Formal Instruction in Second Language Teaching

In second language acquisition, the role of form has been a controversial topic for half decade. Among a variety of language teaching approaches, the two extreme options--traditional grammar-translation approach and communicative language teaching approach—treat language forms in different ways. The disadvantages of those approaches are analyzed. An alternative approach, Focus on form (FonF) was proposed in an attempt to capture the strengths of the meaning-focus communicative approach while dealing with its limitations. The present paper analyzed the features of FonF and its application in different stages of task-based language teaching with the aim to further enhance the teaching efficiency in second language classrooms.