This inquiry proposes a conceptual framework for examining teachers' ontologies of English and explores how a group of Chinese university teachers of English conceive of, and orient to, the language. Interview data propose that participants orient to both a monolithic view as well as the ‘plurilithic’ reality. The data disclose that monolithic ontologies are associated mainly with classroom contexts, whereas plurilithic ontologies are activated when usage is in focus. Especially significant is teachers' monolithic conception of grammar, compared to plurilithic conceptions of lexis and pronunciation. The study presents that usage‐based approaches to grammar might propose teachers a way to reconcile their apparently contradictory ontologies and help them defy the deficit view of learning inherent in the monolithic approach.