Quick answer: To give great grammar lessons, use the classic PPP structure: Present the new grammar in a clear, meaningful context; give controlled Practice so students manipulate the form accurately; then move to freer Production where they use it to say something real. Keep your presentation short, maximise student practice time, and always show what the grammar is for.
If you teach English online or in-class, how are those grammar lessons going?
Be honest! Most of us could do with some help here.
Teaching grammar well is challenging. How do we introduce new concepts simply and effectively? How do we help students to use the grammar in real life? And how on earth can we stop grammar lessons from being just, well, boring?
These are exactly the questions we tackled in our practical Giving Great Grammar Lessons webinar, led by online English teacher and materials creator Louisa Walsh. In that session – ideal for teaching newbies or as a refresher for more seasoned teachers, whether you teach online, in-class, one-to-one or in groups – we explored:
- Three simple but effective techniques for introducing grammar
- How to get students actually using the grammar you want them to
- Websites you can use for instant grammar practise – saving you time
- The KEY ingredient to all good grammar lessons
- Common grammar teaching mistakes and how to avoid them
- How to build your own skills and confidence
Here on the blog, let’s walk through the framework that underpins all of it: the PPP grammar lesson structure.
What is the PPP grammar lesson structure?
PPP stands for Presentation, Practice, Production – the most widely taught way to structure a grammar lesson, and the one we recommend new teachers master first on our accredited TESOL courses. It is not the only framework out there, but it is clear, repeatable and works at every level, which is why it remains the backbone of most grammar teaching worldwide.
| Stage | Who does the work? | What happens | Rough timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Teacher leads | New grammar introduced in a clear context; meaning, form and pronunciation checked | About a quarter of the lesson |
| Practice | Students, with support | Controlled exercises: gap-fills, sentence transformation, drills, matching | About a third |
| Production | Students, freely | Freer speaking or writing tasks that need the target grammar | The rest – the more the better |
How do you present grammar simply and effectively?
Start with context, not terminology. Introduce the structure through a short story, a picture, a mini-dialogue or a real situation your students recognise, so the meaning lands before the rules do. Then draw out the form on the board and check understanding with concept questions (for ‘I’ve lost my keys’: Do I know where they are now? Is this about the past or now?) rather than asking ‘Do you understand?’.
Keep this stage short. A common grammar-teaching mistake is lecturing about grammar for half the lesson – students learn grammar by using it, not by hearing about it. If you need to check a rule yourself before class, a reliable reference such as the Cambridge Dictionary and its grammar section is your friend – far safer than winging an explanation you are not sure of.
How do you get students actually using the grammar?
This is the key ingredient: real practice, in quantity. After a few controlled exercises to build accuracy, move to production tasks where the grammar is genuinely needed – interviews using the past simple, plans for a class trip using ‘going to’, guessing games with the present perfect. Communication tasks where students exchange real information make the grammar memorable in a way no worksheet can.
Structured speaking activities are perfect here: see our tips for TEFL discussion classes for how to frame freer practice, and these 5 TEFL warmers double up nicely as quick grammar revision at the start of the next lesson. For ready-made practice material, the activities at American English (americanenglish.state.gov) are free and classroom-tested, and our own 30 ready-to-print instant lessons build the grammar practice in for you.
What are the most common grammar teaching mistakes?
- Talking too much. Over-long explanations eat the practice time where learning actually happens.
- Teaching the rule without the use. Students can recite ‘present perfect = have + past participle’ and still never use it. Always show what the structure is for.
- Skipping the controlled practice. Jumping straight from presentation to free speaking leaves errors baked in; a few accuracy exercises first pay off.
- Never getting past controlled practice. The opposite trap: a lesson of gap-fills with no production stage means students never own the language.
- Correcting every error instantly. During production, note errors and correct afterwards – see how and when to correct in an EFL class.
How can you build your own grammar confidence?
Most new teachers worry more about their own grammar knowledge than about methodology – and a little structured study fixes it fast. Our 20-hour Essential English Grammar course is built exactly for this, and grammar teaching methodology runs right through our accredited online TESOL courses. For a deeper dive into the grammar itself, start with our guide to teaching English grammar for TEFL.
Frequently asked questions
How can I adapt PPP grammar lessons for beginners?
Keep the presentation almost entirely visual and example-led – pictures, mime, short model sentences – and avoid grammar terminology. Use plenty of choral repetition in the practice stage, and make production very guided, such as a substitution dialogue where beginners swap in their own words. Short cycles work better than one long lesson.
Does the PPP structure work in online lessons?
Yes. Present on a shared screen or whiteboard, run controlled practice with chat-box answers or interactive worksheets, and use breakout rooms for pair production tasks. Online lessons are often shorter, so a full PPP cycle may stretch across two sessions – presentation and practice one day, revision and production the next.
How much of a grammar lesson should be explanation?
Far less than most new teachers think – keep the presentation to roughly a quarter of the lesson. Students learn grammar by using it, so the bulk of your time should go on controlled practice and, above all, freer production where students say or write something real with the target structure.
What if students still make mistakes after the lesson?
That is normal – grammar is acquired gradually, not switched on. Recycle the structure in warmers and homework over the following weeks, note recurring errors during speaking tasks and review them together afterwards. Repeated meetings with the grammar in real use matter more than a perfect first lesson.
Watch out for future free training
Our Giving Great Grammar Lessons webinar proved popular, and we run live sessions and webinars regularly – keep an eye on the Spotlight live TESOL courses page and sign up to our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one.