TEFL/TESOL Certification English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology Syllabus

English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology in TEFL/TESOL Certification, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Grammar for Teaching: Verbs and Tense-Aspect

   4 topics

   • The English Tense-Aspect System
     • Present, past, and future time reference
     • Simple, continuous (progressive), and perfect aspects
     • Perfect continuous forms and their meanings
   • Modal Verbs and Modality
     • Modals of ability, permission, and obligation
     • Modals of deduction and probability
   • Conditionals and Hypothetical Meaning
     • Zero, first, second, third, and mixed conditionals
   • Passive Voice and Reported Speech
     • Active-to-passive transformation and use
     • Backshifting and reporting verbs
2. 2

   Grammar for Teaching: Phrases, Clauses, and Word Classes

   4 topics

   • Parts of speech and word formation
   • Articles and the Determiner System
     • Definite, indefinite, and zero article
     • Countable and uncountable nouns
   • Sentence structure: phrases, clauses, and sentence types
   • Relative clauses, gerunds, and infinitives
3. 3

   Vocabulary and Lexis

   4 topics

   • What It Means to Know a Word
     • Form, meaning, and use
     • Denotation, connotation, and register
   • Lexical Relationships and Chunks
     • Collocations, fixed expressions, and idioms
     • The Lexical Approach and formulaic language
   • Selecting and grading vocabulary for level
   • High-frequency word lists and receptive versus productive knowledge
4. 4

   Phonology and Pronunciation

   4 topics

   • Phonemes and the IPA
     • Consonant and vowel sounds of English
     • Reading the phonemic chart
     • Minimal pairs
   • Connected Speech
     • Weak forms, elision, assimilation, and linking
     • Contractions and reduced forms
   • Stress, Rhythm, and Intonation
     • Word stress and sentence (nuclear) stress
     • Rising and falling intonation patterns
   • Diagnosing and correcting pronunciation problems
5. 5

   Discourse and Meaning in Context

   4 topics

   • Cohesion and coherence in text
   • Register, formality, and appropriacy
   • Functional language and speech acts
   • Genre awareness across spoken and written text

English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology flashcards for TEFL/TESOL Certification

19 of 71 cards from the English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In English, what is the difference between 'tense' and 'aspect'?

   Tense locates a situation in time (present or past, marked on the verb); aspect (simple, progressive/continuous, perfect, perfect-progressive) expresses how the speaker views the action — e.g., as ongoing, completed, or repeated.

2. What is the form and core meaning of the present perfect (e.g., 'I have lived here')?

   Form: have/has + past participle. Meaning: links a past event to the present — for indefinite past experience, recent events with present relevance, or situations continuing up to now.

3. How does the present perfect differ from the past simple in usage?

   Past simple is used for finished actions at a specific, known past time ('I saw her yesterday'); present perfect is used for past actions with present relevance and no specific time stated ('I have seen her').

4. What meaning does the present continuous express besides 'action happening now'?

   It also expresses temporary situations, fixed future arrangements ('I'm meeting John tomorrow'), changing/developing trends, and (with 'always') repeated, often annoying, habits.

5. Why are stative verbs (e.g., know, believe, own, like) normally not used in the progressive?

   They describe states rather than dynamic actions; progressive aspect emphasizes ongoing activity, which is incompatible with a static condition. (Some, like 'think', can be progressive when meaning a dynamic activity.)

6. What are the three primary functions/meanings expressed by modal verbs?

   Modal verbs express two broad areas: deontic modality (obligation, permission, prohibition — social meaning) and epistemic modality (degrees of certainty, probability, deduction — logical meaning). They also express ability and volition.

7. Grammatically, how do central modal verbs (can, must, will, etc.) behave differently from main verbs?

   They take no -s in the third person, are followed by the bare infinitive, form questions/negatives without 'do', and have no infinitive or participle forms (no 'to must', no 'musting').

8. What is the difference between 'must' and 'have to' for obligation?

   'Must' usually expresses obligation from the speaker (internal/personal authority); 'have to' expresses obligation from an external source or circumstances. In the past, only 'had to' is used.

9. How do 'mustn't' and 'don't have to' differ in meaning?

   'Mustn't' = prohibition (it is forbidden); 'don't have to' = absence of obligation (it is not necessary, but you may).

10. Which modals express degrees of certainty about the present, from strongest to weakest?

    For deduction: 'must' (certain it is true) > 'should/ought to' (probable) > 'may/might/could' (possible) > 'can't/couldn't' (certain it is not true).

11. State the form and typical meaning of the zero conditional.

    Form: 'if' + present simple, present simple. Meaning: general truths, scientific facts, and things always true — e.g., 'If you heat water to 100°C, it boils.'

12. State the form and meaning of the first conditional.

    Form: 'if' + present simple, will + bare infinitive. Meaning: a real or likely future condition and its probable result — e.g., 'If it rains, I'll stay home.'

13. State the form and meaning of the second conditional.

    Form: 'if' + past simple, would + bare infinitive. Meaning: present/future situations that are hypothetical, imaginary, or unlikely — e.g., 'If I won the lottery, I'd travel.'

14. State the form and meaning of the third conditional.

    Form: 'if' + past perfect, would have + past participle. Meaning: past situations that are unreal/counterfactual — imagining a different past — e.g., 'If I had studied, I would have passed.'

15. What is a mixed conditional and give an example.

    A conditional combining clauses of different times — usually a past unreal condition with a present result: 'If I had taken that job (past), I would be richer now (present).' Form: past perfect + would + bare infinitive.

16. Why is 'were' often used instead of 'was' in second conditionals (e.g., 'If I were you')?

    This is the subjunctive/unreal 'were', used for hypothetical situations regardless of subject. It is especially fixed in the advice phrase 'If I were you'.

17. How is the English passive voice formed, and when is it preferred?

    Form: the relevant tense of 'be' + past participle (e.g., 'is built', 'was eaten', 'has been done'). Preferred when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant, or to keep focus/end on the object/result.

18. In transforming active to passive, what happens to the object and the agent?

    The active object becomes the passive subject; the active subject becomes the agent, optionally expressed in a 'by'-phrase. E.g., 'The cat chased the mouse' → 'The mouse was chased (by the cat).'

19. What three main changes typically occur when converting direct speech to reported speech?

    (1) Tenses shift back ('backshift', e.g., present→past); (2) pronouns change to fit the new speaker's viewpoint; (3) time/place references shift (e.g., now→then, today→that day, here→there).

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