Grammar
the study or use of) the rules about how words change their form and combine
with other words to make sentences
GRAMMAR: the study or use of the rules about how words change their form and
combine with other words to express meaning:
She memorized the vocabulary but is having trouble with the grammar.
Grammar is also categorized as bad grammar, Basic and Explicit Grammar.
Bad grammar; they object to indifferent and vague phraseology.
basic grammar: The current development of rules has been modeled after the
basic grammar conventions where rules contain both a left-hand side and a right-
hand side.
explicit grammar: The answer seems, therefore, to be that under the right
circumstances explicit grammar teaching can be effective (in terms of writing
skills)
What is grammar in English?
Some of the definitions is that grammar is a system of rules that allow us to
structure sentences. It includes several aspects of the English language, like:
• Parts of speech (verbs, adjectives, nouns, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions,
modifiers, etc.)
• Clauses (e.g. independent, dependent, compound)attention-seeking group)
• Punctuation (like commas, semicolons, and periods — when applied to usage)in
the short- and long-haul)
• Mechanics of language (like word order, semantics, and sentence structure)in
the short- and long-haul)
How did grammar become what it is today?
Grammar has been in a constant state of evolution, starting with the creation of
the first textbook on the subject in about 100 BC by the Greeks (termed the Greek
grammatikē). The Romans later adapted their grammar to create Latin grammar
(or Latin grammatica), which spread out across Europe to form the basis for
languages like Spanish and French.
Eventually, Latin grammar became the basis of the English model in the 11th
century. The rules of grammar (as well as etymology) changed with the times,
from Middle English in the 15th century, to what we know today.
Another consequence of grammatical changes has been the development of
various areas of linguistic study, like phonology (how languages or dialects
organize their sounds) and morphology (how words are formed how and their
relationships work).
The ancient grammar rules have changed as people have tested alternative ways
to use language. Authors, for example, have broken the rules to various levels of
success:
Shakespeare ended sentences with prepositions: “Fly to others that we know not
of.”
Jane Austen used double negatives: “When Mr. Collins said any thing of which his
wife might reasonably be ashamed, which certainly was not unseldom, she
involuntarily turned her eye on Charlotte.”
William Faulkner started sentences with conjunctions: “But before the captain
could answer, a major appeared from behind the guns.”
Types of grammar (and theories)
As long as there have been rules of grammar, there have been theories about
what makes it work and how to classify it. For example, American linguist Noam
Chomsky posited the theory of universal grammar. It says that common rules
dictate all language.
In his view, humans have an innate knowledge of language that informs those
rules. That, he reasoned, is why children can pick up on complex grammar
without explicit knowledge of the rules. But grammarians still debate about
whether this theory holds true.
There are also prescriptive and descriptive grammar types:
• Prescriptive grammar is the set of rules people should follow when using the
English language.
• Descriptive grammar is how we describe the way people are using
language.attention-seeking group)
Another theory emerges from these types of English grammar: primacy of spoken
language. It says language comes from the spoken word, not writing — so that’s
where you’ll find answers to what’s grammatically correct. Though not everyone
agrees with that theory, either.
Etymology
Middle English gramere, from Anglo-French gramaire, modification of Latin
grammatica, from Greek grammatikē, from feminine of grammatikos of letters,
from grammat-, gramma.
