Non-finite Verbs Or Non-predicate Verbs?

Non-finite/non-predicate verbs are an important grammar item in high school English curriculum.The theoretical knowledge of non-finite/non-predicate verbs is abstract,with various types,complicated structures and difficult exercises.Therefore,they are difficult for teachers to teach and for students to learn.Learners' acquisition of this grammar phenomenon is directly related to teachers' beliefs and their teaching behaviors and is also influenced by teaching documents and materials.Therefore,this study attempts to explore the following questions: 1.What is the description of as well as the introduction to non-finite/non-predicate verbs in English teaching documents and materials for senior high schools? 2.What is the situation of teaching beliefs and teaching behaviors about this grammatical phenomenon by senior high school English teachers in their dealing with non-finite/non-predicate verbs? 3.How should English teaching documents,materials and English teachers treat this grammar item in the light of contemporary linguistics and applied linguistics?This paper is based on the views of grammar and grammar teaching and the theory of teachers' teaching beliefs and behaviors.This study investigated English teaching documents and materials for senior high schools and English teachers in Y Middle School in Jiulongpo District and D Middle School in Tongliang,Chongqing City.The data were collected by means of documentary analysis,questionnaire survey,interview and classroom observation.SPSS 19.0 was also used to analyze the main data.The research results are summarized as follows:1.About the English teaching documents and materials: In terms of the use of terms,it is found that there is a confusion of both Chinese and English terms in English documents and materials with textbooks included.As for the definition,non-finite/non-predicate verbs are considered as forms of verbs that cannot be used as predicates alone in sentences.With regard to the classification,there are roughly two different ways to classify non-finite/non-predicate verbs: One is the three-type division,that is,infinitives,verb-ing forms,verb-ed forms;the other is the four-type division,that is,gerunds,infinitives,verb-ing forms,verb-ed forms.As for the function,only the grammatical function is mentioned in the teaching documents and materials,while the semantic function and the pragmatic function of non-finite/non-predicate verbs are generally ignored.2.About the English teachers' teaching beliefs and behaviors: In terms of teaching beliefs,high school English teachers' conceptions are consistent with the description of as well as the introduction to this grammar item in high school English teaching texts;different teaching years affect teachers' beliefs in the grammatical function as well as the objectives of teaching this grammar item;teachers with long teaching years have a strong sense of teaching.But teacher' beliefs and behaviors of teaching non-finite/non-predicate verbs are not always consistent.3.Some implications based on discussion: According to the studies of contemporary linguistics and applied linguistics,“non-finite verb” is a better term than “non-predicate” to explain this grammar phenomenon.According to the principle of simplified grammar,non-finite verbs include infinitives,-ing participles and-ed participles.Therefore,English teaching documents and materials should update the introduction to and description of this grammar item.Besides that,English teachers should teach non-finite verbs as logical predicates in clauses and update their teaching beliefs of this item and try to achieve the combination of form,meaning and use in their grammar teaching.English teachers should also use a variety of teaching resources including all materials as well as non-material conditions and stimulate their students' interests of learning the target grammar.English teachers should not only teach grammar knowledge but also explain the meaning of non-finite verbs and apply the grammar item in different contexts,particularly in clauses.With regard to teaching evaluation,English teachers need to conduct fair and effective evaluation from multiple angles and teaching evaluation should be diversified.