"Every English poet should master the rules of grammar before he attempts to break them." (Robert Graves)Do you come from the generation that did endless grammar exercises at school? I am. Even as a linguistic nerd I remember finding it difficult to stay awake when I studied those dusty old tomes. It's not surprising some educators have dropped the study of the subject from their curricula. If you homeschool, grammar can be a daunting task. Simply put, grammar is the way words are put together so that thoughts can go from one person to another. To have more than a barely functional understanding of language you have to know these things: Parts of speech Tense Punctuation Person Morphology (word parts) So Why Bother?Well, human language is consists of three parts. When you break those three parts down and study them systematically, you are, to a greater or lesser degree, a linguist.The first part is
phonetics
The second part is syntax, the study of sentence structure. The third part is semantics and pragmatics, the study of meaning. Grammar is involved in two of the three parts: that is, syntax and semantics. The point is, to understand and be understood as a human, you have to use language. To use language you have to be reasonably good at the three parts. Nature or Nurture?Child language development is, in most cases, innate. They are born with a genetic blueprint that helps them acquire language and work out the rules of using it.One of the goals of linguistics is to determine just exactly the extent of that genetic blueprint in humans. Many linguists spend time pursuing this "universal grammar". Some children are late to develop this understanding and so are called "language-delayed". No matter the level of a person's genetic aptitude, there is much to be said for using a fun, interesting study system to learn more about syntax, sentence structure and language rules. Dick Hudson, one of my favourite professors when I studied linguistics, wrote an
article regarding the teaching of grammar and its benefits.
In fact, learning about the rules that govern sentence structure is necessary for optimum language development. Generally, your students will also be socially and economically better off from knowing the facts about the subject. No matter what you think about it, you are judged on your grammatical output. I Want To Teach Grammar: Where Do I Start?At my clinic, The Learning Centre (TLC), I have always had enormous fun in lessons about word power. The fact that my students have returned week after week makes me think that they have had fun learning it.As usual, tailor-making programs for hundreds of students began to grow into something else. All the facts were distilled and became a useful program. I've called it Grammar For Life. The program became a popular professional development workshop for teachers, homeschool parents, psychologists, and speech therapists. In the second half of 2008, it will be an e-book, so don't forget to check back here and help me celebrate its launch! Opt in for the e-zine, "Language Fountain" and you'll get the announcement of Grammar For Life's release as soon as it happens. In the meantime, there is always the Grammar For Life workshop, about which you can contact me.
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