ChatGPT as grammar teacher

This time we are going to create prompts for ChatGPT to generate tailor-made content for grammar practice. Students can use these types of prompts at home to get further practice on what they have been working on in class.

Let’s say I am a C1 level English student, and I want to practice inversions. Here is my first prompt:  “I am an advanced English student (C1). I want you to create a list of the 10 most common inversion structures at this level that typically appear in ELT coursebooks.”

I am quite pleased with what ChatGPT came up with:

Here’s a list of the 10 most common inversion structures that typically appear in English Language Teaching (ELT) coursebooks at the C1 level:

1. Negative adverbials (with expressions like never, rarely, seldom, hardly, no sooner, little)

  • Example: Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset.

2. Inversions with only (after only + time expression or other structure)

  • Example: Only after the meeting did they realize the importance of the issue.

3. Inversions with so and such

  • Example: So beautiful was the view that we couldn’t stop staring.
  • Example: Such was the force of the wind that trees were uprooted.

4. Inversions with not only … but also

  • Example: Not only does she sing well, but she also plays the guitar.

5. Conditional inversions (with should, were, had for formal conditionals)

  • Example: Should you need any assistance, please call us.
  • Example: Had I known earlier, I would have helped.

6. Inversions with nowhere

  • Example: Nowhere have I felt more at peace than in this little town.

7. Inversions with hardly / scarcely / no sooner

  • Example: Hardly had we arrived when it started raining.
  • Example: No sooner had he left than the phone rang.

8. Inversions with little

  • Example: Little did they know about the surprise awaiting them.

9. Inversions with under no circumstances

  • Example: Under no circumstances are you allowed to enter the building without permission.

10. Inversions with on no account

  • Example: On no account should you reveal the secret to anyone.

These structures often appear in advanced-level English courses and exams. They can add emphasis and are frequently used in formal and written English. Would you like exercises or examples based on these?

Next step is to create a series of practice exercises. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I’ll ask ChatGPT to generate a fill-in-the-gaps exercise. This is the prompt I’ll use: “I want you to create a fill-in-the-gaps exercise for this language level (C1) focusing on the listed inversions. Provide the answers immediately after.”

Sure! Here’s a fill-in-the-gaps exercise based on the inversion structures from the list, followed by the answers.

Fill in the Gaps Exercise:

Complete the sentences using the correct inverted structure.

  1. __________ (I/see) such an amazing performance until last night.
  2. __________ (only/after/he/finish) the report did he realize his mistake.
  3. __________ (so/fast/she/run) that no one could catch her.
  4. __________ (not only/he/pass) the exam, but he also got the highest score.
  5. __________ (should/you/have) any questions, feel free to contact me.
  6. __________ (nowhere/we/find) better customer service than in that store.
  7. __________ (hardly/I/sit down) when the phone rang.
  8. __________ (little/they/know) how much their decision would affect the company.
  9. __________ (under/no/circumstances/she/tell) the secret to anyone.
  10. __________ (on/no/account/he/be) allowed to leave the premises without permission.

Answers:

  1. Never have I seen such an amazing performance until last night.
  2. Only after he finished the report did he realize his mistake.
  3. So fast did she run that no one could catch her.
  4. Not only did he pass the exam, but he also got the highest score.
  5. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
  6. Nowhere did we find better customer service than in that store.
  7. Hardly had I sat down when the phone rang.
  8. Little did they know how much their decision would affect the company.
  9. Under no circumstances should she tell the secret to anyone.
  10. On no account was he allowed to leave the premises without permission.

What other types of activities would also work well for practicing this grammar content? Here are some ideas:

– Error Correction. Provide 10 sentences with incorrect inversions and ask me to identify and correct the mistakes.

– Sentence Transformation. Write 10 standard sentences for me to rewrite them using the listed inversion structures.

– Multiple Choice. Create a multiple choice exercise with 10 items, each with four possible answers (three incorrect and one correct). The goal is to choose the right inversion to complete each sentence. Include distractors to test my understanding.

– Dialogue Completion. Provide 5 short dialogues with gaps where I have to use inversions to complete the conversations.

– One word at a time. Start with one word, then I will add another word. Then you add another word, and so on. The aim of the activity is to construct correct sentences using inversions.

Try them out. I already did, and ChatGPT does a pretty good job generating content based on these prompts.

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