Can we use Grammar to Support Students’ Communication Skills?

Communication skills consistently rank as one of the skills most desired by employers and is included in the graduate attributes at ECU. This paper looks to examine why sound grammatical skills are considered important and what role it plays in the development of communication skills. It looks at the role of grammar in the tertiary classroom and at possible ways that university educators can help support students ’ understanding of the grammatical structures needed in the text types that are most closely associated with the workforce. Using Halliday’s interpretation of register, grammar can be considered in terms of the function needed to support communication. This paper discusses the three elements of register: mode, tenor and field, as a way of approaching grammar teaching in the classroom. ECULTUR