Grammar - a key to understanding
Many learners say that they don't like studying grammar and think it is boring. Give us vocabulary, they say.
But when you want to talk or write clearly, grammar is important. Language is like a house: made of bricks (vocabulary) and cement (grammar). Without bricks, you can't build a house. But without cement, the house will fall apart. Grammar holds vocabulary together, making your meaning exact.
Here's another point: native English speakers are judged (for example, in job interviews) partly on the correctness of their grammar. If our grammar is weak, people normally think we were badly educated (and won't give us good jobs!).
Effectively communicating ideas, information and emotions is fundamental to our daily lives. Good communication skills are rooted in:
1. grammatical rules - the relationships among the working parts of
language
2. good mechanics to provide acceptable style
3. using generally accepted words and expressions
It is in practicing grammar that we learn the crafting of clear, effective sentences.
It is a launch pad for literacy. With a foundation in grammar, we can move on to speak effectively and understand others, organize thoughts logically and express ourselves through the written word.
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