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Why Is Grammar Important? Here Are 5 Good Reasons

By Krystal N. Craiker

Have you ever wondered why you should care about grammar? Why bother with good grammar once you’re done writing essays for school?

As the world becomes more digitally connected, good grammar is more important than ever.

What Is “Good Grammar?”

5 reasons why grammar is important, basic grammar skills to remember.

What do we mean by “good grammar?” Proper grammar follows the accepted conventions of sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling.

Grammar applies to both written and spoken language, but today we’re focusing on written grammar skills.

Using correct grammar means following the rules of English.

There are a lot of rules, and they often chan‌ge, but the basics stay the same. Knowing these basic rules, and using them correctly, is the key to proper grammar.

What’s the Purpose of Grammar?

Grammar exists to make communication easier.

It’s a way to standardize how we use the English language, which cuts down on communication errors. Poor grammar leads to confusion and misunderstandings.

Everything is online these days, which means people are constantly reading. From email and social media to news articles and online learning, we are using written language more than ever.

This means the chance for misunderstandings is even higher. Good grammar builds bridges by making effective communication easier.

Thankfully, as the world becomes more connected through the internet, we now have technology to help us avoid grammatical errors.

We believe good grammar is so important that our grammar checker will always be free.

Here are five good rea‌sons why you need strong grammar skills.

You’ll notice that all five reasons have an underlying thread: effective communication.

Let’s take a look at some of the most important ways that proper grammar aids effective communication.

1) Clarity in Communication

The most important aspect of communication is clarity. Grammar rules exist to improve clarity. Mixing up similar words, or using run-on sentences, can leave your audience confused.

Clarity is especially important in email, social media, and messaging platforms. When grammar mistakes cause unclear communication, it wastes time because you need to explain yourself all over again.

If you’re giving instructions, your audience may do something wrong because they misunderstood. This may lead to an unnecessary argument caused by poor communication skills.

Using correct grammar won’t eliminate every miscommunication in your life, but it will drastically cut down on them. Correct grammar allows you to say what you need to say, clearly, the first time.

2) Accessibility

Good grammar improves accessibility.

Not everyone reads on the same level. Learning disabilities like dyslexia can make reading comprehension difficult, but correct grammar makes writing easier to understand.

Assistive technologies that read text out loud also work much better when grammar is used correctly.

Readability is an essential part of accessibility, even for people without learning disabilities. Readability scores , like the ones used in our Readability Report , can help you reach an average reading level that the majority of people can understand.

A recommended readability score for most audiences is a US grade 7. Improving your grammar is the quickest way to improve a readability score.

3) Global Connection

For writing to be truly accessible, it has to be understandable for non-native English speakers as well as native ones.

When we learn other languages, we learn proper grammar; it takes a much higher level of fluency to interpret incorrect grammar.

By writing with good grammar, you ensure that non-native speakers have a higher chance of understanding you.

That’s the power of language and grammar: we can connect with people from across the world who speak many languages. Grammar rules make this connection easier.

4) Good Impressions

In any situation where you need to make a good impression, correct grammar will help, which is especially true in professional and academic settings.

Don’t discount the importance of cultural dialects. Even dialects follow grammatical patterns. But these grammatical patterns and rules don’t always line up with standard English grammar.

In professional situations, aim to use standard English grammar rules.

Using good grammar also shows attention to detail.

This is a highly valued professional skill, and when you send a cover letter or other important document that has exceptional grammar, it makes you stand out from the masses.

5) Make Your Words Matter

We’ve covered how grammar is crucial for clarity, but grammar also helps your words make an impact.

Grammatical patterns can help you emphasize ideas, evoke emotions, and entertain your audience. Playing with syntax and word order is how you can take your writing from drab to exciting.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common grammar mistakes in writing.

• Sentence fragments
• Run-on sentences
• Incorrect subject–verb agreement
• Mixed up homophones
• Incorrect punctuation

Sentence fragments are very common errors. Every sentence must have a subject and a verb. If it doesn’t have ‌both, it’s a sentence fragment. A sentence fragment does not express a complete thought.

In contrast, run-on sentences have too many subjects and verbs.

They occur when too many independent and dependent clauses are not correctly linked with punctuation. They’re hard to read because there are no breaks in the train of thought.

Subject–verb agreement means that the verb ending should match the subject in both point-of-view and number.

In other words, don’t use a third-person singular verb if your subject is first person plural. Here’s what this might look like:

Incorrect: We knows the muffin man.

Correct: We know the muffin man.

Mixed up homophones are another egregious error. Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.

Some of the most common homophones that people mix up are: your/you’re , then/than , to/two/too , there/their/they’re .

ProWritingAid’s Homonym Report can ensure that you are using the correct word every time.

Incorrect punctuation is another thing to avoid. Always end your declarative sentences with periods, your questions with question marks , and your exclamatory statements with exclamation points .

If you write a quote, use both opening and closing quotation marks . Be mindful of comma s: don’t overuse them.

Conclusion: Why Your Grammar Matters

Your words represent your thoughts and ideas. Writing is how we interact with other people when we can’t be face to face. Because the written word has so much power, grammar matters.

Don’t think of grammar as a vicious red pen or a pedantic teacher out to get you.

Think of grammar as the set of tools which help you communicate as clearly and effectively as possible. Grammar is there to enhance your communication , not inhibit it.

And if many grammar guidelines still elude you, ProWritingAid has you covered.

Take your writing to the next level:

20 Editing Tips from Professional Writers

Whether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas., this guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers..

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Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Krystal N. Craiker

Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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Why Grammar Should Matter to You

From résumés and cover letters to narratives, make sure your grammar holds up.

Tables are for eating customers only.

You read the restaurant sign again, and once you are sure it is not a case of “eat or be eaten,” you order food. To go.

Ah, grammar. It can make a world of difference in how you approach a business establishment or how a company approaches you. How a writer tells a story and how an editor makes sure it is interpreted correctly.

Cathleen Small , one of our Professional Sequence in Editing instructors, provided that example when I asked for her take on why grammar is important to everyday life.

“Grammar matters because without it you get cringeworthy errors,” she replies.

“But my more serious answer is that using proper grammar in your communications sets you apart from the rest. Even if the person reading your correspondence doesn’t actively think, ‘Wow, nice use of grammar!’ they certainly notice. If two people with similar qualifications submit a résumé and cover letter for an open job, and one has a flawless cover letter while the other one has some grammatical errors, I guarantee the error-free, grammatically correct one will get the first call.”

And that is just one of the many reasons why grammar skills matter.

In Your Professional Life

Cover letters and résumés.

According to a February 2020 article on careertoolbelt.com , typographical errors—commonly referred to as typos—hinder your ability to make a good first impression. A lack of attention to detail in a cover letter, which in many cases is the organization’s introduction to you and what you bring to the table, can be a red flag.

Alison Doyle , a Career Tool Belt contributor , says:

“What you have to say (and how you write) will be most important, but formatting, spelling and grammar are equally important. After all, almost all jobs require strong communication skills and a sharp attention-to-detail, so hiring managers will be looking to see these skills play out in your résumé and cover letter.”

Avoiding typos and other grammatical errors in your documents is especially important if the job to which you are applying is in a writing, editing or marketing capacity.

Drew Roark on TopResume ® agrees:

“Mistakes on your résumé can expose traits about yourself, which can ultimately keep an employer from offering you a job. Employers are less concerned about your spelling (knowing you probably just made a typo) and more concerned with the fact that you overlooked an error, which speaks volumes about your tendencies.”

In Education

College applications and personal essays.

The importance of grammar skills extends into other areas, such as when you want to apply to colleges or universities or be admitted into a specialized educational program. In addition to knowing how to write a cover letter and edit your résumé to be free of errors, you may also need to submit a personal statement or essay as part of your application.

But would a grammatical error on one of those documents really keep you from your educational goal? It could, according to Randeep Kullar , manager for Berkeley Global’s Career Services .

“The biggest thing that I've noticed in reviewing any kind of document—whether it be résumés, cover letters, admissions essays, et cetera—is that the minute there is a grammatical error, it pulls me away from the content,” says Randeep.

“It's an automatic red flag for me that makes me wonder things like:

Is the error due to the individual not paying attention to detail?

Did they not review their work?

Did they not take this opportunity seriously?

What does this mean if I were to admit this individual to a program?

Will they be able to clearly communicate?

Will they make small mistakes because they don't pay attention to detail or review their work?

“Once this reaction has passed, I look to find context.”

Context can play a big part in understanding grammar, for both the writer and the reader. For example, if your grammar mistake is one typo, it might be overlooked. But if it is a consistent issue throughout the document, you’d better have another piece of work that shows that you have a balanced and holistic understanding of your application.

Randeep also takes into account if English is a second language for an applicant.

“If I see that this may be the case, then I will take this into consideration and give them a bit of leeway, as learning another language is a feat unto itself that shows how adaptable and versatile the individual is in other ways.

“Overall, grammar is important, and it points to a variety of skills that employers, schools, et cetera, look for in candidates. However, any good reviewer of an application will take context into consideration and look at supporting documentation or details, if available, that paint a more comprehensive approach of a candidate.”

Let’s look a little deeper at the role of English language in grammar.  

Understanding the English Language

Longtime Grammar, Mechanics and Usage for Editors course instructor Barbara Magalnick believes in grammar’s everyday importance, and that you need to understand the structure of the English language.

“Every language has its own structure, and English is particularly interesting because it’s a modern language—only about 1,500 years old,” Barbara says. “I like students to be aware of the basic sentence patterns in English because they can use them to build a solid grammar foundation.

“I don’t believe in ‘prescriptive grammar’—grammar that teaches students rules about how language should be. This kind of ‘grammar teaching’ attempts to convince students that they cannot end a sentence with a preposition (never mind that Milton and Shakespeare did it regularly).”

Another benefit of understanding English grammar and any anomalies for your everyday missives? A deeper comprehension of what you read.

“I’ve noticed through the years—and very much so in the Extension courses I teach—that those who do well with grammar seem to have good reading comprehension. Because good reading comprehension is important for all subjects, I cannot stress how important it is to have a strong background in grammar.”

Grammar Knowledge Is a Science

Grammar can be especially important when you are writing a grant proposal, making another type of ask or sending any type of business communication. A blog post on CXL points out that grammar mistakes can cost companies money . Proper grammar matters across fields.

It can also cost you job advancement. According to that same blog post:

“Professionals who failed to progress to a director-level position within the first 10 years of their careers made 2.5 times as many grammar mistakes as their director-level colleagues.

Fewer grammar errors correlate with more promotions. The study found that professionals with one to four promotions over their 10-year careers made 45% more grammar errors than those with six to nine promotions in the same time frame.”

Those unfavorable outcomes are why it’s so important to understand the mechanics of grammar and how to use it correctly.

“Grammar is critical to spoken and written language; if humans didn't know what order to put our words in, we would really struggle to communicate verbally,” says instructor Liz Asborno , who has worked in publishing for more than 30 years in various roles.

“There is both an art and a science to writing; grammar is the science,” Liz continues.

So while understanding and utilizing best grammar practices may seem like a job requirement if you’re solely working in a writing or editing position, we see that’s not the case. It’s important for anybody to make sure that his or her message is heard and understood—through the use of good grammar.

Let’s return to our sign example from earlier.

To avoid potential customers first thinking they could be eaten in your restaurant, consider how you would edit: Tables are for eating customers only.

Don’t let a grammar mistake affect your bottom line.

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The Importance of Grammar in English

English grammar is one of the most important elements of your language study. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most complex and difficult.

In this article, I’ll show you why English grammar matters in different situations , from informal conversations to professional communication.

I’ll also help you study grammar more efficiently  by focusing on the concepts that are most important to you—plus three key English grammar rules you can’t ever ignore.

How Important Is English Grammar in Daily Life?

3 english grammar rules that are important in any setting, irregular plurals, articles and gender, speaking formally, how to practice the english grammar that’s most important to you, and one more thing....

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Correct grammar is your key to speaking English fluently and confidently. Knowing your grammar will help you avoid errors that make your English sound strange to native speakers.

But there are certain situations in which English grammar is especially important . For example, if you’re going for a job interview in an English-speaking country , the employer will be interested in the quality of your spoken and written English. In fact, in a recent survey of UK job recruiters , 50% said that bad spelling and grammar was the biggest reason they would dislike an application.

Correct grammar won’t just demonstrate your English skills—it’ll also show that you’re diligent and have an eye for detail.

This is equally important if you’re aiming to study abroad. Colleges and universities are likely to assess your academic English  based largely on your knowledge of English grammar.

Grammar is even important for your social life . Did you know that people on online dating apps are 14% less likely to chat with someone who uses poor grammar ? Plus, when you’re meeting new people or visiting new places, the last thing you want is to be misunderstood! To avoid confusing your friends, or even ordering more drinks than you intended, you need to have a firm idea of how to structure your words.

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With all that said, remember that in some situations it’s okay to relax your grammar . When you’re texting a close friend, for example, it’s fine to use casual or more simplified language. Talking online is a fantastic way to connect with native speakers and other English learners in a friendly and pressure-free environment.

Here are a few English grammar rules that everybody needs to know.

If you ask your friend to look after your dog , but you actually have seven dogs,  your friend is in for a massive canine surprise.

Making a mistake with plurals is sure to cause confusion anywhere , from social situations to research labs. That’s why it’s so important to learn the rules—especially for irregular English plurals, which are tricky for non-native speakers.

In English, the standard way to form the plural is by adding the letter “ s ” to the end of a singular noun.

One cat → Two cat s

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One shoe → Two shoe s

One bath → Two bath s

This rule works most of the time, but unfortunately there are some exceptions.

Words that end in “ ss ” typically form the plural by adding “ es ” to the end. This is to avoid having a triple “ s ” at the end of a word, which would look and sound strange.

