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INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR - Coggle Diagram
INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR
What is Grammar?
Books that contain descriptions of the structure of a language.
The knowledge that a native speaker has of his/her language and its description.
A set of rules developed to control certain aspects of the usage of native speakers.
A set of rules taught in school about appropriate usage of writing.
Descriptive Grammar
The description of the usage of native speakers of a language.
Rules
The article precedes the noun and any adjectives modifying the noun. E.g.:
"The short people moved"
Demonstratives agree in number with the nouns they modify. E.g.:
"That dog is surprisingly fond of these bones"
Use only one question word at the beginning of an English sentence. E.g.:
"Who said what?"
Usage of objective pronouns after copular verbs. E.g.:
"That is me"
Usage of subject case pronouns after copular verbs with very short subjects in formal contexts. E.g.:
"It is he"
Prescriptive Grammar
The existence of better authorities than the usage of native speakers (educated speakers, high-class speakers, great writers)
Rules
Preposition at end:
Prepositions must be kept true to their name and placed before the word they govern. E.g.:
"What are you hitting me for?"
Avoid separating the parts of a verb phrase or the parts of an infinitive. E.g.:
"Our five-year mission is to boldly go where no one has gone before"
School Grammar
It includes definitions of word categories (nouns, verbs, prepositions) and very explicit rules. These rules are found in textbooks and other materials used in elementary schools and colleges.
Rules
Use the subjective case for all parts of compound subjects and for subject complements. E.g.:
"The best person for the job would be me"