Second language teaching should focus on encouraging acquisition,

and on providing input that stimulates the conscious language acquisition 【M1】__________

potential all normal human beings have. This does not mean to say,

however, that there is not room at all for conscious learning. Conscious 【M2】__________

learning does have a role, but it is no longer the lead actor in the play.

With starters, we must realize that learning does not turn into 【M3】__________

acquisition. While the idea is that we first learn a grammar rule and then 【M4】__________

use it so much that it becomes internalized is common and may seem

obvious to many, it is not supported by theory or by the observation of 【M5】__________

second language acquirers, who often correctly use “rules” they have

never been taught and don’t even remember accurately the rules they

have learned.

However, there is place for grammar, or the conscious learning of 【M6】__________

the rules of a language. Their major role is in the use of the Monitor, 【M7】__________

which allows Monitor users to produce more correct output when they

are given the right conditions to actually use their Monitor, like in some 【M8】__________

planned speech and writing. Therefore, for correct Monitor use the 【M9】__________

users must know the rules they are applying, and these would need to be

rules that are easy to remember and apply—a very small subset of all of

the grammatical rules of a language. It is not worth for language 【M10】_________

acquisition to teach difficult rules which are hard to learn, harder to

remember, and sometimes almost impossible to correctly apply.

【M6】