One goddess → Two goddess es

One business → Two business es

Some words may stay the same in the plural as in the singular . For example, if you have one pet  fish and you buy another, you now have two  fish . If you fly in an aircraft , and then fly in another, you’ve now flown in two aircraft . There’s no rule to tell us which words will behave like this, but luckily the list isn’t too daunting. The proofreading website Vappingo has come up with 101 examples of these words .

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Some of them may be a little obscure, but you’ll see there are certainly some that you’ll use all the time. When you come across a word like this, make a note of it to help you remember that it’s different.

You may also start to see patterns among irregular plurals, but don’t rely on them without checking. For example, one goose becomes two geese , but one moose becomes two moose  (not “meese”).

These sorts of words are the most misleading and probably the hardest to get the hang of. One way of learning these irregular plurals is to create a table with two columns during your regular vocabulary study. When you learn an important piece of vocabulary, write the singular form in one column and the plural in the opposite column. Hang the table somewhere you’ll see it regularly, like on the back of your bedroom door or on your fridge.

Once you get used to seeing them, they’ll begin to look less odd!

Understanding articles and gender in English is crucial for being able to refer to a person or thing correctly . Unfortunately, this highly important English grammar rule is also one of the strangest for many non-native speakers.

That’s because in many languages, the way that you describe a noun is dependent on its gender. In French, for instance, there are different articles for feminine and masculine nouns.

In English, nouns don’t have a grammatical gender. It’s common for new English speakers to refer to objects as “he” or “she” because they’re used to them having a gender in their native language.

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The good news is that once you break this habit,  English grammar is actually very simple . The two articles you need are “the” and “a.” We use “the” to refer to specific objects directly , while we use “a” to refer to objects more generally.

I would like to eat the banana you bought at the store today.

I would like to eat a banana , but there aren’t any in the house.

If a noun begins with a vowel, the indefinite article becomes “an”  rather than “a.”

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Confusingly, English speakers love to humanize objects, even though we don’t use genders. Vehicles are often treated as feminine. You may hear someone say, “Look at her engine, she’s a real beauty!” when talking about a car. This doesn’t mean that a car should actually be referred to as “she,” it’s just a way of expressing pride or fondness for a machine by making it sound more like a person.

Formality is important for lots of occasions. For interviews, work dinners and dates, you need to be able to adapt your English to suit the tone of the event .

One subtle grammar change that’s worth noting is the use of the words “can” and “may” when making requests or asking questions. “May” is considered more formal and polite than “can.”

With a friend, you might ask, “ Can I have the wine?” With a colleague or someone you just met, you might ask, “ May I have the wine?”  instead.

Similarly, “would like” is a more formal version of “want.”

I want to try on this dress. → I would like to try on this dress.

There’s one thing that makes formality in English easier than other languages. In lots of languages, there’s a formal and an informal way of addressing somebody (saying “you”). In French, for example, you can use tu for a friend and vous  for somebody you don’t know so well. But in English we only have one word: “you.”   You can call your best friend, your mom and your boss “you” without worrying about formality.

Now that we’ve covered three important grammar rules in English, it’s time to look at how you can practice grammar that’s relevant to your needs. For instance, if you’re learning basic grammar for a trip to the U.S., you have different needs than someone who’s applying to an undergraduate program at an English-speaking university.

So, how do you focus your grammar study on the most important concepts for you ?

Start by gathering some quality, comprehensive grammar resources to narrow down your learning. For example:

As you study with this and other resources, keep a notebook of key grammatical ideas so you can look back on what you’ve covered. At the beginning of each week, choose a new area to focus on and challenge yourself to find a real life example each day. This will help you track your progress on the grammar concepts that are most important to you.

You can also make a note of confusing grammar that you hear or read in English . Once you begin to immerse yourself in English media, you’ll start to realize that you’re hearing certain phrases and structures again and again. Those are the important everyday grammar concepts you should focus on if you don’t already recognize them.

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If you have English-speaking friends, don’t be afraid to ask them to help you out . People are unlikely to correct your spoken grammar because they may worry about offending you. Tell your friends that you don’t mind them politely pointing out your errors, and they can help you find the right way of rephrasing your words.

A good friend will be patient and encouraging, because even native English speakers know that grammar can be complicated.

While English grammar can seem daunting in places, learning to understand and use it correctly is incredibly rewarding. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes as you practice English. Sometimes this is the best way to learn! If you’re committed and enthusiastic about tackling grammar, it can be an absorbing and even exciting aspect of learning a new language.

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

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Why Is Grammar Important? 7 Top Reasons

This article asks why is grammar important in writing and communication.

Some say grammar doesn’t matter anymore, especially in a society where texting and using slang terminology is popular. After all, who has time to worry about misplaced modifiers with all those emojis to choose from? We think that’s  terrible writing advice .

In a professional context, correct grammar is a critical skill. It’ll help you write more compelling job applications, proposals, articles, and books. Moreover, it demonstrates to readers that you care about the English language. Basic grammatical errors also demonstrate sloppiness and a lack of attention to detail. It can put clients and employers off from working with you, so it pays to use the best grammar checkers online .

1. It Demonstrates Professionalism

2. it helps get better grades, 3. it encourages better communication, 4. it sets the right tone, 5. it enables more enjoyable writing, 6. it’ll help you figure out what rules to break, 7. it improves your listening skills, communicating clearly using written language, communicating clearly using spoken language, understanding and applying the rules of grammar, 1. proper use of commas, 2. subject-verb agreement, 3. pronoun and antecedent agreement, 4. homophones, prowritingaid, what are the benefits of learning grammar, 7 reasons why good grammar important.

Grammar is important in communications, writing, academia, journalism, work, and many different areas of life for multiple reasons. Here are seven.

Whether looking for a new job, marketing a product or service, or writing, how you speak and write impacts how people perceive you. Having good grammar helps you come across as more intelligent, educated, and professional. Poor grammar can put off clients, particularly if you’re a writer. A single mistake isn’t a big deal, but many grammar errors suggest poor attention to detail.

Elon Musk reportedly fired some of his employees for typos and grammar mistakes in important communications. So, if you plan to lead others, good communication skills and good grammar are assets to foster.

When you submit an essay or a research paper with grammatical errors, it can detract from the quality of your research or arguments. Your words become less powerful when filled with grammar problems. An assessor or tutor will mark the paper down simply because of these mistakes, even if the quality of the paper is good overall.

So, if you want to succeed in college or grad school, written grammar skills are key for writing essays that achieve good grades. To get help with this aspect of English writing, use the best academic writing software .

Sometimes it’s acceptable to use colloquialisms and ignore grammar rules when writing to a family member, sending a text, or even some personal social media messages. However, recipients outside of your inner circle might not understand the intentions behind this type of writing. They might even find an email rife with errors offensive. The best way to ensure somebody understands your meaning is by following basic grammar rules.

Some wonder why is grammar important in business. Good grammar is the best way to ensure customers or colleagues understand you. If you’re writing a business proposal, an update to a boss, or something for a customer, best set the right tone. Usually, that involves writing something confident and positive that’s easy to read. Imagine if a customer support rep messaged a reply full of punctuation errors! That type of sloppiness could damage the reputation of the business in question.

Grammar is important in writing if you want a reader to spend time consuming your work and ideas. Consider texting. Now, texting a friend with poor grammar is fine, but try reading pages of text speak. It’s not much fun!

Proper grammar is key if you want to write an engaging story, blog post, or even a book for a wider audience than your social circle. Some writers can break these rules, for example, poets and literary fiction authors, but the rest of us should make things easier, not harder, for readers. You might also be inspired by our list of benefits of studying English grammar .

As important as grammar is, sometimes it’s okay to break certain conventions or rules. For example, short phrases, rather than complete sentences, can work well on social media and for dialogue in genre fiction books. Similarly, some writers play around with capitilization rules depending on the style guide. However, it’s better to understand what these rules are before you decide to break them. And if you do break them, be consistent.

Using grammatical principles correctly improves a writer’s ability to understand others. They can interpret the sentences and structure of a speaker’s words or writing, even if there are mistakes in it. A writer knows what to watch out for and listen to. They can also understand their intended meaning and respond accordingly.

What Does Good Grammar Mean?

Good grammar means writing or speaking so that your choice of words is understandable and follows the basic rules of sentence construction, punctuation, and spelling. But how can you tell if you have good grammar or need to improve in this area? Here’s a closer look at what “good grammar” means.

You can communicate clearly in the written language if you have good grammar. You know how to use words and punctuation to convey your meaning in a way that most readers can understand. That’ll help you entertain, inform, educate, or entertain readers more quickly.

Not only does grammar play a role in written language, but it also plays a role in spoken language. While grammar rules are less strict when speaking, grammatical errors in speech are still critical.

Too many grammar mistakes and spoken language become distracting. That makes it hard for people to follow your meaning. That said, it depends on the context and who you’re speaking to.

Finally, having “good grammar” means having the ability to both understand and apply common rules and uses of grammar. While rules are not always set in stone, the basic concepts are worth understanding and using properly. After all, it’s one thing to know what an apostrophe is but another to understand where to place it.

What Are the Most Important Grammar Rules?

Grammar, especially in the English language, comes with many perplexing rules. Some are important to follow, but you can ignore others depending on the context. In another article, we profile many of the most important grammar rules but focus on the below essentials if you want to improve your writing skills.

In written language, the comma is a small mark with a big job. It is easy to over or underuse the humble comma. Here are some common mistakes involving commas:

• Comma Splice  – The comma splice is a fancy name for a run-on sentence. It is a sentence that combines more than one sentence or idea into one, without a comma or conjunction.
• Introductory Clauses  – Introductory clauses that are unnecessary for the sentence to make sense should be offset by a comma. If they aren’t, the sentence becomes confusing. Here is an example: Because it was late, the family went home to put the kids to bed.
• Names of Direct Address  – When you are addressing the person you’re talking to, you must set the name off with a comma. Remember, we don’t want to eat Grandma, we just want to invite her to the meal.
• Coordinate Adjectives  – Coordinate adjectives are multiple adjectives that modify a noun and can change their order without changing the sentence’s meaning. These need a comma. For example, you would need a comma between “The fast, sly fox,” because fast and sly both modify fox and could be switched. Conversely, no comma is needed between, “The shy little boy” because little must precede boy to make sense.

These are just an example set of rules worth noting. To be a strong writer, you must understand how and when to use commas while learning sentence structure. Read our guide  about when to use a comma .

Subjects and verbs in sentences must agree in number. If you have a plural subject, you need a plural verb, and vice versa. Sometimes this gets tricky in sentences where the subject doesn’t come right before the verb, so it’s something to watch for. Fear not: a  good grammar checker  will easily spot and fix these mistakes automatically.

An antecedent is a word a pronoun replaces. In the sentence, “John went to the store because he was out of milk,”  he  is the pronoun replacing the antecedent  John .

The pronoun and antecedent need to agree in number and gender. They also need to be clear about who or what they are replacing. So, if you say, “Sarah and Anna went to the store because she was out of milk,” the sentence is incorrect because it is unclear who “she” is.

One of the most common pronoun/antecedent errors involves the pronoun  their . In the sentence, “Each girl took their bag and went to the car,” the pronoun is incorrect. Even though there is more than one girl, both  each  and  girl  is singular. It should read, “Each girl took her bag.”

Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Examples include:

• Affect and effect
• Compliment and complement
• Their and there, and they’re

It’s relatively easy to mix up these words, particularly if you’re learning English or in a rush. Unfortunately, the result can confuse readers and make embarrassing mistakes. However, you’ll spot and avoid these mistakes more easily with patience and patience. If you need help, read our guide to  common homophones .

How Can I Check My Grammar?

No one is going to write with perfect grammar all of the time. It’s not a big deal if you make a single mistake in most cases. Don’t pay any attention to the  grammar nazis !

There are too many rules to follow, and it’s relatively easy to fix issues in most works. That said, if it’s important (like a job cover letter), consider a  grammar checker  before pressing send or clicking publish. Here are two great options that we recommend to writers and those learning the basics

Grammarly is a good choice for fixing mistakes  Grammarly  is a free online grammar-checking program you can use to check anything you’re typing. Simply upload your content into the browser, and it will check your grammar and help with proofreading. It also offers various mobile apps and software plugins.

Grammarly offers a more in-depth paid option if you want even more grammar checking or are not an English native speaker. You can also switch between American English and British English.

ProWritingAid is another popular choice  ProWritingAid  is another tool to consider. It checks for grammar mistakes like the ones above and also supports plagiarism checks. It also has style reports for  improving your writing . ProWritingAid works well with apps like Scrivener. It also has detailed reports that fiction writers may enjoy

It will even help you  avoid overusing certain words  or phrases within the English language. Both of these tools can also help with spelling mistakes. But if you need clarification on what tool to use, check out  ProWritingAid vs Grammarly  comparison.

So why should you spend time and energy to learn correct grammar and ensure you use it correctly in written works or everyday life? Good grammar can help you become a stronger communicator.

Get your basic grammar skills right, and you won’t have to worry about your message being perceived badly for the wrong reasons. You can become a trusted professional and someone people consider well-educated.

Here’s the key takeaway about the importance of grammar today: Understanding the basics improves your communication skills. That can translate into more clients, jobs, readers, and even money. On the other hand, bad grammar is kind of like bad breath; it’s off-putting.

All that said, don’t let the  grammar nazis  deter you from putting yourself or your work forward. Find a balance between perfectionism and done. If it’s a text, who cares? If it’s a job cover letter, you probably should. Learn some  grammar rules  before you break them.

We tested dozens of grammar checkers, and Grammarly is the best tool on the market today. It'll help you write and edit your work much faster. Grammarly provides a powerful AI writing assistant and plagiarism checker.

Why Is Grammar Important? (5 Key Reasons)

• May 1, 2021

You have, no doubt, started to read an article, a news post, a blog, or anything in between, and thought to yourself, “Boy, was this written by a bot?” Worse yet, you may have wished the bot had been the one doing the writing. In moments like these, you quickly come to realize just how important grammar is in any kind of writing. For even something as short as a tweet, a mangled one fails to have the impact of a well-written one.

