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Objective
In this lesson,
you'll learn about the relationship among communication, language,
and grammar, and you'll learn why the grammar of standard written
English is often difficult for writers. Moreover, you'll learn how
to strengthen your understanding and use of English grammar in your
writing.
Communicating
through Language and Grammar
In our society,
language is used every day for communication. When people want to
communicate with those around them, they send a message: They open
their mouths and speak, sign with their hands, or put pen to paper
and write (or, more frequently, they put fingers to keyboard and click!)
Those around them then receive this message either by using their
ears to listen or by using their eyes to read. In order for this communication
process to be effective, all of the people involved in it must be
familiar with both these processes of communication and the language
used for communicating.
Being familiar
with a language requires much more than knowing every possible vocabulary
word or reciting every possible verb form. Indeed, it requires knowing
about the system of rules for the language, rules that provide instructions
for using the language. This system of rules is more commonly known
as "grammar."
Every language
has a grammar that outlines its conventional, or acceptable, use in
both oral and written communication. Although this grammar has many
fixed rules, or "conventions," about how to put messages together,
it usually is quite dynamic — that is, it changes over time as
the use of language changes. Consequently, while it is important to
understand the conventions of a grammar, it's also important to recognize
that these conventions are likely to change over time.
The Difficulties
of Using Standard Written English Grammar
The grammar of
the English language is frequently viewed by its users as extremely
complicated. After all, there are rules for how to begin and end sentences;
rules for the placement of words within sentences; and rules for the
choice of subjects and verbs. Furthermore, for every rule there are
usually one or two exceptions! All of these rules and exceptions often
cause the users of the English language — especially the users
of standard written English — to become frustrated.
And yet, experiencing
frustration when learning and using the grammar of standard written
English is to be expected, for two main reasons. First, the grammar
of standard written English oftentimes differs from the grammar of
spoken English; for example, although it's perfectly acceptable in
many spoken dialects of English to use the word "ain't," in standard
written English, the use of "ain't" is generally unacceptable. Second,
while learning how to use the grammar of standard written English,
errors in usage —
such as
writing "the group of teachers are meeting" rather than "the group
of teachers is meeting" — are bound to occur, just as errors
occur when learning any new skill.
However, these
errors are not signs of a lack of understanding, or a lack of intelligence;
rather, they are signs of the natural "one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back"
process of learning about and practicing an unfamiliar skill. As a
result, making grammatical mistakes when using standard written English,
and feeling frustrated about making those mistakes, signals nothing
more than hard work and repeated practice, both of which ultimately
lead to learning.
Strengthening
Your Understanding of English Grammar
With any skill,
the major difference between amateurs and professionals is practice.
For example, what separates weekend athletes from those competing
in the Olympic games is the amount of time and energy each group devotes
to practicing its sport (although natural talent factors in, too!)
The same principle applies to understanding and using English grammar:
Those considered "amateurs" in their understanding and use of grammar
have spent less time and devoted less energy to their study of this
subject, while those considered "professionals" have devoted a great
deal of time, and even more energy, to this topic.
However, there
are some easy strategies you can use to move from the amateur to the
professional realm in the area of English grammar.
- Devote more
time to reading. By reading — and reading pretty much anything
you can get your hands on! — you'll be exposed to the grammar
of English and, over time, begin to recognize and internalize its
rules and patterns.
- Devote more
time to writing (although here, content does matter, because a shopping
list won't be of much help!) The more you practice the skill of
writing, using the conventions of English grammar as your guide,
the more familiar these conventions will become, and the more comfortable
you'll feel using them.
- Be active
whenever you're communicating, whether in oral or written form.
Being active means that if someone uses a word you're not familiar
with, you either ask him or her of the word's meaning, or you check
the word's definition in a dictionary; similarly, it means that,
in your own speaking and writing, you use a vocabulary and a sentence
structure that feels comfortable, but from time to time you consciously
take a risk by trying out a new word, or by constructing a new type
of sentence.
- Plan sufficient
time to seek tutorial assistance, from either an on-campus or an
online writing lab, for anything you write. By doing so, a more
experienced user of English grammar can point out any grammatical
difficulties present in your writing and can provide you with ways
to identify and correct these errors.
Summary
Using a language
to communicate with others means knowing about the grammar, or system
of rules, of that language. The grammar of standard written English
is often frustrating to use because it contains many rules and many
exceptions; moreover, learning the grammar of standard written English
is frustrating because it means making mistakes. And yet, any mistakes
made while practicing the grammar of standard written English should
be viewed as evidence of the natural progress of learning a new skill.
Strategies for strengthening one's knowledge of the grammar of standard
written English include reading and writing more, as well as being
active when using language. As writers, it's important to understand
and to feel comfortable using the grammar of standard written English
because it's the system of rules that governs our use of this language.
  
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