Grammar isn’t typically a favorite part of English language arts for students or teachers. The material can be dry and impractical. Sometimes it also seems obvious and just common sense, particularly for native English speakers. But college admissions officers and prospective employers aren’t impressed with run-on sentences or double negatives in personal statements or cover letters. So for good or bad, we have to incorporate grammar into our lessons.

The good news is that even though it will never be the leading lady on the stage of the ELA curriculum, grammar instruction can play an important supporting role. The trick lies in how teachers choose to deliver it to their audience of students.

Including grammar exercises in lesson-related Do Nows, clarifying patterns on the side margins of essays (in between accolades and constructive criticism) and pointing out rules in the context of casual conversation can go a long way toward inculcating the basics of standard English in a manner that is not didactic but still grabs attention.

I can attest to the effectiveness of putting a touch of grammar into a lesson-related Do Now. At the beginning of a lesson on similes and metaphors in a 6th-grade class, I witnessed a lively discussion of the use of “like” versus “as.” I couldn’t help but notice how a girl explained to her group that “Marie worked as a police officer” is correct because the subject (Marie) had a badge and was paid as such. Another member of the group added, “Mark’s house was like a hospital” is grammatical because everybody in the household had come down with the flu, not because it was a real hospital with nurses and doctors and receptionists. They literally found something poetic in grammar.

High school students in a career-readiness class were writing cover letters for their summer jobs. While I was working closely with a student, making sure she had a to-the-point opening paragraph, enough knowledge about the company and a courteous closing line, I noticed an inconsistency in subject-verb agreement. After chatting with her about her career choice and commending her for the clarity of her paragraphs, I came back to the error, circled it with pencil (no red ink) and explained the pattern. I introduced the topic in a casual way, saying “and, by the way…,” and then immediately shifted my focus to what she had done well. Using correct grammar, I emphasized, was important if she wanted to make a good first impression on the recruiter so she would be invited for an interview.

I have also worked with quite a few English language learners who had a strong command of language mechanics. As a non-native speaker myself, I recall the rigorous exercises in present perfect versus past simple, subjunctive mood and irregular verbs that I had to do every day at the English language institute in my country, Bulgaria. When I came here, I wowed the teachers with my standard English skills, yet I felt awkward when I realized that I was using outdated words and odd idiomatic expressions.

So I was able to identify with a Ukrainian student whose essay showed impeccable grammar but still included this sentence: “I will go to the college after high school.”

In that case, I turned rhetorical, noting that “to the college” was about physical space (I tapped the walls and stomped my foot on the floor), whereas “to college” referred to a stage in life (like getting married, finding a job or enlisting in the Army). I realized the student had overgeneralized the rules because she had written about a specific college.

The ability to write in proper English is demanded of our students everywhere, from a Regents exam essay to a job resume and cover letter. But let’s make our job of teaching grammar more fun.