Grammar is, simply put, the foundation on which language—both verbal and, in our case, written—is built. If the work you do relies on any kind of written content, you can’t expect to skimp on grammar and receive the kind of engagement you desire. To help truly drive this home, here are five reasons grammar is so crucial.

1. Grammar ensures everything you write is clear

No matter what the intentions behind your writing—be it to change the world, to persuade, or just to entertain—if you have a tenuous grasp on grammar, then your writing won’t have the clarity it needs to get your message across.

This includes the little stuff, like commas, as well as deeper syntax and sentence structure issues. At worst, a comma in the wrong place can transform the meaning of a sentence. At best, your sentence will be harder for the reader to decipher.

You might’ve heard of this famous example: “Let’s eat, grandma.” Without the comma, it turns into “Let’s eat grandma,” which has an entirely different meaning that only cannibals would find appealing.

A dangling modifier will briefly leave your readers scratching their heads, breaking any flow and ruining any engagement. If your readers have to decipher your meaning, then you’ve done something wrong.

“Walking at sunset, the sights were beautiful.” In that sentence, what’s walking? The sights? That modifier is dangling. A better version might be: “Walking at sunset, I soaked in the beautiful sights.”

These kinds of issues only serve to make things more difficult for your readers. The better you can select the right words in the right order for the message you’re trying to convey, the better it will resonate with readers, and the less likely they will be to misread or misinterpret what you’re telling them.

2. Good grammar makes your writing sound professional, which gives it authority

The clunkier your sentences and paragraphs are, the less professional your writing will be—and the less professional it is, the less likely your readers will believe that you’re an authority for anything. If you want readers to take what you’re trying to say (or sell) seriously, your grammar has to be on point. At the same time, good grammar also allows you to give your writing the tone you want, be it formal, informal, or somewhere in between.

In many situations, your words will be one of the first interactions that someone has with you. Make them count. Poor grammar will only erode the trust you’re trying to build with your readers. Without trust , you’ll find it much harder to accomplish whatever it is you intend for your words to accomplish, be it sell or entertain.

3. Good grammar allows your writing to be more persuasive, and competitive

Readers trying to wade their way through written content that’s riddled with errors are probably going to be too distracted to truly engage with what you’re trying to say. That’s reason enough not to have poor grammar. Every comma splice (a comma between two complete sentences), every homophone (two words that sound similar but aren’t: there/there affect/effect), and every dangling modifier make it harder to relay your message—sell whatever it is you’re selling.

Once you’ve moved beyond simply trying to avoid mistakes, harnessing the power of grammar will allow you to elevate whatever you write to the next level. Well-constructed sentences with excellent word choice and an on-point tone will not only be more engaging to read but more persuasively.

On top of that, if you’re writing for any sort of competitive market—say you want your blog about personal finance or knitting to perform well—you’ll be more likely to rise above your competition if you have the grammar to really dazzle your readers.

4. Express yourself better with better grammar

For non-academic or formal writing, voice is everything— and grammar is important in ensuring that your voice comes through loud and clear. If you want to sound excited, there are much better alternatives than simply ending EVERY! SINGLE! SENTENCE! with an exclamation point. If you want to sound excited, try using words that convey that feeling.

Of course, everything in moderation. The occasional exclamation point won’t detract much from your writing, but too many will do more harm than good. The same goes for ellipses or any other grammar tool.

5. If you do want to break the rules, learn them first

As they say, with great powers comes great responsibility. That’s as true for superpowers as it is for grammar. You’re free to bend the rules (or perhaps even break them if you’re really careful). Doing so will give your voice just the tone you want it to have. Ultimately, accuracy and clarity should be your end goal with any writing. However, the occasional fragment or run-on sentence can have a great stylistic effect if used intelligently and sparingly. Throw the rules out of the window too often, though, and your writing will devolve into an incoherent mess.

The bottom line

Without grammar, written and verbal communication would be nigh impossible. That alone is one of the main reasons why grammar is important. But, beyond that, poor grammar will be painfully obvious to most if not all readers, while excellent grammar will elevate your writing to the next level. You’ll have more clarity, sound more professional, and engage readers more effectively with great grammar.

Even if you didn’t pay quite enough attention in English class, you can avoid poor grammar. Many word processors will guide you in the right direction, and writing tools like Grammarly will help even more. Crafting words that truly shine takes skill and practice, though, which is why hiring a talented and experienced writer or editor can be so beneficial. Allow them to show you why grammar is so important and reap the benefits.

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Why Grammar Matters: The Impact on Effective Communication

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on April 6, 2024

Categories Education , Writing

Grammar is fundamental to the mastery and effective use of any language. It provides structure and framework to our expressions, enabling us to convey complex ideas and emotions with precision and nuance.

The rules and conventions of grammar facilitate clear communication and ensure that our spoken and written words are understood as intended. Whether engaging in casual conversation or composing professional documents, a solid grasp of grammatical principles is essential.

The role of grammar extends beyond the realms of personal expression—it is a cornerstone of education and a critical component of professional success. In the classroom, grammar is the foundation upon which students build their language skills, affecting their ability to read, write, and engage with texts of all kinds.

In professional contexts, proper grammar usage reflects attention to detail and a commitment to clear, efficient communication. As the world becomes increasingly digital, grammar’s significance is amplified in online communication, where the written word is often the primary mode of interaction, affecting everything from personal to brand image.

Key Takeaways

• Effective communication is heavily reliant on proper grammar.
• Grammar’s role is pivotal in education and professional success.
• Digital communication accentuates the necessity for grammatical accuracy.

The Role of Grammar in Communication

Grammar serves as the framework for conveying the meanings and intentions behind our words. Mastery of grammar significantly enhances clarity and effectiveness in spoken and written communication. Here’s a closer look at the specific roles grammar plays.

Ensuring Clear Messaging

Good grammar prevents misunderstandings by eliminating ambiguity from communication. A grammatically correct sentence clearly expresses the intended message , ensuring the reader or listener grasps the exact meaning without confusion.

For instance, changing a comma’s placement can change a sentence’s meaning.

Facilitating Effective Writing

In writing , grammar is essential for establishing credibility . Poor grammar can distract from the message and damage the writer’s reputation, while proper grammar enhances the writer’s communication skills , reflecting a high level of professionalism.

Documents with correct syntax and structure are more likely to persuade or inform effectively.

Impact of Grammar on Reading Comprehension

The author’s use of grammar directly influences the reader’s ability to understand and engage with the text. Proper use of punctuation and sentence structure supports the reader in following complex arguments, thus improving comprehension and retention of the information presented.

Grammar acts as the navigational guide through the text landscape, leading to clear comprehension.

Grammar not only aids in delivering a message but is also pivotal in shaping the way that message is received. Good grammar enhances the exchange of ideas and information, whether in spoken language or in writing.

Grammar as a Foundation of the English Language

Grammar serves as the structural ground upon which the English language is built, providing a cohesive set of rules and norms that govern its use.

Establishing Standard Language Rules

As the bedrock of English, grammar establishes standard language rules that facilitate clear and effective communication.

These rules encompass various aspects of language use, including but not limited to sentence structure, verb tense, and word order. Adherence to these standards ensures that English speakers can convey their message accurately and be universally understood.

Understanding English Grammar Rules

A thorough understanding of English grammar rules is imperative for mastering the language. It allows individuals to craft both written and spoken narratives that are coherent and eloquent.

Acquiring this understanding is a systematic process, often beginning with essential elements such as nouns and verbs and progressing to more complex structures like subordinate clauses and passive constructions.

Dialects and Grammar Variations

Different dialects and grammar variations within the English language illustrate its diversity.

While Standard English is taught in educational settings and used in formal contexts, numerous dialects reflect the cultural and regional nuances that shape language use. These variations still adhere to grammatical frameworks but exhibit unique linguistic patterns that contribute to the richness of the English language.

The Importance of Grammar in Education

In education, grammar is the foundation of effective communication and is essential for developing proficiency in any language. Its role in cognitive development and academic success underscores the value placed on grammar skills in educational curricula.

Grammar in Early Learning

Grammar acquisition begins in the early stages of education, where students are introduced to the basic rules and structures of language.

In schools, young students learn how to construct sentences, use proper punctuation, and understand the parts of speech. This early exposure to grammar helps solidify the building blocks necessary for more complex language skills. For instance, studies indicate that grasping the principles of grammar can aid children in learning how to read and write effectively.

Advanced Grammar for Higher Education

As students progress to higher levels of education, advanced grammar knowledge becomes crucial. It enables students to express complex ideas, engage in academic discourse, and comprehend sophisticated texts.

Grammar skills at this stage are not merely about correctness but about mastering the nuances of language that contribute to the persuasive and analytical writing needed in higher education settings.

Evaluating Grammar Competency

Evaluating a student’s grammar competency is continuous throughout their educational journey. Schools often use standardized tests and assessments to measure grammar skills, ensuring that language competence evolves as students advance through their academic careers.

Continuous evaluation allows educators to provide targeted support where needed, ensuring that all students can communicate effectively in both written and oral forms. The importance of precise communication in academia and professional settings makes grammar skills an ongoing priority in education.

Correct Grammar Usage in Professional Contexts

Grammar is the bedrock for clear communication in professional environments and can profoundly influence career progression. Mastery of grammar reflects professionalism and attention to detail in business writing and job search-related documents.

Grammar in Business Writing

Effective business writing necessitates impeccable grammar .

A cover letter or an email serves as a first impression and embodies the writer’s professional image. Precise grammar in proposals and presentations not only conveys the intended message but also upholds the credibility of the content.

Poor grammar can lead to misunderstandings, impacting business relationships and decision-making processes. Conversely, well-structured sentences and error-free writing help maintain clarity and foster trust among clients and colleagues.

The Significance of Good Grammar in a Job Search

During a job application process, grammar plays a pivotal role. Each interaction, from writing a job application to crafting thank-you emails post-interview, is an opportunity to demonstrate professionalism.

Employers often scrutinize job applications for grammatical errors, which can disqualify candidates from further consideration. Proficient use of grammar in a job search can give applicants a competitive edge, showcasing their communication skills and suitability for the role, thus aiding in career advancement.

Reviewing and editing all job search materials meticulously is crucial to ensure they reflect the applicant’s best abilities.

Grammar, Technology, and Digital Communication

In an era where digital platforms dominate, understanding the intersection of grammar, technology, and digital communication becomes crucial. The consistent use of proper grammar is a keystone in conveying clear messages and maintaining credibility online.

Social Media and Informal Grammar

On social media, brevity, and informality often lead users to abandon traditional grammar rules. Emojis, abbreviations, and slang have become integral to the social media lexicon, allowing for quick and dynamic conversation.

However, this informal grammar sometimes obscures the message, especially in professional or cross-cultural contexts. Platforms like Twitter (X) challenge users to express complex ideas succinctly without sacrificing clarity for character count.

The Role of Grammar in Blogging and Content Creation

Regarding blogging and content creation, grammar lays the foundation for establishing authority and engaging the reader.

A well-structured blog post with clear grammar enhances readability and keeps the audience’s attention. It reflects the content creator’s dedication to quality, and in the digital age , it is a criterion for trust and professionalism.

Strong grammar in online content also aids search engine optimization (SEO), encouraging higher search rankings and engagement .

Common Grammatical Mistakes and Their Impact

Grammatical mistakes can significantly disrupt clear communication and may adversely affect how written content is perceived. The following subsections delve into strategies for avoiding these errors and their potential negative consequences.

Identifying and Avoiding Grammatical Errors

Identifying grammatical errors is crucial in creating coherent and effective communication. Common mistakes include misusing homophones like “their,” “they’re,” and “there,” subject-verb agreement issues , and incorrect tense usage . To avoid these errors, one can employ various techniques:

• Proofreading : Thoroughly review written content to catch typos and grammatical mistakes.
• Editing Tools : Use digital tools to identify and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors.
• Consistency Checks : Ensure that tense and perspective remain consistent throughout the content.

The Consequences of Frequent Errors

Frequent grammatical errors can have tangible and intangible consequences. They may:

• Diminish Credibility : Errors can lead readers to question the writer’s competence and attention to detail.
• Obstruct Clarity : Grammatical mistakes can confuse the reader and obscure the intended message.
• Affect Opportunities : In professional settings, such as job applications , even minor typos can influence the outcome negatively by presenting an unprofessional image.

A commitment to careful writing, proofreading, and the use of editing tools can mitigate the risks associated with grammatical errors, ultimately enhancing the quality and clarity of written communication.

The Relationship Between Vocabulary and Grammar

Understanding the dynamics of vocabulary and grammar is essential for mastering a language. They are the fundamental components that ensure effective communication.

Expanding Language Proficiency through Grammar

An individual’s ability to accurately convey complex ideas hinges on their grasp of grammar. This framework dictates how words are structured within a sentence, expanding language proficiency .

For example, the nuanced ways verbs are conjugated can illustrate the temporal or conditional aspects of what is being communicated. Learning grammar is critical as it provides the rules and guidelines for learners to organize vocabulary effectively and make sense of new words .

Grammar’s Effect on Word Usage and Choice

Grammar influences word choice, shaping the meaning transmitted in conversation and writing. Using grammar determines the sentence structure and vocabulary placement within that structure, which can alter the intended meaning .

A clear understanding of grammar lets a person choose their words precisely, ensuring that each sentence conveys the nuance they wish to express.

For instance, active and passive voice can change the emphasis on different subjects or objects, thus guiding how vocabulary is perceived within the context.

Structural Elements of Grammar

Grammar establishes the framework upon which language is built. This structure dictates how words form meaningful sentences, with specific rules guiding the arrangement and punctuation, ensuring clarity and coherence.

