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grammar
[ gram-er ]
noun
- the study of the way the sentences of a language are constructed; morphology and syntax.
- these features or constructions themselves:
English grammar.
- an account of these features; a set of rules accounting for these constructions:
a grammar of English.
- 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.
- knowledge or usage of the preferred or prescribed forms in speaking or writing:
She said his grammar was terrible.
- the elements of any science, art, or subject.
- a book treating such elements.
grammar
/ ˈɡræmə /
noun
- the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology, sometimes also phonology and semantics
- the abstract system of rules in terms of which a person's mastery of his native language can be explained
- a systematic description of the grammatical facts of a language
- a book containing an account of the grammatical facts of a language or recommendations as to rules for the proper use of a language
- the use of language with regard to its correctness or social propriety, esp in syntax
the teacher told him to watch his grammar
- ( as modifier )
a grammar book
- the elementary principles of a science or art
the grammar of drawing
grammar
- The rules for standard use of words. A grammar is also a system for classifying and analyzing the elements of language.
Derived Forms
- ˈgrammarless, adjective
Other Word Forms
- grammar·less adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of grammar1
Word History and Origins
Origin of grammar1
Example Sentences
In whatever discipline Beckett happened to be working in, he reinvestigated not just the vocabulary but the grammar of that medium.
This fits the format, rhythm and grammar of social media —instantaneous, personal and visual.
"To communicate, the Africans borrowed some vocabulary from the British and incorporated their own pronunciation and syntax to form a pidgin thing. Over the generations, it became perfected and developed structure and grammar."
Educated at a grammar school in Watford, Barrell was a professional rugby player with Saracens before becoming the club's academy director and, until last year, the RFU's head of performance programmes and pathways.
Often they’re written in all caps without proper grammar, punctuation or line breaks that would make them easier to read.
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More About Grammar
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.
Why is grammar important?
The first records of the word grammar comes from around 1325. It ultimately comes from the Greek word grammatikós, meaning “knowing one’s letters.”
The idea of grammar is much older than the word itself and older even than the English language, as we can see from the word’s origin. Every major language on Earth has some system of grammar, and some language experts believe that language itself cannot exist without grammar.
Usually, children learn to speak their first language without actually being taught the rules of grammar. Instead, they slowly learn by copying how other people talk. Once they start school, children are taught the rules they’ve been using unconsciously. Students are taught different grammar concepts throughout their schooling. People whose jobs directly relate to language, such as writers, editors, linguists, and lexicographers, learn even more about grammar as part of their job training.
Did you know … ?
Some people are especially bothered by even the smallest grammar errors, which we all make. Unfortunately, the errors many people are bothered by are not actually errors. You can learn more about this tendency at the entry for grammar nazi, though you might not want to use that term itself.
What are real-life examples of grammar?
Many children learned grammar from books like these:
Although many people care about grammar, they often struggle with it, especially on social media.
I can't stand bad grammar. I must delete all my tweets with bad grammar. Grammar is everything.
— J (@JVCKJ) October 27, 2015
Day 1, Lesson 1, Question 1 of homeschooling my 7-year-old, and I’ve had to google it.
It’s a grammar question, and I’ve been a professional writer for more than 20 years 🤦♂️.
— mark smith (@markismith50) January 5, 2021
What other words are related to grammar?
Quiz yourself!
True or False?
Grammar only matters when it comes to writing and not speaking.
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