Activities and exercises for differentiating grammar points

[hoshinoumi]

Hi! I'm preparing a class about the differences between 一边……一边 and 又……又 and I need to make as many exercises and activities as possible that will allow my students to practice the differences between both. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[Wippen (inactive)]

Hopefully you won't mind this opinion. It probably isn't a good idea paedagocially teaching both these constructions in one class. They are too similar and student s may mix them up .

 

Following teacher`s lead in and explanation:

一边。。一边 I would put them into pairs or small groups and have one mime two simultaneous actions saying target phrase and then miming. The other person guesses and  says full sentence. Use prompt cards with one situation and then two activities; or place situations on whiteboard with students having to make up their own mimed actions.

 

又 。。又。All students on floor each given a card for example landscape , person or animal. All students write on postit sticker one adjective per sticker describing the card held by other  students. Postit sticker placed on students` back. The student with card has to guess what the two words placed on his back are, this in group or front of class.

 

 

[hoshinoumi]

Thanks! That was extremely helpful. The class is going to be for Chinese language teachers who are, obviosuly, going to need to know the difference between these two constructions. But you are right, teaching these two together doesn't really seem like a nice idea.

Thanks again

[Wippen (inactive)]

In the teacher's explanation, you can use soundless video clips showing a person doing two simultaneous actions. You can have students guess the construct. Someone will always know (good practice for teachers also). You can do the same for both constructions but it is a little more challenging to to find a video for  又。。又 instead  you may present the basket ball player Yao Ming or other celebrities with two key characteristics students are bound to know. Tall, short, etc

[DavyJonesLocker]

Agree i wouldn't put those two constructs together （一）边 。。。（一） 边 describes actions occuring at the same time thus takes a verb, whereas 又 。。。又 describes qualities so takes an adjective.

 

However, if the topic is to generally discuss "both A and B "  you might look at  既。。。 又， 又。。。又，既。。。也 . You then could add in （一）边 。。。（一） 边 too if it helps, as 既。。。也 is generally used with verb phrases (as far as I can remember) so 既。。。也  and 边 。。。 边  start to become similar in that simulateanous actions are being described