Sentence Structure and Syntax

Sentence structure, or syntax, is the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. It involves understanding the function and order of different types of words, such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Proper word order is crucial, as it determines the meaning conveyed by a sentence.

For instance, changing the order of words can alter a sentence from “The dog chased the cat” to “The cat chased the dog,” which has an entirely different meaning.

• Correct: The dog chased the cat.
• Incorrect: Chased the dog the cat.

Understanding syntax also involves recognizing the correct verb forms that agree with their subjects and objects, essential for conveying the actions and states of being within a sentence.

Punctuation and Its Purposes

Punctuation marks like commas, periods, exclamation points, and question marks serve various purposes in written language. These marks indicate pauses, stop points, inflections, and the tone of the sentences. For example, a comma may separate ideas or elements within a sentence, while a period signals the end of a thought.

• To separate items in a list: she bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
• Before a conjunction joining two independent clauses: he was hungry and made a sandwich.

Punctuation ensures the intended meaning of sentences is clear, preventing misinterpretation and aiding in the reader’s understanding.

Word Forms and Sentence Composition

The grammar of a language includes a set of rules that govern the use of word forms in sentence composition. These rules pertain to how words change form to express tense, mood, voice, or agreement with other words in the sentence.

A verb’s form, for example, can indicate the timing of the action, as in past, present, or future tense.

Sentence composition relies on a logical and structured arrangement of these word forms to construct clear and interpretable statements.

• Simple Present: She writes daily in her journal.
• Simple Past: She wrote in her journal yesterday.
• Future: She will write in her journal tomorrow.

Word forms and their proper use are fundamental in conveying precise meaning and constructing sentences that readers can easily comprehend.

Grammar’s Influence on Personal and Brand Image

Proper grammar is instrumental in shaping both personal and brand images. It builds credibility and a consistent voice that resonates with readers and customers alike.

Building Personal Credibility through Grammar

Individuals often establish their credibility through clear and correct communication. Experts in various fields may find their message undermined by poor grammar, which can lead to a diminished reputation.

A person’s command of grammar demonstrates attention to detail and conveys respect for their audience, fostering a trust that is crucial in today’s information-saturated world.

Brand Voice and Grammatical Consistency

A brand embodies a personality, one that is expressed mainly through its communication. Grammatical consistency is critical to maintaining a brand’s voice, ensuring messages are interpreted as intended.

Inconsistencies in grammar can disrupt a brand’s image and confuse the reader, potentially damaging the business’s reputation and undermining customer trust.

Grammar and the Evolution of Language

Grammar reflects the dynamic nature of language, mapping its history and adapting to its future. It captures the systematic rules that govern linguistic evolution and change throughout time.

Historical Changes in Grammar Rules

Many factors, including cultural interchange, technological innovation, and internal linguistic development, have historically shaped grammar rules.

One can track the evolution of language over centuries by observing the way grammar structures have morphed.

For example, English underwent significant changes from Old to Middle English, where the rules governing word order and gender usage resculpted the language framework considerably. Texts like Beowulf illustrate a grammar detached from modern English, marking a stark transformation through the ages.

Over time, linguistic change has often been driven by common usage rather than prescribed norms. As societies evolve, so do the words and structures they use to communicate, signaling shifts in grammar that linguists document and analyze.

Furthermore, contact with other languages can lead to the borrowing and integrating of new grammatical constructs, adding layers to the language’s evolution.

The Future of Grammar in a Changing Language Landscape

Looking to the future, grammar is set to continue evolving in response to changing communication patterns. Technology, especially social media, exerts a profound influence, often streamlining linguistic expression.

Abbreviations, emojis, and new terminologies challenge traditional grammar rules and propose an alternative dimension of language change .

Linguistic predictions hinge on understanding the past and present trends — how humans adapt and adopt new grammar styles.

As linguistic diversity expands with globalization, the intersection of languages may simplify grammatical systems or the emergence of pidgins and creoles with distinct rules.

Moreover, with the ongoing study of linguistics , researchers are developing theories on universal grammar, which seek to explain how language may continue to change yet maintain coherence and understandability across diverse human populations. This reflects a continuous, intricate interplay between the evolution of grammar and the way language is shaped and reshaped over time.

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• Writing Tips

Why Grammar Is Important!

• 3-minute read
• 11th January 2023

You’re probably aware that grammar is important. But some could argue that grammar is the most important part of writing. Read on to learn the five components of grammar and why proper grammar is so crucial.

1.   Punctuation

Yes, punctuation – while it can be considered its own category in writing – plays a key role in grammar. You can set the tone with ending punctuation, use commas to separate thoughts and add clarity, and use apostrophes to change the meaning.

Consider an example:

Here, just one missing comma can mean the difference between listing things you love and sounding like Hannibal Lecter !

2.   Tense and Aspect

Tense refers to whether something happens in the past , present , or future . Aspect indicates whether you’re talking about one single instant action, a regular or repeated action, or an ongoing or progressive action or state . For example:

These sentences sound similar, but whether the couple is married or not varies between each one.

3.   Word Order

In English, word order shows the relationship between the words, so the meaning can change depending on where they’re placed. A basic statement follows this formula: subject + verb + objects and adverbial phrases. Adjectives come before the subject or object they describe. Let’s look at some examples of how word order can make a difference:

While each of these sentences technically make sense, they each mean something quite different – and can evoke some strange mental images!

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4.   Determiners

Nouns don’t usually stand on their own in everyday language. Determiners are words that tell us things like who or what a noun belongs to, how many there are, and where they are. For example:

See how these sentences mean very different things? Determiners are essential in forming meaningful sentences in the English language.

5.   Connectors

As their name suggests, connectors, such as “if,” “who,” “when,” “and,” “but,” “neither,” and “both,” connect phrases, words, and clauses . Using these correctly is important, as they add essential details to your sentences:

In this example, your choice of connectors can mean the difference between offering too much dessert and offering none.

Why Is Grammar So Important?

As we’ve seen, getting your meaning across correctly comes down to using grammar properly. Even small errors can be costly ! In addition, it lets your readers know that you are a reliable source, makes you look professional, and shows respect for anyone reading your work.

It also keeps your readers engaged. Have you ever been engrossed in reading something very interesting, only to get stuck on a sentence that you have to read a few times because it doesn’t quite make sense or the meaning isn’t clear? If this happens to your readers, they’ll be distracted from your message, and your writing won’t accomplish what you intended it to.

Professional Proofreading and Editing

Now that you know more about how important grammar is, don’t neglect to have your writing proofread! Even if you feel pretty confident with your grammar usage, all writers miss errors in their own writing. Why not try out our proofreading service for free ?

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Why Grammar Is a Timeless Subject to Study and Teach

These Grammarians Will Help You Reach a Conclusion

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Grammar has long been a subject of study—as a companion to rhetoric in ancient Greece and Rome and as one of the seven liberal arts in medieval education. Although the methods of studying grammar have changed dramatically in recent times, the  reasons  for studying grammar have remained essentially the same. 

One of the most sensible answers to the question of why grammar matters appears in a position statement on the teaching of grammar in American schools. Published by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the report is refreshingly free of educational cant. Here's how it begins:

"Grammar is important because it is the language that makes it possible for us to talk about language. Grammar names the types of words and word groups that make up sentences not only in English but in any language. As human beings, we can put sentences together even as children—we can all do grammar. But to be able to talk about how sentences are built, about the types of words and word groups that make up sentences—that is knowing about grammar. And knowing about grammar offers a window into the human mind and into our amazingly complex mental capacity."

"People associate grammar with errors and correctness. But knowing about grammar also helps us understand what makes sentences and paragraphs clear and interesting and precise. Grammar can be part of literature discussions when we and our students closely read the sentences in poetry and stories. And knowing about grammar means finding out that all languages and all dialects follow grammatical patterns."

(Haussamen, Brock, et al. "Some Questions and Answers About Grammar," 2002.)

Note: The full report, "Some Questions and Answers About Grammar," can be found on the website for the National Council of Teachers of English. It's well worth the read for anyone interested in English grammar.

Additional Perspectives on Grammar

Consider these explanations from other experts in English and education on why grammar matters:

"On the utility and importance of the study of Grammar, and the principles of composition , much might be advanced, for the encouragement of persons in early life to apply themselves to this branch of learning... It may indeed be justly asserted, that many of the differences in opinion amongst men, with the disputes, contentions, and alienations of heart, which have too often proceeded from such differences, have been occasioned by a want of proper skill in the connexion and meaning of words, and by a tenacious misapplication of language."

(Murray, Lindley. English Grammar: Adapted to the Different Classes of Learners , Collins and Perkins, 1818.)

"We study grammar because a knowledge of sentence structure is an aid in the interpretation of literature; because continual dealing with sentences influences the student to form better sentences in his own composition; and because grammar is the best subject in our course of study for the development of reasoning power."

(Webster, William Frank. The Teaching of English Grammar , Houghton, 1905.)

"The study of language is a part of general knowledge. We study the complex working of the human body to understand ourselves; the same reason should attract us to studying the marvelous complexity of human language..."

"If you understand the nature of language, you will realize the ground for your linguistic prejudices and perhaps moderate them; you will also more clearly assess linguistic issues of public concern, such as worries about the state of the language or what to do about the teaching of immigrants. Studying the English language has a more obvious practical application: It can help you to use the language more effectively."

(Greenbaum, Sidney, and Gerald Nelson. An Introduction to English Grammar , 2nd ed., Longman, 2002.)

"Grammar is the study of how sentences mean. And that is why it helps. If we want to understand the meaning conveyed by sentences, and to develop our ability to express and respond to this meaning, then the more we know about grammar, the better we will be able to carry out these tasks..."

"Grammar is the structural foundation of our ability to express ourselves. The more we are aware of how it works, the more we can monitor the meaning and effectiveness of the way we and others use language. It can help foster precision, detect ambiguity, and exploit the richness of expression available in English. And it can help everyone — not only teachers of English but teachers of anything, for all teaching is ultimately a matter of getting to grips with meaning."

(Crystal, David. Making Sense of Grammar , Longman, 2004.)

"[T]he study of your own grammatical system can be quite revealing and useful, and provides you with insights into how language, your own and others', whether spoken or signed, actually works..."

"With an understanding of how language actually works, and a concise vocabulary to talk about it, you will be equipped to make more informed decisions and choices about grammar and usage, and to tease out linguistic fact from linguistic fiction."

(Lobeck, Anne and Kristin Denham,  Navigating English Grammar: A Guide to Analyzing Real Language,  Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.)

• The Writer's Voice in Literature and Rhetoric
• Traditional Grammar: Definition and Examples
• What Are the Gnomic Present Tense Verbs?
• What Are Compound Subjects in English Grammar?
• Infinitive Phrase (Verbs)
• Definition and Examples of Correctness in Language
• Pedagogical Grammar
• complete predicate (grammar)
• Habitual Present Verbs
• Pragmatics Gives Context to Language
• Definition and Examples of Syntax
• Spoken English
• Understanding the 'wh'-clause in English Grammar
• An Introduction to Theoretical Grammar
• What Is a Predicate?
• Subject in English Grammar

The Science of Language Learning

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Why Is Grammar Important?

• 32 min read
• March 26, 2017
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Gabriel Wyner

Founder & CEO

Updated on January 22, 2024

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Why Is Grammar Important for Language Learning?

Ever wondered why grammar is important when learning a language, and why knowledge of grammar is useful for going about our daily lives and making our mark in the world? 

In this article, I explore what grammar is, why it matters, and what purpose it has in ensuring effective communication. Then, I suggest tried-and-tested ways to improve your knowledge of grammar.

Next, I highlight important grammar rules you should know, before moving on to some common grammatical mistakes and how to fix them for good. Finally, I share with you something I wrote on how grammar works and what it does, which I originally intended to include as a chapter in my Fluent Forever book. 

So, without further ado, let’s begin by exploring the definition of grammar.

What is grammar?  

Oxford Dictionaries Online defines grammar as “ the whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general, usually taken as consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections) and sometimes also phonology and semantics.”  

In simpler terms, the reason why grammar is important is because it comprises the building blocks of a language, and its rules help us to form words and sentences to communicate effectively. 

Reasons why grammar is important for your communication and achievements

1. getting the message across as clearly as possible.

Grammar is a process of putting together different bits of linguistic information to help us paint a picture, describe a scene, or communicate our thoughts and observations. When we write or speak, using correct grammar is important as it enables our readers or listeners to understand us loud and clear. On the other hand, not only do ungrammatical utterances and sentences lead to a lack of clarity, but we also risk sending the wrong message as incorrect grammar leaves room for misinterpretation. A solid foundation in grammatical knowledge allows us to fully express ourselves with clarity and accuracy.

Effective communication through good grammar usage plays an important part in our daily interactions, whether in personal, social, or professional contexts. For example, you’re more likely to gain your friends’ trust and avoid mishaps if you’re a clear communicator. Likewise, sending well-written emails, instructions, and other professional documents would leave no cause for confusion or misunderstanding among coworkers.

2. An essential tool to learn, understand, and appreciate languages

Another factor behind why grammar is important is that grammar is really and truly a language in itself. It allows us to talk about particular languages we’re learning and about language in general. Across different languages, we can identify, describe, and refer to the different components of a word, phrase, or sentence by using concepts of grammar and other terminology. 

In this way, grammar helps us to communicate about a language’s building blocks so that we learn and understand its dynamics and nuances more efficiently. Jump straight to here to find out more about noun cases; pronouns; verb tenses, aspects, and modes; function words, and more.

3. The key to academic and professional success

If first impressions count, a good command of grammar will undoubtedly always make lasting ones. And that is why grammar is important for your educational and professional achievements. Grammatically correct written and oral communication will get you places, starting with obtaining high grades in school, high school, and later in college and university. It’s the difference in how well you express yourself in your exam papers, application forms, cover letters, resumes, and interviews that will help get your name on that program at that prestigious educational institution or land you your dream job. Later in life, it’s that attention to detail and flawlessness in your delivery of reports, proposals, and presentations that will earn you a well-deserved promotion and facilitate a promising career growth path. 

