Hiding from Passengers

It can be really frustrating when you speak a language fluently, but the results of language tests tell a different story! I was a flight attendant for fifteen years and I used to get frustrated because I was fluent in Italian but only had a one-year flag. This meant that I had to take a level test every year, while colleagues who could barely string a sentence together had three-year flags. Non-native French speakers would take off their name badges or hide in the toilets when French passengers needed help, whereas I would jump at the chance of speaking Italian to passengers!

Lower Intermediate but Fluent

I remember a student called Antonio who was a human resources manager for a company in Martorell. Antonio had a good level of fluency but his grammar was quite basic. He could read and understand long and complicated texts about business faster than I could, but when he took a test, his level was B1!

Pre-Intermediate but Fluent

I do one-to-one classes in Vilanova i la Geltru with David, a businessman who regularly negotiates in English. We do conversation classes and they are good fun; it feels more like having a coffee with a friend than working! David speaks English fluently, so I don’t have to speak slowly or repeat myself, but when I gave him a Cambridge level test, his level was A2 in general English and B1 in business English!

Measuring fluency

The two students I just mentioned communicate effectively in English even though they don’t have a high level of grammar. Do you think that a person with a high level of grammar but a low level of fluency would be able to communicate as effectively as Antonio and David? Many language tests focus more on grammatical accuracy than fluency, but how do you measure fluency?

The Benefits of Fluency

Fluency is important in spoken communication; it allows you to convey your ideas smoothly and keep the conversation going without worrying too much about the odd grammatical error. This is especially true in informal settings where the main aim is to understand, be understood and converse naturally.

The Benefits of Good Grammar

Grammar is important in formal contexts, such as academic writing or professional communication, and is also crucial for clarity and precision. Good grammar helps ensure that your message is understood correctly and prevents misunderstandings.

Mistakes Can Cause Offence

When I first started teaching English, I had a student who used to say, “I don’t read your email” when she meant to say, “I haven’t read your email”. I was offended and wanted to say, “I’m not going to keep sending you emails if you don’t read them!”.

Another student used to say, “I don’t listen (to) you!” instead of saying, “I can’t hear you!”. I wanted to tell him, “Please don’t interrupt the class to tell me that you’re not paying attention!”.

Another common mistake is to say, “Are you boring?” instead of, “Are you bored?”.

Spanish students often use “used to” when talking about the present. For example, they might say, “I used to work very hard” when they mean, “I usually work very hard”.

“Used to” is a useful phrase for talking about past habits or states that no longer happen or exist. For example, you might say, “I used to play football every weekend” to indicate that playing football was a habitual action in the past, but isn’t anymore.

Conclusion

Both grammar and fluency are important; grammar provides the structure needed for clear communication, while fluency allows for more natural and engaging conversations. For most students, speaking is much more fun than studying grammar, but grammar is a necessary evil. Teachers should strike a balance between teaching grammar and incorporating communicative activities to improve fluency.

Over to you

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I would really like to hear your experiences! Which is more important to you, grammar or fluency? Have you ever felt frustrated because you speak a language fluently, but when you take a level test you are told you have a low level?

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