1Sayito Sa v yito a va K . K H., N o arzi m yeva i N l . T a HE A H DVA a NT s AG a ES n OF o TE v AC n HIN a G G R - A M S MA e R n THR i O o UG r H G T AM e ES a cher, DEPARTMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE; 2Narziyeva Nargiza – Student,

Аннотация

this article is devoted to the usage of different fun activities and games in teaching grammar. The advantages of applying such games are stated alternately. The authors point out that games and activities should not only be funny and entertaining, but they must also have educational effect. Keywords: communicative methods, make grammar fun, competitive position, motivate, interaction, time fillers, funny, entertaining, educational effect, tricky game, time management. As we know grammar of a language is its foundation. It is very difficult to imagine mastering a language perfectly well without knowing its grammar. Although some communicative methods deny this opinion, it is true. Most learners consider grammar to be dry and dull, learning it boring as well. For me as a teacher, grammar class is always an opportunity for fun. I cannot imagine dry and dull ESL/EFL grammar classes. During class time there are, of course, periods of focused concentration, especially during the first phases of a new unit when the students are trying to grasp an initial understanding of the form and meaning of a structure. We, as teachers, should know that even during those phases, explanations and examples can be enlivened by funny sentences using the students’ names or by fun demonstrations or pantomimes. Fun and humor are essential in ESL/EFL classrooms. Interaction and group participation engage students and make information more memorable and relevant. In my experience, many people approach grammar far too seriously, with long, unsmiling faces, in plodding academic style. I think that grammar should not be approached in this way. A teacher can make grammar fun through different games and activities. Games and fun activities for teaching grammar can have purpose if used correctly and at the right time. Such games and activities have a lot of advantages: they can shake things up, help students develop a competitive position, enable to organize team work, get students’ stored energy out [1, 101]. If language learners can make use of grammar and apply it in a fun way, they have a better chance to remember it all. They’ll be able to practice and master grammar phenomena extensively rather than just learning a good deal of rules superficially. Activities and games for learning English grammar don’t only motivate, but they also generate the idea of competition in the EFL classroom. As it is known, a bit of healthy rivalry never hurts anyone. Students try to do their best when thrown into action, and they’ll strive to outmarch their peers and take precedence of their own expectations [2, 69]. We have just said that games and activities help students be competitive, so how can they assist with cooperation? They create interaction between students and between students and a teacher. Students try to support their groupmates and encourage them when competing in teams or pairs. While inculcating this way of teaching grammar students combine their force so as to succeed! Proceeding from these facts, we can say that participating in such games students can not only learn grammar, but they also will get to know the ways of getting to the top of the tree. It’s very important to determine the aim of a grammar game in a EFL lesson. Games should not be just other time fillers, or they should not only be funny and entertaining for 30 your learners, but they must also have educational effect. Sometimes teachers have to choose tricky game, that make students think quickly and creatively. Such games as word Chain, Hot Potato, Shoot in Hoops, Tic-Tac-Toe, Blackboard Race and others are very effective in learning grammar. One more point that should be taken into consideration in using games in ESL classes is time management. While planning lessons with effective application of different games and activities a teacher must have regard to many factors. Some activities, such as Line-ups, are not affected by class size, but many, such as Role Plays and Pantomimes, are. A teacher often has to adjust the playing time according to the number of participants. Because many “types” of activities are repeated, if you use them more than once (with a different grammar point), the explanation time will be greatly reduced or even eliminated. Also, many games can be played in several rounds. If the students are enjoying the activity, they may be played several rounds; if not, it can be cut short. That’s why a teacher should plan lessons so carefully, that he/she never loses or wastes the required time [3, 85]. In one word, it is much more interesting to have fun with grammar compared to traditional grammar lessons because there’s a lot of new and sometimes complex information to absorb. Another advantage of introducing a well-timed game to teach grammar is that it can break up a monotonous lesson and have uncontrollable students participate. Games and activities usually motivate students to learn and enjoy the language.