We all make mistakes, but there’s a big divide between the occasional slip of the tongue or typo and having abysmally poor communication skills during interviews – or glaring errors popping up regularly in your official work communications. Why is grammar important in the real world, then? If you want to succeed in your academic and professional pursuits, grammatical accuracy and clarity are assets you must champion and nurture in everything you say and write.

What is the purpose of grammar?

Grammar functions as a bridge between what you intend or mean when you write or say something and what your readers or listeners understand. It does this by acting as what I call a stage director, assigning roles to each component of a word or sentence so that everything comes together to convey the right meaning and message. You can read more about this analogy in my chapter below.

Why is the role of grammar so important in communicating the right message, then? Think of how a single apostrophe changes the meaning in “your French” and “you’re French,” “builders’ work” and “builders work,” “hairdressers’ shop” and “hairdressers shop.” Similarly, the sense in “fish, eat, and sleep” is different from “fish eat and sleep,” where the absence of punctuation changes the subject doing the action. 

Knowing a language’s grammar is important to help you distinguish the changes and nuances so that you’ll know exactly what to use in the right context.

What are the benefits of learning grammar?

Next, let’s build on the reasons why grammar is important to explore the different ways it can be useful to us as we go about our lives.

We’ve already indicated that having good grammar skills opens doors across a multitude of scenarios, whether in your day-to-day interactions, social relationships, or educational achievements and employment opportunities. The right grammar usage in your writing and speech buys you bonus points all along your way to career progression and academic success.

Needless to say, a solid foundation in grammar will come in super handy when learning a new language. Having those concepts ingrained in your brain enables you to compare similarities and spot differences between your native tongue and your target language. By building on these observations, you will develop a sound understanding of the latter’s structure as you practice your way to fluency.  And that is why grammar is important for a language learner’s success.

What’s the best way to improve your grammar skills?

Here are some proven methods to approach your grammar learning and make it stick:

1. Learn grammar intuitively

Even though you know why grammar is important and may be keen to learn it, you mustn’t force i t. To learn grammar, you don’t need to pore over thick textbooks and grammar tomes for endless hours. Instead, let the language and its sounds flow freely out of you first. Get practicing your speaking and writing skills at every opportunity you get , and figure out the structure and rules later. Once you reach that stage of wanting to know more about how your target language works, go to the next step. 

2. Go translation-free

Avoid translation as much as possible when learning a new language and its essential grammar rules. Getting immersed in your target language will help you familiarize yourself with its sounds and structure directly, without having to depend on an intermediate language for explanations. Pick or create example sentences, making sure you really understand their meaning before proceeding to create flashcards to focus on the grammatical aspects. The way to understand the workings of your new language using flashcards comes in 4 easy steps, which I explain in this article .

Hint: The Fluent Forever app automates flashcard creation so you can focus on your learning progress while it takes care of the rest.

3. Practice with native speakers

Practice with native speakers to pick up the right way of saying things. Choose topics to discuss that are important and relevant to you, and it will become easier to engage in conversation, remember things such as word order and verb conjugations, and grasp the grammar rules at work.

Chat with native speakers as a super-effective way to practice good grammar! Image by Fauxels from Pexels

4. Read a lot!

Absorbing grammatical structures such as verb conjugations, noun-verb agreement, word order, and language nuances happens unconsciously when you’re reading. You’ll also notice that your writing automatically improves as a result.

Hint: Check out our guide to The Fastest Way To Learn a Language for more tried-and-tested tips to optimize your knowledge of grammar and supercharge your language journey.

Knowing the most important grammar rules and topics

What are the key components of a language’s grammar? We can establish five fundamentals that allow us to create meaning in our communication: they are punctuation, verb tense, word order, determiners, and connectors. 

The more you commit to learning and progress in your language journey, the quicker you’ll be able to internalize these rules and apply them effortlessly. Ultimately, you’ll be a far more advanced speaker of a language once you’ve mastered elements such as irregular plurals and verbs, gendered articles, and sentence formation.

The chapter below delves into the most important aspects of English grammar, and then teaches you how to apply your knowledge of those principles to a new language. 

Common grammatical errors

While we all acknowledge w hy grammar is important to learn and master, we still make mistakes, right? Here are some common errors most of us are guilty of when it comes to using grammar in our native or target languages: 

• Wrong sentence structure and word order
• Incorrect subject-verb agreements and tenses
• Missing, unnecessary, or misplaced punctuation marks
• Spelling mistakes
• Misuse of homophones e.g. “were” and “where”

Remember, there is a solution to fix these errors – especially if they’re already ingrained in your brain. First off, keep reading, then read some more! I cannot emphasize enough how important this activity is in helping you intuitively absorb the grammar of a language, and to iron out incorrect usage. Plus, practicing your speech with a native speaker, such as by working with a personal language coach , will do wonders for weeding out any bad habits.

Bonus: Grammar chapter 

And now we come to the promised bonus offering: the full chapter on grammar I wrote when I was working on Fluent Forever . Ultimately, my editor and I decided to cut it because it interrupted the flow of the book, and because people tend to dislike grammar since it can be confusing and finicky. I think we made the right decision with the book, but still, I liked the idea behind that chapter. 

I’ve talked to so many people who feel confused and annoyed about grammar, and I’ve always wanted to sit them down and explain why grammar is something important that’s both graspable and beautiful. So I’m sharing that whole chapter here. I hope you enjoy it!

Note: I’m including a table of contents here at the start. The idea of that is so you can come back to this chapter later on and jump around to useful sections if you want a refresher on what cases are, or what a tense is, etc.

Grammar: The Stage Director of Language

A language’s grammar is a kind of stage director, assigning roles to the various words in a sentence, and telling them how to interact. Let’s take a moment to look at a grammar-less sentence:

SLEEP EAT WORK EAT WORK EAT SLEEP .

This sentence works just fine as it is; you don’t always need a stage director to tell simple stories. It’s only when I wish to explain what  was eaten or who ate, that I’m going to run into problems without the aid of grammar. If I say ‘ EAT COW’ (or ‘COW EAT’), you might be able to infer that I was the eater and the cow was the meal, if only because I was the one who said it and cows are herbivores, but it’s already quite vague. Perhaps I was telling you to eat a cow, or perhaps I was describing a cow eating. As soon as I try something not involving herbivores or myself, like LION ALLIGATOR EAT , we’re both screwed. Who’s doing what? At its simplest level, grammar is all about finding ways to answer that simple question.

I want to walk you through several different ways that languages can answer the Who ’ s doing What question. My goal is for you to learn to step back from the details and get a bird ’ s eye view of grammar ’ s job as a stage director. Once you ’ ve done that, then you can step back in and learn your particular language ’ s grammar system with a better sense of perspective. That should make grammar a little less intimidating. Let ’ s start with this sentence:

The man eats the cake.

English is a syntax (word-order) heavy language. We can say sentences like this, but we not can say sentences like this. Going back to our man-cake sentence, we see two players: the man and the cake. Our man is the active player (the subject), and our cake is the acted-upon player (the object).

There are two things to note here:

First, there’s a traditional order to an English sentence , where the verb comes after the subject, and the object comes after the verb. Man [s] eats [v] cake [o]. This is referred to as SVO (subject – verb – object) order, which is the second most common word order, encompassing 42% of the world’s languages (including the Romance languages, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Arabic). ⁠ The majority of languages, 45%, are SOV (subject – object – verb: The man the cake eats), which you’ll find in Japanese, Hindi, and Turkish, for example. Once upon a time, English, too, had SOV structure until the Normans invaded in 1066. We can still see this in archaic phrases like “With this ring, I thee wed” and “Till death do us part.” ⁠  The other word order possibilities (VSO, VOS, OVS, OSV) are rare, with the rarest being Yoda’s Object-Subject-Verb (“The cake the man eats.”), which shows up in a few languages of the Amazon basin.

Second, English word order is very inflexible. If you mess with the order, you either produce gibberish or a different meaning: “The cake eats the man” paints a very different picture, and “The the eat cake man” means nothing. English is known as a fixed word order language. Other languages ( “ free word order languages”) are much more flexible. Here’s a similar sentence in Russian:

男 が ドーナツ を 食べる。 Otoko ga dōnatsu o taberu. Man (subject) donut (object) eats.

I can switch around が (ga [subject]) and を (o [object]) and make the donut eat the man:

男 を ドーナツ が 食べる。 Otoko wo dōnatsu ga taberu. Man (object) donut (subject) eats.

This is a legal, if untraditional and SOV-defying, move that emphasizes the weirdness of a man being eaten by a donut (implying that it’d be perfectly normal if a donut were to eat, say, a hamburger). Japanese has less flexibility than Russian; I can move the subject and object around, but the verb must stay at the end of the sentence. There is a spectrum of strictness when it comes to order: English is relatively strict, Russian is relatively free, and you’ll find languages that land between them or to either side (Chinese tends to be stricter with word order than English, ⁠4 and the aboriginal language Warlpiri doesn’t even have a default word order like the SVO of Russian).

Yet another strategy for assigning roles involves storing role information within the verb. Here’s a pair of example sentences from a modern dialect of Aramaic, spoken in northern Iraq ⁠ .

The verb kemxaz-ya-le (Saw-she-him) indicates that the girl was doing the seeing, while kemxaz-e-la (saw-he-her) indicates the opposite. Clearly, there are a lot of ways that grammar can operate when you jump from language to language, but fundamentally, it’s all doing the exact same thing: it’s acting as a stage director, assigning roles to each character in a story, and telling them what to do. It’s the arbiter of who does what.

The better you can hold on to that idea of grammar as a stage director, the less frightening a new grammatical system will become. This is a concept that takes time to get used to, but eventually, it becomes second nature. You’ll be able to look at a complex sentence like “I’m going to give my girlfriend some chocolates before our date next week” and see the chunks of information within that sentence, along with their associated roles or functions: (I – subject, chocolates – object, her – target of giving, etc. ).

Mastering a new grammatical system then becomes a matter of learning how your new language assigns the same roles to tell the same story:

Ich werde nächste Woche vor unserem Rendezvous meiner Freundin Schokoladen geben. I     will       next     week  before     our        date         my        girlfriend    chocolates     give.

One way to get more comfortable with this idea is to really understand your native language. So let’s take some sentences in English and look at them very closely.

Some Basic Anatomy of the English Language – And How To Use It To Understand Other Languages

Grammar isn’t always simple, but sometimes people like to add an unnecessary and inaccurate air of mysticism to it – “You would need to be born in Japan to truly understand what the Japanese mean with this particular grammatical construction!”  Ugh.

Alternatively, you may run into grammar books that casually talk about cases, registers, and verb modes without really explaining what they mean. So I want to walk you through a language that you probably know pretty well – English – and show you all the grammar you’re already familiar with. We’ll start with the following sentence: John gives his girlfriend his father’s weed-whacker.

Noun Cases: The Who, The What, The To Whom, The Whose, The Where, etc.

“Cases” are just a fancy way of saying “Roles for nouns in a sentence.” Our example sentence contains four of the most common cases you’ll find:

John’s girlfriend

John’s father

weed-whacker

Nominative (John) : Related to our word name , this case names the main player of our sentence, the subject. This tends to be the ‘basic’ form of the word, found in the dictionary. English has lost many of its case markers, but we still have them in our pronouns: you can say he did something, but not him did something. I, he, she, we and they are all exclusively in the nominative case. Our current second person pronoun, you , has eaten up four older pronouns in our language: thou, thee, ye and you . Of these, thou (singular) and ye (plural) were both in the nominative case.

Accusative ( weed-whacker) : Often referred to as a ‘direct object,’ our weed-whacker is the target of the verb, gives, since John has to give his girlfriend something . In this case, it’s the passive player in our story, but that doesn’t have to be the case. In John fears his weed-whacker and John scares his weed-whacker , there’s quite a bit of variance in the activeness of our lawn care instrument. In the end, while these cases do define traditional roles (Nominative: Active subject, Accusative: Passive object), the individual verbs are always king, and they make demands. The words dine and devour are fairly similar, but you can’t dine a hamburger or simply devour without an object to be devoured. ⁠ Cases assign roles to the nouns in the sentence; it’s the verbs who direct the play.

Dative (his girlfriend) : The Dative case was known in Latin as the case for giving , and it’s common in situations involving 3 players (I sent you a can of tuna, you can cry me a river, etc.) English often uses prepositions to mark nouns for this role (I gave it to him, I made it for him). Over the course of history, we have lost most of our dative case pronouns, and with them, we have lost a clear sense of the dative case. By the 14 th century, the Old English dative hwone and the accusative hwān had merged into a combined dative/accusative pronoun whom , just as hine and him merged into him , hīe and hire into her , and hit and him into it . This process continues today, as the nominative pronoun who slowly devours whom .

Genitive (his father’s) : Genitive is a special case that sticks nouns together. In our example, it’s used for ownership, tying weed-whacker to his father , but there are many other reasons you might want to connect nouns. English often uses the preposition of : Heat of the sun , a loaf of bread , day of doom , etc. Our possessive construction – ’s – is one of the last remnants of a genitive case marker in English, though you can still see traces of it in some compound words like doomsday .

Nouns can play all sorts of roles, but these four tend to be the most common. Proto-Indo-European (PIE), the great-great-grandfather of English, Latin, German, Russian, and Hindi, had eight cases, currently covered in English by prepositions. In the PIE language, you could indicate that a given noun was a location (He did it in his backyard) , an instrument (a weed-whacker made by hand ), an origin (it came out of the garage ), or an addressee ( Samantha , John gave me a weed whacker), just by changing the endings of the nouns: Samanthap, John gave me a handot weed whacker garagen backyardi .

Proto-Indo-European (PIE) was spoken 6 millennia ago in regions of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. 3 billion people currently speak languages descended from PIE, making it the largest language family on earth. Its existence was first postulated in 1786, when British philologist Sir William Jones noticed strange similarities between Sanskrit, ancient Greek, and Latin.

