BASIC GRAMMAR INFORMATION - WHAT IS GRAMMAR?

Here’s an old children’s rhyme about the eight parts of speech of English grammar. It gives you an idea of what grammar is about. Read and remember it.

Every name is called a noun,
As field and fountain, street and town.
In place of noun the pronoun stands,
As he and she can clap their hands.
The adjective describes a thing,
As magic wand or bridal ring.
Most verbs mean action, something done,
To read and write, to jump and run.
How things are done the adverbs tell,
As quickly, slowly, badly, well.
The preposition shows relation,
As in the street or at the station.
Conjunctions join, in many ways,
Sentences, words, or phrase and phrase.
The interjection cries out, “Heed!
An exclamation point must
follow me!”


In the Middle Ages, grammar meant the study of Latin, the language of choice for educated people. In fact, grammar was so closely associated with Latin that the word referred to any kind of learning. This meaning of grammar shows up when people of grandparent-age and older talk about their grammar school, not their elementary school.

The term grammar school is a leftover from the old days. The very old days. These days grammar is the study of language, specifically, how words are put together. Because of obsessive English teachers and their rules, grammar also means a set of standards that you have to follow in order to speak and write better.

However, the definition of better changes according to situation, purpose, and audience. In this chapter, I show you the difference between formal and informal English and explain when each is called for. I also tell you what your computer can and can’t do to help you write proper English and give you some pointers about appropriate language for texting, tweeting, instant messaging, and similar technology.