What is English Grammar?
Grammar is one of the several sciences of languages .Philology,
the science of the history and creation of language, includes: phonetics,
a science of articulate sounds; etymology, a science of word
origins; and grammar, a science of how we use words.We can define grammar as a "science of language" that has specific parts—and laws on how we use these parts in a sentence.
Grammar is simple. We can divide words into eight different groups, called "parts of speech."
The eight parts-of-speech are: Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, Preposition,Conjunction and Interjection.
Existing words and new words fall naturally into these groups. Grammar is the working out of this discovery.
To master grammar, you need to define the parts-of-speech before you can understand their uses.
A common question is, "Why do we have eight parts-of-speech? Why not seven or eleven?" The simple answer is because we have eight several uses to which we can arrange words in a sentence.
A sentence is a group of words so related that they express one complete thought.
Not every sentence has (or must have) all eight parts-of-speech.
The sentence, "Lisa won," states one complete thought with only two parts-of-speech, expressed in two words.
The sentence, "We are happy our football team won today," expresses one complete thought with eight parts-of-speech, expressed in eight words.
To express a complete thought, you must use at least two parts-of-speech. You can use ten, twenty, thirty, even a hundred words if you can make them work together.
The two essential parts of a sentence are:
1) the subject (what you talk about), and
2) the predicate (what you say of the subject).
That's all you need to know to write correctly. n
The Value
of Studying Grammar
The
study of grammar all by itself will not necessarily make you a better writer.
But by gaining a clearer understanding of how our language works, you should
also gain greater control over the way you shape words into sentences and
sentences into paragraphs. In short, studying grammar may help you become a
more effective writer.
Descriptive
grammarians generally advise us not to be overly concerned with matters of correctness:
language, they say, isn't good or bad; it simply is. As the history
of the glamorous word grammar demonstrates, the English
language is a living system of communication, a continually evolving affair.
Within a generation or two, words and phrases come into fashion and fall out
again. Over centuries, word endings and entire sentence structures can change
or disappear.
Prescriptive
grammarians prefer giving practical advice about using language:
straightforward rules to help us avoid making errors. The rules may be
over-simplified at times, but they are meant to keep us out of trouble--the
kind of trouble that may distract or even confuse our readers.
So you think you know grammar? All well and good, but which type of grammar do you know?
So you think you know grammar? All well and good, but which type of grammar do you know?
Linguists are quick to remind
us that there are different varieties of grammar--that is, different ways of
describing and analyzing the structures and functions of language.
One basic distinction worth making is that between descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar (also
called ). Both
are concerned with rules--but in different ways. Specialists in descriptive
grammar examine the rules or patterns that underlie our use of words, phrases,
clauses, and sentences. In contrast, prescriptive grammarians (such as most
editors and teachers) try to enforce rules about what they believe to be the
correct uses of language.
Descriptive grammar.
A set of norms or rules governing how a language should
or should not be used rather than describing the ways in which a language is
actually used. Contrast with descriptive
grammar.
prescriptive
grammar
The conventional ways in which words or phrases
are used, spoken, or written
But
that's just the beginning. Consider these ten varieties of grammar--and take
your pick.
1. Comparative
Grammar
The analysis and comparison of the grammatical structures of related languages. Contemporary work in comparative grammar is concerned with "a faculty of language that provides an explanatory basis for how a human being can acquire a first language . . .. In this way, the theory of grammar is a theory of human language and hence establishes the relationship among all languages." (R. Freidin,Principles and Parameters in Comparative Grammar. MIT Press, 1991)
The analysis and comparison of the grammatical structures of related languages. Contemporary work in comparative grammar is concerned with "a faculty of language that provides an explanatory basis for how a human being can acquire a first language . . .. In this way, the theory of grammar is a theory of human language and hence establishes the relationship among all languages." (R. Freidin,Principles and Parameters in Comparative Grammar. MIT Press, 1991)
2. Generative
Grammar
The rules determining the structure and interpretation of sentences that speakers accept as belonging to the language. "Simply put, a generative grammar is a theory of competence: a model of the psychological system of unconscious knowledge that underlies a speaker's ability to produce and interpret utterances in a language." (F. Parker and K. Riley,Linguistics for Non-Linguists. Allyn and Bacon, 1994)
The rules determining the structure and interpretation of sentences that speakers accept as belonging to the language. "Simply put, a generative grammar is a theory of competence: a model of the psychological system of unconscious knowledge that underlies a speaker's ability to produce and interpret utterances in a language." (F. Parker and K. Riley,Linguistics for Non-Linguists. Allyn and Bacon, 1994)
3. Mental
Grammar
The generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand. "All humans are born with the capacity for constructing a Mental Grammar, given linguistic experience; this capacity for language is called the Language Faculty (Chomsky, 1965). A grammar formulated by a linguist is an idealized description of this Mental Grammar." (P. W. Culicover and A. Nowak, Dynamical Grammar: Foundations of Syntax II. Oxford Univ. Press, 2003)
The generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand. "All humans are born with the capacity for constructing a Mental Grammar, given linguistic experience; this capacity for language is called the Language Faculty (Chomsky, 1965). A grammar formulated by a linguist is an idealized description of this Mental Grammar." (P. W. Culicover and A. Nowak, Dynamical Grammar: Foundations of Syntax II. Oxford Univ. Press, 2003)
4. Pedagogical
Grammar
