What Do We Teach?

The following list is simple, but true for any language. This simple breakdown does a lot to help me choose appropriate activities for my lessons.

• Words/Vocabulary/Alphabet
• Yes/No Question;
• Wh- Question;
• Sentence and/or Negative;
• Commands.

Which do you think is the most important? One writer I read said vocabulary is the most important. It’s difficult for me to disagree. As the daily speaker of a foreign language myself, knowing the right word to say works better than trying to say something another way every time.
Maybe we should remember this the next time a student says something to us with the right words but with grammatical errors, and we still understand. In terms of communicative ability, was the student really mistaken? (end)