Importance

Grammar is the sound, structure, and meaning system of language. All languages have grammar, and each language has its own grammar. People who speak the same language are able to communicate because they intuitively know the grammar system of that language—that is, the rules of making meaning. Students who are native speakers of English already know English grammar. They recognize the sounds of English words, the meanings of those words, and the different ways of putting words together to make meaningful sentences. However, while students may be influential speakers of English, they need guidance to become effective writers. They need to learn how to transfer their knowledge of grammatical concepts from oral language to written language. In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that influence clauses, phrases, and words in any given language. It is the systematic study and description of a language, and it helps us understand how words and their parts combine to form sentences. Some people think that correct English grammar matters only to teachers and is of no real importance in daily life. This is certainly not true. Grammar, regardless of the country or the language, is the foundation for communication.

Better grammar helps!

Grammar rules can help learners develop the habit of thinking logically and clearly. After studying grammar, learners can become more accurate when using a language. Without good grammar, clear communication is impossible. Proper grammar keeps you from being misunderstood while expressing your thoughts and ideas. A person with poor grammar skills can form a negative impression on others. First impressions can be lasting and may hide the true judgment of character. Some people consider good grammar to be a mark of intelligence and education. Don’t allow strangers to form a negative impression of you based on your poor communication skills. Grammar improves the development of fluency. When a person has learned grammar, it will be easier for that person to know how to organize and express the ideas in their mind without difficulty. As a result, they will be able to speak, read and write the language more fluently.

Four Language Skills

It is generally accepted that there are four language skills: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. Learners in foreign language situations need to learn and master the four skills in this order or in another order depending on the objectives and goals of learning for any particular group. For instance, air traffic controllers must possess a very high level of mastery in speaking and listening. These are the most critical skills they need to do their job correctly and efficiently, so there should be more focus on the two skills: speaking and listening. Grammar and vocabulary are not language skills. They are language components that are essential to the mastery of all four skills. You cannot use any language skills without using grammar and vocabulary. Grammar is not an end in itself, but it is a means to an end—to improve learners’ proficiency in the four language skills. Grammar is the backbone of a language, and without it, the produced text, whether it is spoken or written, will be classified with many labels: broken, uneducated, incomprehensible, or simply not belonging to the English language. One way to improve your grammar is to read more in English. The more you read, the more you improve your grammar and vocabulary. It may be tiring and challenging to understand everything, but you cannot skip this one step if you want to improve grammar. Reading helps you to see how English works and how the grammar works.

Importance and Scope of Improvement

Grammar is one of the main linguistic disciplines which studies the grammatical system of language. The grammatical system is the whole set of regularities determining the combinations of words in the formation of utterances. The theoretical grammar of a language aims to present a theoretical description of its grammatical system. Learning English grammar and using it correctly takes a lot of time, effort, and practice.

The nature of grammar is better understood in the light of discriminating the two planes of language — the plane of content and the plane of expression. The two planes are inseparably connected. Grammatical elements of language present a unity of content and expression, or a unity of form and meaning. Listening to others who use good English and watching television also helps. It works better if you watch what you are interested in. Remember that the English spoken in America is different from that spoken in England. Some parts of spelling and grammar are different between the two countries. Make sure you work through all your grammar exercises in your coursebook regularly. To learn English grammar well, you will need to practice each grammar point until you can easily use it. Look for a book of grammar exercises that also has answers for additional practice. Online activities and quizzes can also help.

A person can’t learn a foreign language accurately only through a process of unconscious assimilation. Grammar is a sure ground of reference when linguistic habits fail us. So grammar is indispensable for the student. But modern language learners have different views and take different approaches. Modern language learners understand that grammar is the glue of language, and modern technology has adapted to this understanding. One example is the grammar, a convenient grammar checker for your browser that checks your English writing for errors whenever you type anything online. Technology like this shows that we know grammar still matters for clarity, but we also don’t want to have to think about it all the time.