He proposed that they came from a common source, and that source has since become known as PIE. Nearly 450 modern languages have been connected to PIE, and as such, linguists have been able to reconstruct it in detail, even down to the majority of its sounds. For a language that had no writing system and hasn’t been heard in millennia, the reconstruction of PIE is one of the most impressive accomplishments of historical linguistics.

The next time someone tries to impress you with facts like “Hungarian is the hardest language in the world; it has 18 cases!,” feel free to brush them off. English has 18 cases too. We just use prepositions and context to convey them, instead of using suffixes to do it, like Hungarian does.

Pronouns, Formality, and Register

“Personal pronouns and adjectives are a fruitful nuisance in this language, and should have been left out. For instance, the same sound, SIE, means YOU, and it means SHE, and it means HER, and it means IT, and it means THEY, and it means THEM. Think of the ragged poverty of a language which has to make one word do the work of six – and a poor little weak thing of only three letters at that. But mainly, think of the exasperation of never knowing which of these meanings the speaker is trying to convey. This explains why, whenever a person says SIE to me, I generally try to kill him, if a stranger.” — Mark Twain, The Awful German Language

Pronouns, our familiar friends I, he, she, they, you , etc., act as stand-ins for nouns we’ve already mentioned, and are a common feature in most languages. They help you quickly nail down the participants in your conversations, allowing you to talk about a certain John and Sarah as ‘they’ instead of constantly going back to ‘John and Sarah did this and John and Sarah did that.’ As mentioned above, English pronouns come in a few cases (and even genders!), and that’s a standard pattern; gender and case help identify precisely which participant from your previous sentence is playing a role in your new one. You’ll find that many languages have a great deal more pronouns than English. Our ‘we’ is handily broken up into four pronouns in Cherokee: ‘you and me,’ ‘someone else and me,’ ‘several other people and me,’ and ’you, me, and one or more other people.’ This would make ‘ We should get dinner’ much less vague in all sorts of contexts.

Learning Pronouns Without Translations

Learning pronouns without the use of English involves finding some decent pictures that show a person pointing to another person, pointing to himself, etc. I had a bunch of pronoun images commissioned for this purpose over here .

One pronoun-related nuance that English has lost is the concept of grammatical formality. Once upon a time, when we still had thou, thee, ye , and you , we used the singular thou and thee to speak to a family member or a friend, and the plural ye and you to speak to a stranger or a boss. Now we can’t be quite as passive-aggressive and insulting as we once could: “Well of course ye mayeth take my sandwich from the work fridge.” Many languages use special pronouns to mark relationships between people, which demands a certain awareness of social rank, age and familiarity that English speakers just don’t need to think about.

Overarching changes in pronouns, grammar, word choice, and pronunciation combine to form the concept of register – how your language changes depending on your relationship with the people you’re talking with. Register is what makes us say “I’m gunna get ice cream” to our friends and “I will send you project requirements by four o’clock tomorrow” in work correspondence.

Some languages are quite demanding in this respect: Korean has an involved system of required honorific terms and verb endings covering six different levels of social interaction, between peers, different family members, subordinates, etc. The speaker’s identity, too, can come into play. To quote Sioux activist Russel Means, “the odd thing about [the movie Dances with Wolves] is, they had a woman teaching the actors the Lakota language. But Lakota has a male-gendered language and a female-gendered language. Some of the Indians and Kevin Costner were speaking in the feminine way. When I went to see it with a bunch of Lakota guys, we were laughing.” ⁠ Learning which contexts demand which register is as much a cultural question as one of grammar.

Verb Tense and Aspect (Time)

English’s grammar tends to be simple on many fronts compared to other languages, but we blow many languages out of the water when it comes to time. We are insanely detailed when it comes to the exact relationships of several actions, and whether they were simultaneous, completed, almost finished before being interrupted, etc. Someone can have been walking to the store for five minutes when his friend (whom he had called just five minutes before, and who had just had her birthday the previous day) calls and asks him what he might be doing the following day for lunch.

If you tease apart English’s verb forms, you’ll find that we indicate time in two different ways. Precisely when something occurred determines a verb’s tense (I saw it, I see it, I’ll see it), but I can talk about the same event in quite a few different ways: I walked (and now I’m done), I was walking (when something else happened), I used to walk (but now I drive a Segway), I’ve walked (and I’m done with that now), I had been walking (for five minutes when you called). Our sense of the verb’s progression – whether it’s completed, interrupted, never going to happen again, repeated, planned, etc. determines its aspect.

This gives me an excuse to talk about African American Vernacular English, or Ebonics. AAVE has a special aspect (in the present tense) that standard English is lacking, known as the habitual be form, used for describing regular, habitual actions. In one study, African American and Caucasian kids were shown a picture of Sesame Street characters Elmo and Cookie Monster. In the picture, Elmo is eating cookies and Cookie Monster is cookieless, sick in bed. The researcher asked each kid “Who is eating cookies?” and all kids pointed to Elmo. Then she asked, “Who be eating cookies?” African American kids pointed to Cookie Monster, as in “Sure, Elmo is eating cookies now , but Cookie Monster be eating cookies in general.”

Tense can be divided in all manner of ways, from the familiar past/present/future of English to the six tenses of Kalaw Lagaw Ya, a language spoken in the islands off of Queensland, Australia that distinguishes between the remote past (Once upon a time…), the recent past (I went to France last year), the today past (I ate breakfast this morning), the present (I’m eating lunch now), the today future (Dinner’s going to be delicious) and the remote future (My next birthday is going to be awesome).

A basic tenet of linguistics ⁠ is that you can always convey the same thoughts in any language. English can express the same fine time distinctions as Kalaw Lagaw Ya; we just rely on context and precise time indications to do it. You can usually assume that “dinner’s going to be delicious” is about tonight’s dinner, unless we’ve already talked about a dinner date we arranged for tomorrow. In your language, you’re going to find a mixture of explicit time distinctions, expressed through verbs and other functional words (I did it yesterday , I just started) to further nail down when something happened. For a language that’s more precise in its grammar than English in tense or aspect, you will become hyper-aware of time. It’s one of the odder consequences of picking up a second language – you learn to start paying attention to things you never really thought about before.

Verb Mode (Sureness, Necessity, Possibility)

There are a number of ways you can alter a verb in English in order to detail how much information you have, how sure you are about it, and the likelihood of the thing you’re saying being true or possible. These are subtle distinctions, for which we either use modal verbs “She might be in the shower” or simply add an extra verb, e.g. to think : “I think she’s in the shower.” In both cases, you’ve expressed your not-so-sureness about the situation. This is modality.

Many languages have colorful and elaborate ways of expressing modality, as in this Yiddish idiom: “Az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde” (If my grandmother had balls, she’d be my grandfather) , where the verb mode makes it clear that you know that your bobe doesn’t have beytsim , even if you’re talking about them ⁠ . Mode can tell the listener about your attitude towards what you’re saying; many languages have verb forms that will indicate the source of your information (hearsay, confirmed facts, etc) and how much you believe it, letting you say something like “John is a good guy,” while clearly conveying that “ John thinks John is a good guy, but we all know that he’s a jerk.”

Tense, aspect, and mode will frequently intertwine, as they do in English. ‘Will’ can provide many different mixtures, from the simple future tense “I will eat a cookie” to the present tense, obligatory mode, “You will get me a cookie. (Right. Now.)” Different languages will mix these in different degrees and combinations.

Verb-Noun Agreement

___ am a shoe.

English has a few remnants left of verb-noun agreement, which is why you know that the proper word to fill in the blank above is “I,” even if the context is odd. We’ve lost what used to be a fairly developed agreement system, where as late as the 18 th century, we were still saying ‘I have,’ ‘thou hast,’ and ‘he hath.’ What’s the point?

Redundancy: languages are full of it. Even if I delete mst f th vwls n a sntnce, you can still reconstruct it; for English, studies estimate that slightly more than half of our letters are redundant, and they expect even more than that level of redundancy in our sounds. ⁠ Since we both slur our words and hear imperfectly, redundancy helps us reconstruct what our conversation partner meant to say, even if failed to say completely .

In some languages, you’ll find so much verb-noun agreement that certain pronouns become unnecessary. Italian is one of these, where ‘ Io sono una scarpa’ (I am a shoe) and ‘ Sono una scarpa’ (Am a shoe) are both perfectly legal sentences – the first one emphasizes the I , as in ‘Whatever you may be, I am a shoe.’

Function Words: Dummy verbs, Prepositions, Articles, and Conjunctions

What does “does” mean?

There are a number of words in English that can be lumped together under the broad term “function words.” These words don’t mean much of anything on their own, but they help form the basic silhouette of a sentence, immediately establishing whether it is a question, the roles of the nouns, etc. While “I waiting tell you I trouble” may be roughly understandable, “I have been waiting to tell you that I am in trouble” is much more comprehensible.

You’ll find that the most common words in any language will be its function words; the top ten list in English includes eight of them: the, be, of, and, a, to, in, and have (the other two are the pronouns he and it ). These are the raw fabric of the language, within which meaningful words are embedded. And to be fair, prepositions like “in” do convey some concrete meaning – “in” tends to be a reference to the inner side of something (“It’s in the refrigerator!”), but there’s no special reason why we do things in November and on Monday. We use certain words in certain places because we have agreed to do so, and as such, the meaning of an individual function word – like “does,” above – is much less important than its traditional location in a sentence.

As with verb-noun agreement, these words are another source of redundancy that helps speakers and listeners understand each other, and every language will have a smattering of these words in nearly every sentence, to help indicate what sort of thought you’re trying to convey (like our “does” question above).

And with that, we’re through with the biggest sticking points in grammar. The next time you run into a tricky passage in your grammar book that casually tosses off the term “Verb Mode” without sufficient explanation, come back here and review what that means in English, so you can realize that it’s something you already know about, rather than some completely new way of conceiving of the world.

If I missed something important, let me know in the comments! While I don’t necessarily want this article to become a book on its own ( those books have already been written , and are excellent), I would like this to cover the terms and concepts that most people struggle with.

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Home — Essay Samples — Science — English Language — The Importance and Impact of English Grammar

The Importance and Impact of English Grammar

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Clear communication, professionalism, academic success, enhanced language skills, global communication, critical thinking.

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Why does grammar matter?

Director of the Center for Writing, College of the Holy Cross

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Why does grammar matter? – Maci, 13, Indianapolis, Indiana

After 20 years of teaching academic writing to both native speakers and English language learners, I can attest that at some point, just about everyone asks me why, or even whether, grammar matters.

There is more than one way to define grammar. Linguists – the people who study language – define “grammar” as a description of how a language operates. Though some people use it to bully people for making mistakes, grammar is not a way to decide if language is right or wrong . Everyone makes mistakes, and the English language is amazingly flexible in how its pieces can be put together and understood.

That’s because English is a “living” language, actively spoken by people worldwide. It grows and changes, picking up new words and new ways of constructing meaning all the time .

All kinds of factors influence the way people talk, including regional variations, age, ethnicity, education level and technology. People from Indianapolis use English differently than people from Alaska or Georgia . And American English sounds and works differently than the English spoken in England, Jamaica or India. But they are all still considered English .

Through reading, writing and speaking, you have already learned quite a bit about how English works. You began your education in grammar when you first started using simple sentences. For example, my son had to learn to say “carry me,” not “carry you,” when he wanted to be picked up. That’s grammar, even though you didn’t always call it that.

The school subject we call grammar is the next step. It establishes some ground rules that attempt to define what can be considered a more uniform, established version of English. There is a complicated history of how those rules were created and who benefits from them . The end result is that schools teach the kind of English students in their country will be expected to use in public, at work and in formal writing .

Writing exists to be read. So the reader must be considered when you construct sentences. You write differently for your friends, your parents and your teacher. The grammar you learn in school helps you meet the expectations of the reader. They also learned a similar grammar in school.

Wait, did I just make a grammar mistake using “they” – plural – to refer to a singular “reader”?

Well, maybe not. Remember how I said English is a living language? The use of “their” as a singular, nongendered pronoun is one example of how the language is changing. Traditionally, I would have written “he,” because for so long male was the default gender. As the social thinking about gender changed, people began to write “he or she” to be more inclusive. Now we can use “they,” which is all-encompassing .

That shift will continue to be debated, as will starting a sentence with a conjunction like “but” or “and,” which used to be discouraged. But I think I get why these changes are happening: They mimic speech .

Studying grammar helps make communication between people clearer. Once you understand your own language and appreciate its patterns and varieties, you can more easily understand how other languages are constructed, making them easier to learn . Being able to understand across languages allows you to share your ideas and the ideas of others more broadly.

Grammar matters a lot – just maybe not for the reasons you thought.

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Module 1: Grammar

Why is grammar important.

Sometimes people are self-conscious about their speech and worry that the way they talk or write is “incorrect,” but as you engage with the material in this course, it’s crucial to appreciate that diversity is a value to celebrate. There are many different types of English, all of which are dynamic and complex. Not only can it be highly effective rhetorically to mesh varieties, it can also feel authentic and empowering, and you do have the right to use your own language .  

Meshing codes of English can be powerful, but the idea that there is a “correct” English has a lot of staying power. Regrettable – or outrageous – as it is politically, when you speak or write unconventionally in an academic setting, others might make judgements about who you are as a person: “lazy,” “careless,” and “incompetent” are some common judgements; on the other hand, if you have some mastery of the conventions, you might be judged to be “diligent,” “careful,” and “scholarly.” We need to acknowledge the biases of standardized English while recognizing also that it facilitates the clear and accurate communication of complex, well founded ideas to other people within the context of higher education, and within many professions. When you acquire the language, you increase your ability to craft your message to communicate more accurately what you want to convey in a way that large numbers of your peers will comprehend, which is also a powerful political privilege and responsibility.

