PRESENTATION

The study of grammar will help people become better users of the language, that is,
more effective as listeners and speakers, and especially as readers and writers.(Weaver)
From a teacher's point of view teaching and testing auxiliary verbs is not an easy task
based on course-books. He or she has to take into consideration the level of the students, their
previous knowledge of English grammar and their age particularities. It is also known that
auxiliary verbs are frequently used in common English.
These are the reasons why I have chosen as topic for my work Teaching and testing
auxiliary verbs.
The work is intended to be useful for those who are interested in expanding their
knowledge of English grammar.
The purpose of this research is to gain theoretical insight in the teaching and testing
auxiliary verbs; to provide methods through which auxiliary verbs can be taught and to apply
the knowledge acquired to teaching these verbs to intermediate learners of English as a foreign
language.
The paper is divided into three chapters.
The first chapter introduces some theoretical insights into the analysis of auxiliary verbs.
For this chapter I have based my arguments on the research work of Angela Downing, Michael
Swan and on The Oxford English Grammar.
The second chapter investigates strategies and approaches used to teach grammar,
especially auxiliary verbs to intermediate learners but also investigates ways of testing grammar
in general and auxiliary verbs in particular. For this chapter I have based my arguments on the
work of Penny Ur and Jeremy Harmer.
My contribution to the theoretical discussion of auxiliary verbs is included in the third
chapter, in which I suggest several types of activities and exercises meant to help students learn
and better understand auxiliary verbs. On the other hand I present different types of tests in
order to check the students awareness of auxiliary verbs knowledge. This chapter also includes
an evaluation of the textbooks used in class for teaching auxiliary verbs. Then I include two
models of lesson plans which I hope will prove useful in teaching and testing auxiliary verbs.
I hope that this work will achieve its goals, that is to enrich the theoretical aspects of
auxiliary verbs, to serve as a methodological guide for the younger teachers and to offer a
collection of supplementary materials, tests and become a useful tool for my students to whom it
is dedicated.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Downing, Angela, Locke, Philip. 2006. English Grammar. Taylor & Francis e-Library
Greenbaum, Sidney. 1996. The Oxford English Grammar. Oxford University Press
Harmer, Jeremy. 1991. The Practice of English Language Teaching New Edition.
Longman Publishing
Swan, Michael. 1984. Basic English Usage. Oxford University Press
Ur, Penny. 1999. A Course in Language Teaching . Cambridge University Press