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Grammarian - Roles and Responsibilities

 

Per the definition of the role by Toastmasters International: The Grammarian plays an important role in helping all club members improve their grammar and vocabulary. As Grammarian you:

 

  • Introduce new words to meeting participants and monitor language and grammar usage

  • Write down the language and grammar usage of all speakers, noting incomplete sentences, mispronunciation, grammatical mistakes, non-sequiturs, malapropisms, etc. Example: "One in five children wear glasses" should be "one in five children wears glasses."

  • At the end of the meeting, give your complete report when called on.

  • Optional: Introduce a "Word of the Day" that helps meeting participants increase their vocabulary; Display the word, part of speech, and a brief definition with a visual aid and prepare a sentence showcasing how the word should be used. Note who uses this word or any derivatives thereof correctly or incorrectly during the meeting.

Bring the following to the meeting:

 

 

Before the meeting:

 

  • Once the theme for the week is selected by the Table Topics Master, the Toastmaster of the meeting will be contacting the Grammarian to select the 'Word of the Day'.  Make sure that you select the word of the day in line with the theme.

  • The word of the day can be entered by yourself in Easy-Speak directly and you can inform the toastmaster.  Please refer to the Easy-Speak 101 document for how to do this in Easy-Speak.  You may also refer to the previous meetings in Easy-Speak to see how the Word of the Day displays on the screen once the word is selected.

  • Note taking template for grammarian role is available at our club website->resources section.  Print a copy of this document and bring it to the meeting.

  • Write down the 'Word of the Day' in big and bold letters in an A4 Sized sheet and bring it to the meeting.

During the meeting:

 

  • Explain your role at the beginning of the meeting when called upon to do by the Toastmaster.  Use the standard roles and responsibility sheet available in the club for this purpose.

  • Explain the Word of the Day, it's usage with examples while introducing your role.

  • Listen carefully to how speakers use English in their presentations and note it using the Grammarian note taking template.

    • You need to observe good usage and bad usage of English (for all those who speaks - e.g. prepared speakers, table topic speakers, big-3, helper roles).

    • Listen to the use of metaphors, selection of words, rhetorical devices used by the speakers.

    • Listen to the grammatical errors, wrong pronunication of words etc.

  • During Table Topics section:

    • Make sure that all the table topics speakers use the 'Word of the Day'.  Otherwise, the speakers will be disqualified from voting.

    • ​If you are noticing that the table topics speaker is not using the word of the day, make sure that you hold the paper (with the word written) high to give him an indication that they needs to use it.

    • Present Grammarian Report on the use of 'Word of the Day' at the end of the Table Topics Section when called upon to do so by the Table Topics Master.

  • Other speakers can use the word of the day also.  When you are giving the grammarian report, you can make a special mention about it since they are not required to use the word.

  • Present Grammarian Report during the General Evaluation section when called upon to do so.

Note: If there are any edits, share your inputs to VP of Education.

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