Grammar in teacher education: The role of a corpus

Abstract

This paper argues for the use of computer‐stored corpora in courses in grammar awareness for teachers of Mother‐Tongue English. It is argued that the ability to do grammar should be seen as a set of skills rather than as a body of knowledge, and that corpora provide excellent data for doing grammar. Some of the observations that can be made using a corpus are presented, and the skills needed to make such observations are discussed. Examples are given of the adjectives ridiculous and sacrosanct, the adverb presumably, and variations on the phrase two bricks short of a load. Finally, the paper discusses some possible questions that arise when comparing methodologies associated with using a corpus with those associated with using individual texts as data for a grammar awareness course.