Why learn about English grammar?
Using the English language is a skill just like any other. There are many different ways of knowing about the things we do – and the more we know about something the better we generally do it. Think about using this website – you know how to navigate between pages but that doesn’t mean that you know how the coding behind the pages is constructed, or that you could fix any software problems that might arise. Could you write a website yourself? Understanding grammar means learning the system that underlies the English language. Learning about English grammar will give you insight into the way the language works, and sometimes doesn’t work, and enable you to: • develop confidence in using written English • build a conceptual map of the structure of English • understand editorial feedback about your grammar usage • use style guides effectively to improve your written expression • break grammatical rules purposefully and flout conventions with panache • know why some ‘non-standard’ usage is
