​If you are reading this, then you already know some of the rules of grammar. Your brain knows that these symbols are letters and words, and you can derive meaning from them.

What is grammar?

Language is how humans communicate.

Grammar is a complex system of rules that we learn in order to inform, argue, debate, entertain, study, build, and use complex things, from recipes to spaceships.

What is grammar?

Making Sense

Putting words together

Combination: un- and -lock combine to form the word unlock.

Connecting words: For example: the words "key" and "lock" can be joined by using a preposition: key in lock.

Word Order: In English, word order is very important.

Compare Tom loves mac and cheese to mac and cheese loves Tom.

​(in some languages, word order can be different)

How a word is said out loud or read makes a big difference.

It could be a question or a statement, past or present tense, etc.

Example: Read this paragraph.

vs

She read the whole book.

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Accent, stress or pitch

More Examples:

Are you going to the store later?

Will you bring snacks to school tomorrow?

She got Tommy mad at me!

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Accent, stress or pitch:

Adding emphasis

​Adding emphasis through pitch and pausing

Using a different pitch can create more attention to a certain word or phrase.

For instance, "Dan is moving to Texas next weekend."

Also, pitch and pausing can show confusion, uncertainty, and contrast....

"Dan is... moving to... Texas?... next weekend."

Words can describe objects, words can describe actions and between words describe qualities, or can indicate relation in number, time, space and causation.

Terms have certain meanings and there are different types.

Terms can describe objects or substances, they can describe actions, and quantify relations.

Terms

Categories & Terms

​the five building blocks

​Pay close attention!

If you're wondering...

It actually is quite simple and you already know most of the terms we are talking about here.​...

from butterfly to the mind, trees to Paris, nouns make us picture something, whether it is a physical or an abstract thing.

(Nouns = person, place, thing, idea!)

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Noun

A verb describes the action concerning or linking one or more nouns, such as the tree grows. Some action can be shown, like to fly a kite, and others cannot, as in, to postpone a party

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Verbs

​Actions are always associated with nouns. In the sentence the man drives a car, there are two nouns; the man, and the car.

One is subject to the action; the man. He is the one doing the driving.

Verbs

The car is object to the action, since it is being controlled by the action, but it is also challenging the action since it needs to be controlled.

A qualifier is a word or phrase which gives a quality to another word.

When a qualifier is applied to a noun, it is called an adjective.

Example, a tall tree.

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Qualifiers

A qualifier is a word or phrase which gives a quality to another word.

When a qualifier is applied to a verb, it is called an adverb.

Ex: running quickly.

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Qualifiers

Pronouns and determiners are also qualifiers.

Examples:

• a/an

• the

• he

• she

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Qualifiers

Relation Word

such as: with, before or behind

creates a relation between other words.

Examples:

He is with his dad right now.

The calm comes before the storm.

The broom is behind the door.

​Also known as... prepositions