Grammar.

 

David Crystal (April 30, 2004), said the following about grammar: “Grammar is the structural foundation of our ability to express ourselves. The more we are aware of how it works, the more we can monitor the meaning and effectiveness of the way we and others use language. It can help foster precision, detect ambiguity, and exploit the richness of expression available in English."  David Crystal could have put it more eruditely and lucidly about the importance of grammar in learning English. Grammar is the skeletal framework of a language. Language is used for communication. If communication is to be effective, meaning what has been said and written is to be correctly understood, a thorough knowledge of grammar is vital. If we are to be correct in what we say, listen, speak, and write, are not confused and use English with richness, then knowledge of grammar is essential to this end. In this essay, I will answer the question why learning grammar is important.

Grammar is fundamental to language. Without grammar, language does not exist. However, nothing in the field of language pedagogy has been as controversial as the role of grammar teaching. The controversy has always been whether grammar should be taught explicitly through a formal presentation of grammatical rules or implicitly through natural exposure to meaningful language use. According to Nordquist (2023, April 5) grammar is firstly defined as the systematic study and description of a language. Secondly, it is a set of rules and examples dealing with the syntax and word structures of a language usually intended as an aid to the learning of that language. Grammar is the skeleton of a language. Nordquist (2023, April 5) describes the two components of grammar. First, there is descriptive grammar which is the structure of the language as it is used by writers and speakers.  Then there is prescriptive grammar which is the structure of a language the certain people think the language should be used. In short, both kinds of grammar focus rules in different ways. Descriptive grammar studies the rules or  patterns that lie below in the use of phrases, clauses and sentences while prescriptive grammar focuses on laying down the rules of the use of the language on what is believed to be correct.

According to Nordquist (2023, April 5), just studying grammar alone will not make a language learner a better writer or speaker. However, when one gains an understanding of how language works, then one should also gain greater control over the way words are shaped in sentences and sentences into paragraphs. Basically, studying grammar may help in becoming an effective writer. Nordquist (2023, April 5), adds that descriptive grammarians advise us not to be overly concerned with matters of correctness. They say that in the history of grammar, the English language is a living entity of communication, it is a continually evolving affair. Words and phrases will come into vogue and then drop out of use. Over a period of centuries, word endings and complete sentence structures can change or disappear. Nordquist (2023, April 5) goes further by saying that prescriptive grammarians would rather give advice about language usage: straightforward rules to aid language users to not make errors. These rules maybe oversimplified at times, but they are meant to keep people out of trouble- the variety of trouble that may distract or confuse readers. David Crystal gives us six reasoning to learn grammar:

Accepting the Challenge: Humans have an insatiable curiosity about the world they live in and a desire to comprehend and, like with mountains, master it. In this way, grammar is just like any other field of knowledge;

B.    Being Human: However, language is a part of nearly every action we take as humans—more so than mountains. Without language, we could not survive. Gaining an understanding of the linguistic aspect of our existence would be a noteworthy accomplishment. Furthermore, grammar serves as the primary organizing framework for language;

C.    Exploring Our Creative Ability: Our proficiency with grammar is remarkable. It is most likely our most imaginative capacity. There is no restriction on what we can write or say, but there are only so many rules that can govern all of this potential. How is this carried out?

D.    Solving Problems: However, there are times when our language fails us. We come across ambiguity and incomprehensible writing or speech. In order to address these issues, we must examine grammar closely and determine what went wrong. This is particularly important when children are picking up standards from educated adults in their neighbourhood;

E.    Learning Other Languages: Acquiring knowledge of English grammar serves as a foundation for learning other languages. A large portion of the tools required to study English turns out to be broadly applicable. Adjectives, tenses, and clauses are also present in other languages. And if we have first understood what makes our mother tongue special, the differences they exhibit will be even more apparent;

F.     Increasing Our Awareness: After learning grammar, we ought to be more conscious of the richness, variety, and power of our language, which will improve both our ability to use it and assess how others use it. It is less certain whether this will actually lead to an improvement in our own usage. While increasing our awareness is necessary, putting that awareness into practice—that is, speaking and writing more effectively—requires the acquisition of new abilities. We can still drive recklessly even after taking a course on auto repair.