What is grammar and why do you have to study it?
Grammar is a branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and the word structure of a language that enables us to express ourselves. Our awareness of how it works will help nurture precision and our ability to use it effectively.
English grammar is a vital part of the learning process because it enables us to speak and understand each other. Good grammar is important to be able to explain what we feel and believe in great detail as well as lessen misunderstanding. Being able to understand, speak, and write English is only half of being successful. Learning the basics of grammar will go beyond communicating even better.
Have you ever wished that you could write or speak English using perfect grammar? It is an undeniable fact that finding out the correct usage of the English grammar is essential. However, it is typically seen in a negative view by many people. When they hear about learning the English grammar, their immediate reaction is to cringe. I guess maybe because it reminds them of endless grammar exercises. Truth is if you want to have a proper regard for the English language, you have to learn grammar.
Reasons why you should study grammar:
- You’ll satisfy our curiosity about the language
- You can understand the fundamental principle of language and its linguistic dimension
- You explore our most creative ability
- You’ll deal with the ambiguity of speech and writing and emulate the standards used by the learned
- You’ll be able to learn the basis of learning other languages when we know the differences of our unique grammatical rules
- You’ll be in a better position to evaluate how others use the language if we are aware of its flexibility and strength
Two types of grammar:
- Descriptive grammar – refers to language structure used by writers and speakers. Specialists in descriptive grammar are called linguistics. They study the rules and patterns underlying words, clauses, phrases and sentences that we use.
- Prescriptive grammar – refers to language structure that deals with syntax and work structure to aid the learning of a language. Prescriptive grammarians such as teachers, and editors lay out straightforward rules about what they believe to be the correct usage to help us avoid making errors.
Our attempt to integrate the two approaches to grammar will be presented side by side to deepen your understanding of how the English language operates. We will discuss the Basic Part of Speech which is descriptive while the Subject-Verb agreement is prescriptive.
So if you already know grammar, which type of grammar do you know? Consider these 10 varieties of grammar:
- Comparative Grammar – is the comparison of related languages grammatical forms to establish the relationship among all languages
- Generative Grammar – is the study of syntax that underlies which combination of words will produce correct grammatical sentence in a language.
- Mental Grammar – are generative grammar rules a learner must construct in his brain to produce grammatical sentences of the language he is learning.
- Pedagogical Grammar – is a modern linguistic approach to help people learning a second language.
- Performance Grammar – is a grammar formalism to explain intuitive judgments used by native speakers
- Reference Grammar – is a prose-like description of the grammatical construction of a language accompanied with examples to express the meaning.
- Theoretical Grammar – is the study of explicit formalism of grammar to further our understanding of the language by providing analyses and assumptions to form an integral theory.
- Traditional Grammar – is the term used to distinguish the inter-elemental and intra-elemental elements of grammar which focuses on the languages based on the pre-established standard
- Transformational Grammar – is the theory of grammar that corresponds to the outward structure or interpretation of a sentence which could be learned in variations or transformations
- Universal Grammar – this is a grammatical theory of the innate language all human possess without having to learn them
In our next series, we will be discussing parts of the sentence. Understanding them will help you learn the basic vocabulary of grammar which is essential in the study of the English language. It will contain advice on learning English and steps to perfect English grammar.
