grammar

[gram-er]

noun

1. the study of the way the sentences of a language are constructed; morphology and syntax.

2. these features or constructions themselves.

   English grammar.

3. an account of these features; a set of rules accounting for these constructions.

   a grammar of English.

4. Generative Grammar.,  a device, as a body of rules, whose output is all of the sentences that are permissible in a given language, while excluding all those that are not permissible.

5. prescriptive grammar.

6. knowledge or usage of the preferred or prescribed forms in speaking or writing.

   She said his grammar was terrible.

7. the elements of any science, art, or subject.

8. a book treating such elements.

grammar

/ ˈɡræmə /

noun

1. the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology, sometimes also phonology and semantics

2. the abstract system of rules in terms of which a person's mastery of his native language can be explained

3. a systematic description of the grammatical facts of a language

4. a book containing an account of the grammatical facts of a language or recommendations as to rules for the proper use of a language

5. 1. the use of language with regard to its correctness or social propriety, esp in syntax

      the teacher told him to watch his grammar

   2. ( as modifier )

      a grammar book

6. the elementary principles of a science or art

   the grammar of drawing

grammar

1. The rules for standard use of words. A grammar is also a system for classifying and analyzing the elements of language.

Other Word Forms

• grammarless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of grammar¹

1325–75; Middle English gramery < Old French gramaire < Latin gramatica < Greek grammatikḕ ( téchnē ) grammatical (art); -ar ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of grammar¹

C14: from Old French gramaire, from Latin grammatica, from Greek grammatikē ( tekhnē ) the grammatical (art), from grammatikos concerning letters, from gramma letter

Example Sentences

Miss Lumley, I can tell from your clear thinking, good grammar, and tidy penmanship that you are a superior governess; this reflects well upon your own education.

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More than 60 post-primary schools, mainly grammars, across Northern Ireland use the results to decide which pupils to admit into year eight.

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Crammed under a tattered tent on rough wooden benches, Yemeni children are learning Arabic grammar -- lucky to receive an education at all in a country hammered by years of war.

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After some consultation, German grammar experts agreed that Kennedy had spoken correctly.

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Foodstock said private tuition doubled the likelihood of attending a grammar school, but disadvantaged children were less able to finance it.

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Related Words

• alphabet 
• syntax 

When To Use

What is grammar?

Grammar is the study of how sentences in a specific language are constructed.Grammar also refers to the features and rules of the language that guide users to creating properly constructed sentences. When we follow grammar rules it helps our listeners and readers understand what we’re trying to communicate.For example, one feature of English grammar is that the order of the words in a sentence helps tell us what job each word is doing. If we put all the nouns at the front of the sentence, as in I dogs own three, you’d wonder what we meant. When we put the subject of the sentence before the verb and the object after it, as in I own three dogs, you can understand what we mean.As with most languages, English has many different aspects of grammar that we follow in order to make understandable sentences. Most people learn and improve their grammar throughout their lives, starting when they first learn the language.