Grammatical analysis and instruction designed for second-language students. "Pedaogical grammar is a slippery concept. The term is commonly used to denote (1) pedagogical process--the explicit treatment of elements of the target language systems as (part of) language teaching methodology; (2) pedagogical content--reference sources of one kind or another that present information about the target language system; and (3) combinations of process and content." (D. Little, "Words and Their Properties: Arguments for a Lexical Approach to Pedagaogical Grammar."Perspectives on Pedagogical Grammar, ed. by T. Odlin. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1994)
Grammatical analysis and instruction designed for second-language students. "Pedaogical grammar is a slippery concept. The term is commonly used to denote (1) pedagogical process--the explicit treatment of elements of the target language systems as (part of) language teaching methodology; (2) pedagogical content--reference sources of one kind or another that present information about the target language system; and (3) combinations of process and content." (D. Little, "Words and Their Properties: Arguments for a Lexical Approach to Pedagaogical Grammar."Perspectives on Pedagogical Grammar, ed. by T. Odlin. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1994)
5. Performance
Grammar
A description of the syntax of English as it is actually used by speakers in dialogues. "[P]erformance grammar . . . centers attention on language production; it is my belief that the problem of production must be dealt with before problems of reception and comprehension can properly be investigated." (John Carroll, "Promoting Language Skills." Perspectives on School Learning: Selected Writings of John B. Carroll, ed. by L. W. Anderson. Erlbaum, 1985)
A description of the syntax of English as it is actually used by speakers in dialogues. "[P]erformance grammar . . . centers attention on language production; it is my belief that the problem of production must be dealt with before problems of reception and comprehension can properly be investigated." (John Carroll, "Promoting Language Skills." Perspectives on School Learning: Selected Writings of John B. Carroll, ed. by L. W. Anderson. Erlbaum, 1985)
6. Reference
Grammar
A description of the grammar of a language, with explanations of the principles governing the construction of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. Examples of contemporary reference grammars in English include A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, by Randolph Quirk et al. (1985), the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English(1999), and The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002).
A description of the grammar of a language, with explanations of the principles governing the construction of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. Examples of contemporary reference grammars in English include A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, by Randolph Quirk et al. (1985), the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English(1999), and The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002).
7. Theoretical
Grammar
The study of the essential components of any human language. "Theoretical grammar or syntax is concerned with making completely explicit the formalisms of grammar, and in providing scientific arguments or explanations in favour of one account of grammar rather than another, in terms of a general theory of human language." (A. Renouf and A. Kehoe,The Changing Face of Corpus Linguistics. Rodopi, 2003)
The study of the essential components of any human language. "Theoretical grammar or syntax is concerned with making completely explicit the formalisms of grammar, and in providing scientific arguments or explanations in favour of one account of grammar rather than another, in terms of a general theory of human language." (A. Renouf and A. Kehoe,The Changing Face of Corpus Linguistics. Rodopi, 2003)
8. Traditional
Grammar
The collection of prescriptive rules and concepts about the structure of the language. "We say that traditional grammar is prescriptive because it focuses on the distinction between what some people do with language and what they ought to do with it, according to a pre-established standard. . . . The chief goal of traditional grammar, therefore, is perpetuating a historical model of what supposedly constitutes proper language." (J. D. Williams, The Teacher's Grammar Book. Routledge, 2005)
The collection of prescriptive rules and concepts about the structure of the language. "We say that traditional grammar is prescriptive because it focuses on the distinction between what some people do with language and what they ought to do with it, according to a pre-established standard. . . . The chief goal of traditional grammar, therefore, is perpetuating a historical model of what supposedly constitutes proper language." (J. D. Williams, The Teacher's Grammar Book. Routledge, 2005)
9. Transformational
Grammar
A theory of grammar that accounts for the constructions of a language by linguistic transformations and phrase structures. "In transformational grammar, the term 'rule' is used not for a precept set down by an external authority but for a principle that is unconsciously yet regularly followed in the production and interpretation of sentences. A rule is a direction for forming a sentence or a part of a sentence, which has been internalized by the native speaker." (D. Bornstein, An Introduction to Transformational Grammar. Univ. Press of America, 1984)
A theory of grammar that accounts for the constructions of a language by linguistic transformations and phrase structures. "In transformational grammar, the term 'rule' is used not for a precept set down by an external authority but for a principle that is unconsciously yet regularly followed in the production and interpretation of sentences. A rule is a direction for forming a sentence or a part of a sentence, which has been internalized by the native speaker." (D. Bornstein, An Introduction to Transformational Grammar. Univ. Press of America, 1984)
10.
Universal Grammar
The system of categories, operations, and principles shared by all human languages and considered to be innate. "Taken together, the linguistic principles of Universal Grammar constitute a theory of the organization of the initial state of the mind/brain of the language learner--that is, a theory of the human faculty for language." (S. Crain and R. Thornton, Investigations in Universal Grammar. MIT Press, 2000)
The system of categories, operations, and principles shared by all human languages and considered to be innate. "Taken together, the linguistic principles of Universal Grammar constitute a theory of the organization of the initial state of the mind/brain of the language learner--that is, a theory of the human faculty for language." (S. Crain and R. Thornton, Investigations in Universal Grammar. MIT Press, 2000)
“English vision” The
leading program of English Language
studies.