This shared ability to communicate is where grammar comes in. Grammar is a set of conventions (and sometimes rules) that dictate how standardized English works. You might be accustomed to groaning at the mere mention of grammar, and thinking that those who care about it must be in dire need of a social life, especially if your only explicit encounters with English grammar were rules (“articles must precede nouns”) and jargon (“dangling participles,” anyone?) at some point in middle school. You’ll find at college that many professors view good grammar as a method of allowing you to join scholarly conversations and to have a voice that can be heard clearly. Professors are not generally trying to control or crush you with grammar, but rather to demonstrate – and give to you – the tools to be your own best advocate and an active participant in the educational environment. Professors want to know what you’re thinking; grammar helps you to tell them.

Whether in a post or a term paper, representing our thoughts and opinions in writing is not always easy. Although we’re pretty competent most of the time in our native language, and readers usually work with us to make sense of what they are pretty sure we must have meant, you’re in a lucky minority if you have never written an email or DM (let alone an academic essay) that has confused its recipient or frustrated you by being hard to put into words. Not unlike pouring liquids from one graduated cylinder to another, we all encounter some degree of error or loss when translating what we’re thinking to symbols on a page. And when we manage to put something in writing, we make further errors assuming how an audience will receive and analyze the intended meaning of those words. What we mean to communicate has a habit of getting lost in translation, if only because our mental lives are too complex (or, sometimes, too murky) for the act of writing to ever be foolproof. There are key ways to push back against these difficulties, however, and chief among them is our willingness to recognize and apply the conventions of grammar to our writing so that how we write does not distract from, but rather emphasizes, what we intend. By coming to terms with grammar as an adaptable system of communication, we foster stronger, more confident voices tailored to the dialogues we value most. Steven Pinker, a noted psycholinguist, comments on the importance of grammar in accurately relaying information to our peers: [1]

[Grammar] should be thought of… as one of the extraordinary adaptations in the living world: our species’ solution to the problem of getting complicated thoughts from one head into another. Thinking of grammar as the original sharing app makes it much more interesting. By understanding how the various features of grammar are designed to make sharing possible, we can put them to use in writing more clearly, correctly, and gracefully.

As a result of our familiarity with grammar, in other words, we grow closer to spanning the gap between our mind and the minds of those around us, but it is a process that advances one convention at a time.

As you go through this module, bear in mind that these are the principles and conventions for just one type of English, but you should also remember that they are tools your professors want you to wield well as you construct your scholarly self. This will not be an exhaustive survey of grammar, nor will it begin with the most basic concepts. It focuses on the problems that occur most frequently in Geneseo undergraduate writing as students look to join scholarly conversations. Some students will already be familiar with some of these ideas, and we hope that our introduction enables them to recognize that familiarity as their good fortune. Part of the democratic impulse that informs grammar is offering all students the chance to encounter and practice these conventions in an environment that will expect you to employ them: exercises in INTD 106 and more complex written assignments in courses like INTD 105 give you the grounding to write in your other courses. Once you know what you’re looking for, there’s no substitute for practice, and we invite you furthermore to mentally frame this practice in INTD 106 and INTD 105 not as an isolated exercise to “get through” but as part of a larger picture of yourself as a college student with a valuable voice.

• Steven Pinker,  The Sense of Style p. 79 ↵
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Essay Papers Writing Online

The significance of writing – why crafting essays holds key importance in academic and professional circles.

Essay writing is a crucial skill that plays a significant role in academic, professional, and personal development. It enables individuals to express their ideas, opinions, and arguments effectively, making it a powerful tool for communication and persuasion. Essays allow writers to dive deep into specific topics, conduct research, analyze information, and present their findings in a coherent and organized manner.

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One of the key benefits of essay writing is the enhancement of critical thinking skills. When students engage in the process of researching and constructing an essay, they are encouraged to think analytically and critically about the topic at hand. This involves evaluating different perspectives, assessing the validity of arguments, and forming coherent and logical conclusions based on evidence.

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• Essay writing requires students to analyze information critically
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In order to write a well-informed and compelling essay, it is essential to develop good research skills. Research proficiency involves the ability to gather and analyze information from credible sources, including books, articles, and academic journals. Conducting thorough research allows you to deepen your understanding of the topic and provide evidence to support your arguments.

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The People, Ideas, and Things Journal

The Professional Importance of Grammar and How it Should be Taught

Over the years, language learning has developed with increasing disregard toward proper grammar. Rather than focusing on syntax, educators are increasingly concerned with language fluency, which stems from a communicative language teaching approach rather than a traditional syntactical approach. This lack of grammar teaching coincides with an era of technology that has similarly impacted a generation of people to stray from formal communication methods. When studying how the lack of grammar in education affects the professional sphere, it is important to consider not only employer expectations, but also how clients view and feel about informal communication methods. In an era where communication is getting faster and becoming more terse, it is necessary to view opinions of grammar not only from the perspective of older employers, but also from the perspective of the new generation of clients, purchasers, and scholars.

Introduction

Writing simply would not be writing without the rules that shape words and string together sentences into fluid paragraphs and comprehensible arguments. We use these rules every day while sending text messages, writing essays, producing business reports, or even when we update Facebook statuses. Yet, despite the prevalence of writing in our everyday lives, proper grammar has been kicked to the curb. The apparent grammar disconnect is hard to trace. Children are educated in grammar basics starting in elementary school, but despite efforts from the Common Core standards and other educational bodies, many professionals believe the informality of new technologies and the changing modes of communication have weakened the emphasis on proper grammar. My research primarily focuses on how professional grammar deficiencies stem from inadequate grammar teaching and changes in communication methods, and how, to some degree, the ability to construct sentences is analogous to the ability to construct thoughts. Therefore, understanding and employing proper grammar are important for both educational and professional success.

Understanding Grammar in Context

Before analyzing the impact of grammar, its meaning must first be clarified. Different definitions of grammar exist in different contexts. While the New Oxford American Dictionary defines grammar as “the whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general,” a linguist’s definition of grammar can be more subjective. For example, radical linguist Noam Chomsky introduced the idea of universal grammar, which is the idea that “children are born with the innate capacity to master language, a power imbued in our species by evolution itself” (Ross). Chomsky further pursues this idea by saying our internal sense of grammar is what uniquely allows humans to “form plans, do creative art, and develop complex societies” (Ross). While the idea of “universal grammar” seems plausible to some degree, the concept of teachable grammar is more widely accepted. An interesting approach to grammar teaching is addressed in the International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning by Indian researchers Samuel Praise and K. Meenakshi, who define grammar as “merely a set of rules to preserve the written word” (Praise). The main point Praise and Meenakshi make is that “grammar is not taught in isolation but often arises out of communicative task,” and therefore, in learning language, “opportunities are provided for both inductive and deductive learning of grammar” (Praise). This implies a correlation between grammar and communication, which supports Chomsky’s theory that understanding proper grammar is what allows people to conceive and execute plans. By drawing this parallel, Chomsky, Praise, and Meenakshi suggest that grammar has greater implications than simply constructing sentences.

Grammar Methodology

It is hard to gauge how grammar should be taught since there are so many confounding variables that can affect linguistic studies. Even if curricula are standardized, subjective teaching styles and/or different knowledge absorption levels of students can greatly influence the effectiveness of a curriculum. Therefore, when studying grammar, it is more relevant to focus on case studies of various methods. According to Praise and Meenakshi, analyzing trends in communicative language learning can provide insight into the changing role of modern-day grammar teaching. These trends can be broken into traditional approaches (up to the late 1960s), classical communicative language teaching (1970s to 1990s), and current communicative language teaching (late 1990s to the present) (Praise). In the earliest approach, “great attention to accurate mastery of grammar was stressed from the beginning stages of language learning” (Praise). Contrarily, in the middle approach, “attention shifted to the knowledge and skills needed to use grammar [which were] the communicative skills and not simply grammatical skills” (Praise). Contemporary language teaching further emphasizes the importance of communicative skills, thus substituting the importance of grammar ability for fluency (Praise). As a result of this shift, it is becoming more important simply to convey ideas than to convey them properly.

“Texting Culture” and Communication

This trend toward informality is not uncommon, and also reflects current “texting culture.” A 2012 journal article by undergraduate student Elizabeth Gorney discusses how factors such as “email, texting, and Facebook have led to new words forming, new grammatical changes, and other modifications that are both subtle and noticeable” (Gorney). Gorney attributes “the technology and speed that messages can be delivered” to the consequential change in grammar usage (Gorney). In particular, Gorney cites abbreviations as a downfall: “though abbreviations do allow for faster communication, they take away the eloquence of [language, are unprofessional, and potentially create] a loss of understanding between people” (Gorney). Generally speaking, the developing “texting culture” is one of speed and convenience. Yet this convenience comes at a cost; the price of using abbreviations and fragmented sentence structure is proper grammar. This declining grammar usage on all fronts—personal, educational, and professional—has been attributed to the convenience of not using proper syntax. Therefore, it is a fair assumption that disregarding grammar is what makes texting language so convenient.

Explicit and Implicit Functions

Perhaps writing informally is convenient, but it is certainly not practical. Correct grammar serves explicit and implicit functions that extend to how people structure their thoughts. English Professor Samuel Keyser discusses this phenomenon within the context of grammar teaching in elementary education: “[it] is possible to look at grammar as attempting to teach children how to make, critically examine, and reformulate hypotheses about language—using their own knowledge of English” (Keyser, 40). The conclusions young students can draw from grammar studies teach them the valuable tool of deductive reasoning. In fact, it is through grammatical structure that people learn how to create strong arguments. Keyser conveys this idea through lesson plan examples that show how drawing distinctions in the English language enables students to “analyze and criticize statements which use this distinction implicitly” (Keyser, 44). For example, as early as elementary education, students learn that many verbs and adjectives create restrictions on their subjects and objects. While a painting can be pleasing to a person, a person cannot be pleasing to a painting. By distinguishing the correct contextual verb and adjective usages, young students are creating grammar constructs that allow them to better express ideas and better understand the English language.

Professional Importance

Generally speaking, students are taught the grammar basics in primary education. They learn how to use punctuation, how to conjugate verbs, and how to think critically, among other lessons. Yet the attention given to grammar has been replaced by an emphasis on comprehension. This unfortunate reality has created the misconception that one does not need proper grammar to convey an idea. The effects of the devaluation of grammar coupled with the aforementioned texting culture can particularly be seen in the professional sphere. Despite the perceived change in grammar usage employer expectations remain unchanged. According to Sue Shellenbarger, a writer for The Wall Street Journal, “managers are fighting an epidemic of grammar gaffes in the workplace” (Shellenbarger). Shellenbarger further cites a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management: “about 45 percent of 430 employers said they were increasing employee-training programs to improve employees’ grammar and other skills” (Shellenbarger). The impact of poor grammar can be detrimental in the professional setting. “[S]uch looseness with language can create bad impressions with clients, ruin marketing materials and cause communications errors” (Shellenbarger). In a Forbes Magazine article responding to Shellenbarger, Susan Adams notes that “language is constantly changing, and often [these] changes bubble up from informal usage” (Adams). Adams also quotes Kyle Wiens, the CEO of an online repair manual called iFixit, who claims that “he [will not] hire people who have bad grammar [and] gives all of his job applicants a grammar test” (Adams). Both speaking and writing well involve a level of intelligence and thoughtfulness that is demonstrated through proper grammar. Grammar organizes the words that create big picture ideas, which, without structure, would be exceptionally less convincing.

Opening the Discussion

In 2012, The New York Times published a “Room for Debate” in its opinion section called “Is Our Children Learning Enough Grammar to Get Hired?” This debate, which featured five professionals’ opinions toward grammar and the younger generation, was partially sparked by Wien’s comments regarding grammar. Some of the highlights of this debate follow. Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age, wrote that “without grammar, we lose the precision required to be effective and purposeful in writing,” and went so far as to say “even a poorly constructed tweet reflects a poorly constructed thought. Without command of grammar, one can’t even truly read, much less write” (Rushkoff). Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, wrote that “when young people are taught to undervalue literacy as a life skill, they are being cruelly misled” (Truss). On the contrary, other professionals felt that grammar was not an all-telling indicator of job applicability. John McWhorter, contributing editor at The New Republic and TheRoot.com and author of What Language Is (And What It Isn’t and What It Could Be), wrote that “there is an extent to which scornful condemnation of ‘bad grammar’ is one of today’s last permissible expressions of elitism.” He further questioned, “How many of us can really justify barring someone from a decent job because he or she isn’t always clear on the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re?’” (McWhorter). Brock Haussamen, professor emeritus of English at Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey and lead author of Grammar Alive: A Guide for Teachers, wrote that “writing that looks careless and is riddled with errors does not preclude the possibility that the applicant has other skills and plenty of determination” (Haussamen). John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, even went as far as to say that an abbreviated writing style can serve as an asset: “If a candidate can convey in 140 characters what took me 300 words—even if it means cutting some grammatical corners—I would say that person brings a useful talent to the table” (Challenger).

What these professional perspectives can tell us is that while grammar is important, it does not necessarily prevent an individual from succeeding in a non-writing-oriented job. That being said, many professionals believe that while grammar may not necessarily be an indicator of performance, a person who pays greater attention to grammar details will likely pay greater attention to details in general. Unfortunately, there have been no studies conducted to prove this correlation, so it is important to look at the factors that can affect one’s grammar in order to draw conclusions. “An employee who can write properly is far more valuable and promotable than one whose ambiguous text is likely to create confusion, legal liability and embarrassment” (Rushkoff). Yet, is it fair to discriminate against prospective employees if their educations failed them, as opposed to their own willingness to learn? “Anyone concerned about applicants’ grammar is probably dismayed at the state of public education today, and understands that the people most poorly served by this system find it increasingly challenging to find work providing a living wage or upward mobility, much less satisfaction” (McWhorter). This issue is complex because employers want qualified applicants, but prospective employees’ inadequacies stem from factors outside of their control. To address this issue, it is important to first look toward making changes in public education.

