Abstract
This study conducted an analysis of all MEXT-approved English textbooks from six publishers in Japanese junior high schools. The primary objective was to investigate whether grammatical elements classified as “new grammar” were present prior to their official introduction. Previous studies have shown that the expression “want to” emerged in elementary schools before being categorized as a “new grammar item” for to-infinitives in junior high schools. In this study, we focused on four grammar elements: to-infinitive, comparative expressions, passive voice, and the adjectival use of participles. The study investigated the frequencies of these elements and how they appeared in junior high school textbooks. The results showed that some grammar elements appeared numerous times before being formally recognized as “new grammar.” For example, consistent with previous research, the nominative use of to-infinitive tended to appear more frequently. In addition, comparative expressions involving more and best, expressions related to psychological states presented in the form of be verb + past participle, and adjectival uses of the present participle modifying a noun positioned before the noun were frequent occurrences. It is hypothesized that introducing these grammar items using expressions that learners have already been exposed to could facilitate a smoother learning experience.
https://ror.org/01hjzeq58 
