Using Metaphor in Teaching the Aspects of the Past Tense to Romanian Learners of English

Starting from the author’s belief that a single methodology does not ensure success for all learners, the paper offers a synthesis of teaching strategies from both traditional/explicit grammar and learner-centred/constructivist camps which incorporate metaphors of various types. The new instructional strategy proposed includes an explicit pedagogical grammar reference (in the form of a student’s portfolio), followed by rules and metaphors about the choice of tense-aspect. The paper explains in detail the abstract metaphor of “ the tree” (trunk/leaves/root) chosen to help students understand the relationship between the simple, continuous and perfect aspects of the past tense, as well as the symbols helping students visualize the usage of these aspects. There are also tasks for the students, making use of these metaphors designed to provide learners with multiple ways of learning aspect.