The role of grammar in learning English language

Grammar is a key to learn foreign language accurately. That is to say, it refers to the set of rules that allow us to combine words in order to make sentences. Grammar is the central component of language. It mediates between the system of sounds or of written symbols, on the one hand, and the system of meaning, on the other. That’s why the study of grammar is a part of general knowledge. We study the complex working of the human body to understand ourselves; the same reason should attract us to study the marvelous complexity of human language. Funk and Wagnall’s New college Standard Dictionary describes grammar as “a type of science that explains the various principles of oral or written usage of a particular language” whether science or art, grammar is made up of the descriptions that tell you how to use a language correctly.

Everybody has attitude towards the English language and its varieties, and has opinions on specific features. These attitudes and opinions make relationship with other people. If you know the nature of the language, you will easily realize the linguistic prejudices and perhaps moderate them.

In the study of the language, grammar occupies a central position. But there is also a practical reason to emphasize the study of grammar. It is easy to use dictionaries by you to find the pronunciation, spelling, or meaning of words. But it is difficult to consult grammar books without a considerable knowledge of grammar. If you cannot follow the rule of grammar you will not express your opinions and people will find it difficult to understand you.

According to Sidney Greenbaua study there are several applications of learning grammar:

• 1)    A recognition of grammatical structures is often essential for punctuation;

• 2)    A study of one’s native grammar is helpful when one studies the grammar of a foreign language;

• 3)    A knowledge of grammar is a help in the interpretation of a literary as well as nonliterary texts, since the interpretation of a passage sometimes depends crucially on grammatical analysis;

• 4)    A study of grammatical resources of English is useful in composition; in particular, it can help you to evaluate the choices available to you when you come to revise an earlier written draft.

The mentioned applications help to know the study of grammar rules, including punctuations, usage problems, writing styles, and analyses of a range of linguistic registers.

First of all grammar helps to combine words in our language into larger units. Another term for grammar in this sense is syntax. Some combinations of words are possible in English and others are not. E.g. Cell phones are much cheaper now is a possible English sentence whereas Cell phones now much are cheaper is not, because much is wrongly positioned in the second example. The rule that disallows that the sentence is a descriptive rule, a rule that describes how people use their language. The validity of this descriptive rule depends on whether it is true or not. The descriptive rule must be accurately formulated to make the valid distinctions.

Sometimes people speaking the same dialect disagree in their evaluation of particular sentences. For example, some speakers of standard British English find Acceptable I demand that she gives her reasons; others prefer or require a different form of the verb in the that-clause, either that she gives her reasons or that she should give her reasons.

A number of differences between the use of standard British English have related to social importance. Some speakers of standard dialect confirm that certain usages are marked as uneducated. Rules that specify which usages should be adopted or avoided are called prescriptive rules. According to “ An Introduction to English grammar ” by Sidney Greenbaua there are examples of prescriptive rules…

• 1.     Do not use like as a conjunction, as in He speaks like his father does.

• 2.     Do not use between you and I .

• 3.      Do not split an infinitive, as in to actually feel.

• 4.     Do not end a sentence with a preposition.

Speakers of the standard dialect tend to pay greater attention to prescriptive rules when they are on their best behavior, in particular when they are writing in a formal style.

Grammar is the main component of language. It relates to the meaning and the sound of written symbols. Phonology is the usual term for the sound system in the language: the distinctive sound unites and the ways which they may be combined. Orthography parallels phonology in that it deals with the writing system in the language: the distinctive written symbols and their possible combinations. Semantics is concerned with the system of meaning in the language: the meaning of the words and the combinatory meaning of larger units.

Three other aspects of language description are often distinguished: phonetics, morphology, and pragmatics. Phonetics deals with the physical characteristics of sounds in the language and how the sounds are produced. Sounds and letters combine to form, words or parts of words. Morphology refers to the set of rules that describe the structure of words. The word teacher for example, consists of two parts: the base teacher and the suffix-er. Pragmatics is concerned with the use of particular utterances within particular situations. For example, Will you join our group? Is a question that depending on the speaker’s intention is either a request for information or request for action.

For descriptive purposes, it is convenient to deal with the component of language separately, but because of the central place of grammar in the language system, it is sometimes necessary to refer to the other components when we discuss the grammar.

All over the world 300 people speak English as the first language. Most of them live in English-speaking countries. That’s why, that language is important to communication, education, business venture or other reason. Finally, English is studied as the primary foreign language in most other countries. One estimate is that over 150 million children are currently studying English as a foreign language. Knowledge of English is perceived in in most parts of the world as essential for international communication in commerce and tourism, in economic and military aid, and in scientific and technological literature.

The role of grammar in teaching and learning foreign language is essential and important for learners. In order to learn foreign language both accurately and fluently you should follow the rule of grammar and continue to speak without worries.