Though it appears to be simple at first, it is much more difficult to construct a good pattern drill. Etmekjian (1967) says that the purpose of the drill, the vocabulary available, the structures known to the learners, etc., pose certain problems and impose certain conditions that must be fulfilled by the material producer. Some of the basic principles of construction of drills are discussed below.

One Problem at a Time

In a pattern drill only one problem only one operation at a time. The operation may take place in one of the two different ways, viz.,

1) Simple and single change should be done and

2) The change in cue may affect another change
in the master sentence.

Only one change should be possible in the drills. This enables the learner to concentrate on the problem.

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Gradation

The second important principle is careful gradation. The principles of gradation are (1) Simple to complex and (2) Known to unknown. So, the learners should be led step by step from simple to complex. The rate of progress in language instruction will

depend upon the learning capacity of the learners. Care should be taken to avoid boredom due to slowness or 'linguistic indigestion' due to speed.

The two criteria for gradation are applicable in two different contexts. The first criterion, viz., 'simple to complex' is normally adopted in a situation where the target language is completely new and unknown to the learner in terms of its structure and vocabulary. This perhaps could be applicable mostly in the case of a foreign language teaching situation. The second criterion viz., 'known to unknown' is generally applicable in the case of second language teaching situation and in particular when the target language happens to be cognate to the mother tongue of the learner. These however are not rigid and watertight compartments. Therefore the material producer or the language teacher may have to make a compromise between the two criteria depending upon the language background of the learners and also the targets laid down for the course of instruction.

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Vocabulary

The drills should be restricted to the vocabulary under the control of the learners. An unfamiliar vocabulary item would distract and retard the progress of the learners.

The learner has to concentrate on both the new vocabulary and the structure he is learning. In the drill part of the lesson it is advisable not to use any unfamiliar items. For example, when the concentration is on, let us say, the pronoun usages, if the teacher gives a new verb the conjugation of which is not known to the learners, there may be some confusion or difficulty in giving the correct response. In order to avoid this, only the known vocabulary should be made use of in the drills. In other words, only those vocabulary items that have been presented will occur in the drill.

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Naturalness of Situation

The sentences in the drill should represent natural situations. Though some drills aim at the acquisition and practice of grammatical structures, unnatural sentences should be avoided. Thus, for example, sentences of the following kind should be eliminated:

Tamil - shaajahaan taajmahaalai kat?t?uvaan
Shahjahan Tajmahal build-fut.

'Shajahan will build Tajmahal'

Telugu - mana deesa prajalandaruu oka samvatsaramloo
our country people all one year in

r?n?avimuktulautaaru
debt free become

"all the people of our country will be free of
debts in one year'

Hindi - hamaaree dees me sab loogõõkoo eek saal me
our country of all people to one year in

hindii sikhaayii jaa saktii he
Hindi taught can is

'Hindi could be taught to all people of our country
in one year'

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One Possible Response

Almost all the pattern drills should elicit only one correct answer. In certain cases, there may be more than one correct response. In such cases, care should be taken to elicit only one answer. Otherwise, a chorus drill becomes impossible. It would be very difficult for the teacher to locate all errors and correct them.

Clarity of Instructions

Clear, unambiguous and precise instructions should be given to the learners so that they clearly understand what they are expected to do. Otherwise, the drill cannot be administered successfully. Long, unnecessary and complicated instructions should be avoided. In case a drill needs lengthy instructions should be avoided. In case a drill needs lengthy instructions, it is always advisable to choose a model saying 'Do the following as in the model'. Though this is preferred as the last resort, it should be used wherever the teacher feels that the learners would have difficulty in understanding the instructions.

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Model for Every Drill

The best helping factor to the learners to understand what he is expected to do is a model. Whether the drill is simple or difficult, it is always desirable to provide a model irrespective of the drill.

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Length of a Drill

There is no defined restriction/limitation for the length of the drill. The length of a drill may vary depending upon the number of aspects in the sentence and the topic. The teacher can change the length of the drill so as to make it easy that the learners' responses become mechanical. The drills should, to a certain extent, be a challenge to the; earners; a challenge which requires an effort. Learning is always an active process. The learners' responses should be as many as possible so that the teaching item is mastered properly. Each response of the learners should be reinforced by the teacher by giving a correct answer every time.

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