Can I make teaching parts of speech interesting?

Question

I have to teach a chapter on gerunds, participles, basic grammar and the like to a college-level class coming up. I've taught this section before and it just seems impossible to make this stuff interesting.
I know I shouldn't have to spend much time on it in the first place, as this all SHOULD HAVE BEEN grade-school level stuff. But trust me, they need it.
Any ideas?

Thanks.

Answer 1

What about making it into a "Mad Libs" fill-in-the-blank type of activity? Remember those, where the teacher or group leader read silently a story or other passage and for every blank, it asked for a verb/noun/whatever, and the tchr would ask aloud for suggestions, and students had to fill in the blanks? And when you were done, you had a hilarious story b/c the tchr doesn't read the whole story aloud till all the blanks are filled in...seems maybe too elementary, but I'm 28 and I think I'd enjoy that. :)

Answer 2

Look up a book called Hot Fudge Monday. It's by Cottonwood Press, and it seriously jazzes up Parts of Speech without dumbing them down like some books.

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Fudge-Monday/dp/187767317X

http://www.cottonwoodpress.com/product_info.php?products_id=57

Answer 3

Well, my experiences are different.
Pupils were not interested in games or things like that - they wanted to do exercises and be the best in it, and then help weaker students... But it was a specific school with weird children;)

Answer 4

Well Gaaawwwly....watch out for those dangling participles...they put people to sleep reaaal quick....try a little humor in your teaching...a little humor goes a long way.

Answer 5

umm no. grammar is just stuff ya gotta learn-

i guess if they really have to learn it - do some sort of game and not something from a text book