Do ESP students need grammar ?

Abstract

ESP courses in technical universities have become a priority within an engineering context. English helps ESP students to be active and efficient participants at international conferences and symposia This paper investigates whether grammar is really important while teaching for specific purposes, and do ESP students need grammar? There are at least two aspects to take into account: first, students perception of grammar, i.e., most of them associate grammar with sets of rules, exceptions to the rules, long and boring exercises practicing English tenses, etc. The second aspect refers to communication that is seen as the application of grammatical rules in oral and written practices. Our conviction is that efficient communication cannot take place without the correct usage of grammar. Teachers should support ESP students to use effective learning strategies that transform them into autonomous learners who are able to take control and master the language. Keywords: ESP students, need of teaching grammar, grammar and communication, combined methods.