ABSTRACT

The teaching materials that support grammar development in the L2 classroom have a complex status in relation to theories of language and of language learning. In effect, because a corpus holds up a mirror to language and appears to reflect a compelling reality which is, at times, in tension with long-held models of language, these broader debates also constrain and shape the influences of corpus findings on grammar teaching. But, as Barbieri and Eckhardt argue, there is still generally a disconnect between the specific findings of corpus studies and the grammar classroom. There are a number of reasons why this is the case but the principles of modern language teaching can clearly be supported via connecting classrooms and corpora more effectively. Without a consensus as to how to incorporate corpus findings into manageable classroom-friendly topics or units that progress in a coherent way for the learner, the onus is on the teacher to manage introduction of items to the learner.