GRAMMAR |
| INTRODUCTION | Some words have restricted uses. A word you have learnt in one grammatical context does not make it usable in another context. Consider the sentences He's a total genius and This genius is total. The second sentence is obviously wrong. Total can be used only 'before' the noun it qualifies. To avoid confusing yourself, try to use the words as when you first got acquainted with it. Mastering Grammar Grammar is seen as boring by many people as it reminds them of school. However, understanding grammar will not make you its slave. Instead, it will make you the master of words. Fortunately, understanding and mastering grammar has been made easier with the 'rules' of grammar. These can be descriptive, describing what happens in fact and based on how people actually speak and write; and prescriptive, setting out how, in the opinion of experts and authorities, people ought to speak and write. Those learning grammar are often faced with two major problems- the problem of 'phony' rules of many purists and the problem of ever-changing rules. 'Phony' rules include not being able to end a sentence with a preposition. On the other hand, the ever-changing rules is the fact that grammar rules keep evolving. |