“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.” National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) position paper.
Grammar: Like formal logic, grammar is a method of critical thinking. It allows us to build good sentences that are consistent and logically valid.
Grammar lets us think about language by giving us names for different kinds of words and for the different ways that words represent our thoughts and feelings. Without grammar, we can't discuss language problems, compare writing styles, or resolve language dilemmas, and it is more difficult to sort ideas into clear and distinct groups of words. For these reasons, grammar is fascinating and worthwhile.
Punctuation is a Function of Grammar: Punctuation is the art of marking the four levels of grammar so that written ideas and parts of ideas do not become confusing. In other words, when we punctuate, we separate the groups of grammar from each other. Since it is grammar we punctuate, it is impossible to punctuate unless we first see the grammatical structures, such as phrases, subordinate clauses, and compound sentences. You can't punctuate a introductory adverb clause if you don't know it's there. (The Magic Lens, Michael Clay Thompson)
Grammar: Like formal logic, grammar is a method of critical thinking. It allows us to build good sentences that are consistent and logically valid.
Grammar lets us think about language by giving us names for different kinds of words and for the different ways that words represent our thoughts and feelings. Without grammar, we can't discuss language problems, compare writing styles, or resolve language dilemmas, and it is more difficult to sort ideas into clear and distinct groups of words. For these reasons, grammar is fascinating and worthwhile.
Punctuation is a Function of Grammar: Punctuation is the art of marking the four levels of grammar so that written ideas and parts of ideas do not become confusing. In other words, when we punctuate, we separate the groups of grammar from each other. Since it is grammar we punctuate, it is impossible to punctuate unless we first see the grammatical structures, such as phrases, subordinate clauses, and compound sentences. You can't punctuate a introductory adverb clause if you don't know it's there. (The Magic Lens, Michael Clay Thompson)