 Structure of English

must take the Grammar Test as a diagnostic to determine their eligibility for LING 470

• MATESOL students *must* take the Grammar Test either during, of before, their first quarter of enrollment in the MATESOL program.

• MATESOL students who do not pass the English Grammar Test are required to take LING 492, Structure of English.

No. If you don't take the test before or during your first quarter in the MATESOL program, you must complete LING 492, Structure of English.

Those MATESOL students who must take LING 492, Structure of English, should take it during their first quarter, since this material is essential for the courses that follow.

•  
  • Once during the Fall quarter
  • Once during the Spring quarter

Please watch the Applied Linguistics list-serve for announcements of upcoming Grammar Tests, or contact the Dept of Applied Linguistics.

The test has 40 multiple choice questions.

It covers basic descriptive English grammar.

You will read a short passage taken from a conversation, book, or newspaper, and then be asked to identify particular language structures and functions.

Examples of the sorts of things you will be asked to identify are:

1. word classes such as nouns, determiners, adjectives, modals, demonstrative pronouns
2. phrase and clause types such as prepositional phrases, relative clauses, complement clauses
3. verb tense, aspect, voice and transitivity (transitive and intransitive)
4. functional sentence categories such as direct object, complement, adverbial
5. sentence patterns such as subject-verb-object, subject-verb-complement, subject-verb-adverbial.

If these terms and concepts are not familiar to you, please choose to take LING 492, Structure of English.

Any basic descriptive grammar book can help you review.

Many students have found it useful to review The Structure of English by Jeanette DeCarrico. (Univ of Michigan Press).

However, if the book does not seem like review for you, please plan to take LING 492 Structure of English.

You should plan to take LING 492, Structure of English, as soon as LING 492 is offered.

You need a B in LING 492 to fulfill the MATESOL Grammar Prerequisite.

No. Only once.