Introducing the Common Core

In order to combat grammar deficiencies, politicians and educators combined forces in 2009 to create a set of statewide educational goals called The Common Core Standards Initiative. Currently adopted by 43 states, the standards outlined by the Common Core are intended to be “research and evidence based, aligned with college and work expectations, rigorous, and internationally benchmarked,” as specified by the Council of Chief State School Officers (Common Core). Grammar is addressed within these standards under the category of “Language Standards.” For each primary education level between kindergarten and grade 12, specific goals are outlined, such as how grade two students should learn how to use reflexive pronouns and how grade five students should be able to “explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections…and their function[s]” (Common Core, 28). These and many more grammar goals directly address the problematic texting culture by reverting back to a teaching system that emphasizes grammar proficiency. However, because the Common Core Standards are a relatively recent establishment, it is nearly impossible to gauge their impact on the professional sphere.

A change in the way educators approach grammar is necessary in order to create a more effective and professional workforce. The Common Core Standards Initiative is trying to combat this issue, but a continual emphasis must be placed on grammar to ensure this initiative’s success in the professional realm. It is also important to draw a distinction between employers and the newest generation of employees. Many well-regarded employers note the prevalence of poor grammar in the works of younger employees, which indicates a generational shift in emphasis away from grammar and form toward expression and informality. While these employers are not denouncing the academic potential of the newer generation, many perceive a correlation between informality and laziness in the workplace. Further research should be conducted to analyze whether or not this perception is true. An understanding of the implications of a generational shift could potentially reveal the future of grammar in writing and communication. Regardless, it is clear that the Common Core is a step in the right direction. By re-emphasizing grammar in language learning, perhaps “business casual” could remain a term for clothing, not a style of writing.

Adams, Susan. “Why Grammar Counts At Work.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 July 2012. Web. 13 Jan. 2015. https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/07/20/why-grammar-counts-at-work/

Common Core State Standards. S.l.: J Weston Walch Pub, 2011. Web. http://www.corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/ELA_Standards.pdf .

Gorney, Elizabeth. “The Language of Texting: Altering English or a Language of its Own?.” Undergraduate Review: a Journal of Undergraduate Student Research 13 (2012): 39-42. Web. [date of access]. http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol13/iss1/9 .

Hu, Ruyun. “Should Grammar Be Taught?” Theory and Practice in Language Studies 2.3 (2012): 596-604. Ojs.academypublisher.com. Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274661962_Should_Grammar_be_Taught

Keyser, Samuel Jay. “The Role of Linguistics in the Elementary School Curriculum.”Elementary English. 1st ed. Vol. 47. N.p.: National Council of Teachers of English, n.d. 39-45. Print.

Long, Marion, and Valerie Ross. “January/February 2015.” Discover Magazine. Kalmback Publishing Co., 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. https://www.discovermagazine.com/2011/nov/18-discover-interview-radical-linguist-noam-chomsky%3E

Praise, Samuel, and K. Meenakshi. “Importance of Grammar in Communication |Praise | International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning.”International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning 4.1 (2015):97-101. Consortia Academia. Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. http://www.consortiacademia.org/index.php/ijrsll/article/view/789/365 .

Rushkoff, Douglas, John McWhorter, Lynne Truss, John Challenger, and Brock Haussamen. “Is Our Children Learning Enough Grammar to Get Hired?” The Opinion Pages: Room for Debate. The New York Times Company, 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/08/13/is-our-children-learning-enough-grammar-to-get-hired

Schleppegrell, Mary J. “Content-based Language Teaching with Functional Grammar in the Elementary School.” Language Teaching. 1st ed. Vol. 48. N.p.: Cambridge UP, 2015. 1-13. Print.

Shellenbarger, Sue. “This Embarrasses You and I*.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 20 June 2012. Web. 19 Jan. 2015. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1000

Nicole Frederick

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The Importance of Grammar

"Grammar is the structural foundation of our abiity to express ourselves. The more we are aware of how it works, the more we can monitor the meaning and effectiveness of the way we and others use language. It can help foster precision, detect ambiguity, and exploit the richness of expression available in English."                                                                                                                   David Crystal, "In Word and Deed," TES Teacher, April 30, 2004

Grammar is not just about avoiding mistakes. Understanding how grammar works is fundamental for all writers. While it can be argued that good grammar knowledge will not necessarily make you a better writer, it is recognized that it will help make you a more effective writer. Good grammar knowledge enables you as a writer to understand what makes a piece of writing successful, so that it will capture both the interest and understanding of the reader. It helps you to know how to craft words into coherent sentences, and how to form those sentences into paragraphs that successfully convey your meaning. Punctuation is an aspect of grammar that should never be underestimated. Correctly used, it can clarify meaning while, on the other hand, lack of use can cause ambiguity. Punctuation also acts as a signposting system for the reader, indicating where to pause, and what to stress. The various sections, listed on the right hand side, provide a useful grammar overview, and will help you to enrich your writing.

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• Knowledge Base
• How to structure an essay: Templates and tips

How to Structure an Essay | Tips & Templates

Published on September 18, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction , a body , and a conclusion . But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body.

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Table of contents

The basics of essay structure, chronological structure, compare-and-contrast structure, problems-methods-solutions structure, signposting to clarify your structure, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay structure.

There are two main things to keep in mind when working on your essay structure: making sure to include the right information in each part, and deciding how you’ll organize the information within the body.

Parts of an essay

The three parts that make up all essays are described in the table below.

Order of information

You’ll also have to consider how to present information within the body. There are a few general principles that can guide you here.

The first is that your argument should move from the simplest claim to the most complex . The body of a good argumentative essay often begins with simple and widely accepted claims, and then moves towards more complex and contentious ones.

For example, you might begin by describing a generally accepted philosophical concept, and then apply it to a new topic. The grounding in the general concept will allow the reader to understand your unique application of it.

The second principle is that background information should appear towards the beginning of your essay . General background is presented in the introduction. If you have additional background to present, this information will usually come at the start of the body.

The third principle is that everything in your essay should be relevant to the thesis . Ask yourself whether each piece of information advances your argument or provides necessary background. And make sure that the text clearly expresses each piece of information’s relevance.

The sections below present several organizational templates for essays: the chronological approach, the compare-and-contrast approach, and the problems-methods-solutions approach.

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The chronological approach (sometimes called the cause-and-effect approach) is probably the simplest way to structure an essay. It just means discussing events in the order in which they occurred, discussing how they are related (i.e. the cause and effect involved) as you go.

A chronological approach can be useful when your essay is about a series of events. Don’t rule out other approaches, though—even when the chronological approach is the obvious one, you might be able to bring out more with a different structure.

Explore the tabs below to see a general template and a specific example outline from an essay on the invention of the printing press.

• Thesis statement
• Discussion of event/period
• Consequences
• Importance of topic
• Strong closing statement
• Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages
• Background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press
• Thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation
• High levels of illiteracy in medieval Europe
• Literacy and thus knowledge and education were mainly the domain of religious and political elites
• Consequence: this discouraged political and religious change
• Invention of the printing press in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg
• Implications of the new technology for book production
• Consequence: Rapid spread of the technology and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible
• Trend for translating the Bible into vernacular languages during the years following the printing press’s invention
• Luther’s own translation of the Bible during the Reformation
• Consequence: The large-scale effects the Reformation would have on religion and politics
• Summarize the history described
• Stress the significance of the printing press to the events of this period

Essays with two or more main subjects are often structured around comparing and contrasting . For example, a literary analysis essay might compare two different texts, and an argumentative essay might compare the strengths of different arguments.

There are two main ways of structuring a compare-and-contrast essay: the alternating method, and the block method.

Alternating

In the alternating method, each paragraph compares your subjects in terms of a specific point of comparison. These points of comparison are therefore what defines each paragraph.

The tabs below show a general template for this structure, and a specific example for an essay comparing and contrasting distance learning with traditional classroom learning.

• Synthesis of arguments
• Topical relevance of distance learning in lockdown
• Increasing prevalence of distance learning over the last decade
• Thesis statement: While distance learning has certain advantages, it introduces multiple new accessibility issues that must be addressed for it to be as effective as classroom learning
• Classroom learning: Ease of identifying difficulties and privately discussing them
• Distance learning: Difficulty of noticing and unobtrusively helping
• Classroom learning: Difficulties accessing the classroom (disability, distance travelled from home)
• Distance learning: Difficulties with online work (lack of tech literacy, unreliable connection, distractions)
• Classroom learning: Tends to encourage personal engagement among students and with teacher, more relaxed social environment
• Distance learning: Greater ability to reach out to teacher privately
• Sum up, emphasize that distance learning introduces more difficulties than it solves
• Stress the importance of addressing issues with distance learning as it becomes increasingly common
• Distance learning may prove to be the future, but it still has a long way to go

In the block method, each subject is covered all in one go, potentially across multiple paragraphs. For example, you might write two paragraphs about your first subject and then two about your second subject, making comparisons back to the first.

The tabs again show a general template, followed by another essay on distance learning, this time with the body structured in blocks.

• Point 1 (compare)
• Point 2 (compare)
• Point 3 (compare)
• Point 4 (compare)
• Advantages: Flexibility, accessibility
• Disadvantages: Discomfort, challenges for those with poor internet or tech literacy
• Advantages: Potential for teacher to discuss issues with a student in a separate private call
• Disadvantages: Difficulty of identifying struggling students and aiding them unobtrusively, lack of personal interaction among students
• Advantages: More accessible to those with low tech literacy, equality of all sharing one learning environment
• Disadvantages: Students must live close enough to attend, commutes may vary, classrooms not always accessible for disabled students
• Advantages: Ease of picking up on signs a student is struggling, more personal interaction among students
• Disadvantages: May be harder for students to approach teacher privately in person to raise issues

An essay that concerns a specific problem (practical or theoretical) may be structured according to the problems-methods-solutions approach.

This is just what it sounds like: You define the problem, characterize a method or theory that may solve it, and finally analyze the problem, using this method or theory to arrive at a solution. If the problem is theoretical, the solution might be the analysis you present in the essay itself; otherwise, you might just present a proposed solution.

The tabs below show a template for this structure and an example outline for an essay about the problem of fake news.

• Introduce the problem
• Provide background
• Describe your approach to solving it
• Define the problem precisely
• Describe why it’s important
• Indicate previous approaches to the problem
• Present your new approach, and why it’s better
• Apply the new method or theory to the problem
• Indicate the solution you arrive at by doing so
• Assess (potential or actual) effectiveness of solution
• Describe the implications
• Problem: The growth of “fake news” online
• Prevalence of polarized/conspiracy-focused news sources online
• Thesis statement: Rather than attempting to stamp out online fake news through social media moderation, an effective approach to combating it must work with educational institutions to improve media literacy
• Definition: Deliberate disinformation designed to spread virally online
• Popularization of the term, growth of the phenomenon
• Previous approaches: Labeling and moderation on social media platforms
• Critique: This approach feeds conspiracies; the real solution is to improve media literacy so users can better identify fake news
• Greater emphasis should be placed on media literacy education in schools
• This allows people to assess news sources independently, rather than just being told which ones to trust
• This is a long-term solution but could be highly effective
• It would require significant organization and investment, but would equip people to judge news sources more effectively
• Rather than trying to contain the spread of fake news, we must teach the next generation not to fall for it

Signposting means guiding the reader through your essay with language that describes or hints at the structure of what follows.  It can help you clarify your structure for yourself as well as helping your reader follow your ideas.

The essay overview

In longer essays whose body is split into multiple named sections, the introduction often ends with an overview of the rest of the essay. This gives a brief description of the main idea or argument of each section.

The overview allows the reader to immediately understand what will be covered in the essay and in what order. Though it describes what  comes later in the text, it is generally written in the present tense . The following example is from a literary analysis essay on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

Transitions

Transition words and phrases are used throughout all good essays to link together different ideas. They help guide the reader through your text, and an essay that uses them effectively will be much easier to follow.

Various different relationships can be expressed by transition words, as shown in this example.

Because Hitler failed to respond to the British ultimatum, France and the UK declared war on Germany. Although it was an outcome the Allies had hoped to avoid, they were prepared to back up their ultimatum in order to combat the existential threat posed by the Third Reich.

Transition sentences may be included to transition between different paragraphs or sections of an essay. A good transition sentence moves the reader on to the next topic while indicating how it relates to the previous one.

… Distance learning, then, seems to improve accessibility in some ways while representing a step backwards in others.

However , considering the issue of personal interaction among students presents a different picture.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

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• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

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The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

An essay isn’t just a loose collection of facts and ideas. Instead, it should be centered on an overarching argument (summarized in your thesis statement ) that every part of the essay relates to.

The way you structure your essay is crucial to presenting your argument coherently. A well-structured essay helps your reader follow the logic of your ideas and understand your overall point.

Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:

• The alternating method, where you compare your subjects side by side according to one specific aspect at a time.
• The block method, where you cover each subject separately in its entirety.

It’s also possible to combine both methods, for example by writing a full paragraph on each of your topics and then a final paragraph contrasting the two according to a specific metric.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

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P.S: We would encourage peer reviews. So friends get actively involved and start reviewing each other’s answers. This will keep the entire community motivated.

All the Best

• GS Mains 2024 Answer Writing , IASbaba TLP Mains Answer Writing , IASbaba’s Think Learn and Perform (TLP) 2024 Phase II ONLINE FREE Initiative , Think Learn and Perform Plus (TLP+) Program , TLP 2024 , TLP Free Initiative , UPSC IAS 2024 , UPSC Mains 2024 , UPSC Mains 2024 Answer Writing , UPSC Mains 2024 Daily Mains Answer Writing Programme IASbaba , UPSC Mains Answer Writing , UPSC Mains Answer Writing Program , UPSC Mains Preparation

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