What is grammar?Grammar is simply the rules or system of a language. The sub-parts of grammar include things like: syntax, phonetics,morphology and semantics. English teachers tend to emphasize prescriptive grammar which is the norms of speech as given by respected sources. Teachers then use these sources to judge if a person`s grammar is correct or incorrect. Linguists look at things differently however. Descriptive grammar on the other hand is the category of grammar to which linguists most concern themselves. Descriptive grammar is the grammar of how the language is actually spoken. How it is spoken of course, can vary from country to country and even area to area. Linguists look at the norms of a given area, and that is the descriptive grammar for that particular part of the world. Therefore a part of English could theoretically be correct when it comes to descriptive grammar, but incorrect as judged by prescriptive grammar. Confused? You`re probably not alone! Often prescriptive grammar is used when teaching a language, in order to maintain a kind of standard version of the language. This helps to avoid a situation where you are only understood in certain parts of Scotland but nowhere else. To English grammar exercises
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