Understanding Grammar
Chapter 1
Group Work:
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Grammatical Structure
Put the sentences in order:
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Ring bells loudly the.
I gave a book my sister.
Mary should stop smoking is clear that.
Tigers six of the jungle ran out.
Ship sails the today.
For green its age my well car runs old.
She owns many cages bird antique beautiful.
Already an expert…?
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Native speaker competence
Then why am I here?
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Subconscious  conscious
Better language skills
Better understanding of others
Better able to help others
Why Study Grammar?
“The study of grammar is not just of English
majors or for future teachers: it is for people
in business and industry, in science and
engineering, in law and politics. Every user of
the language, in fact, will benefit from the
consciousness-raising that results from the
study of grammar. The more that speakers
and writers and readers know consciously
about their language, the more power they
have over it and the better they can make it
serve their needs.”
Exercise 1.1
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Page 4-5
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Do it together…
Standard vs. Non- English
1.
2.
I don’t have any.
I ain’t got none.
Prescriptive rules
 “Correct English is the slang of prigs
who write history and essays.”
-George Eliot -
Modern Linguistics
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Prescriptivism
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Dialect / Regionalisms
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More in Chapter 2
Structural Grammar
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≠ I ain’t got none…
Phonology
Morphology
Syntax
Transformational Grammar
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Noam Chomsky
Grammatical & Ungrammatical
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Don gave Karen a present
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Don gave a present to Karen
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Don gave it to Karen
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*Don gave Karen it
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Challenge: Find a situation where this works…
A sentence violates Descriptive rules if no
native speaker of English would say it…
Prototype Theory
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If it _____ like a ____, then…
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looks
functions
interacts
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noun
verb
adjective
etc
What part of speech is it? – I
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The dog is sleeping.
The sleeping dog is brown.
Sleeping is the dog’s favorite pastime.
What part of speech is it? – II
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Did he down his drink?
She looks down on him.
They walked down the street.
He was feeling down…
because he fumbled on fourth down.
Grammatical?
If you would say the sentence (at home or with friends)
leave the sentence unmarked.
Put an asterisk (*) in front of those that do not conform
to the rules of your grammar.
Use a question mark (?) if you’re not sure.
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For green its age my well car runs old.
This is the man I took a picture of.
Somebody left their book on the train.
The secret was kept between him and me.
You should get you a new car to drive.
Emily might could go to the store.
He don’t know nothing about racing.
Exercise 1.2
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Page 8
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Do it now (alone)
Compare answers as a group
Diagramming I
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Diagrams
Trees
Language Change
[....]g fæder, þu þe on heofonum eardast,
geweorðad wuldres dreame.
1000 AD
Oure fader that art in heuenis halowid be thi name.
1400
Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name.
1611 (KJV)
Our Father in Heaven, let your holy name be known.
1970 (Condon)
Review: Re-write in modern English
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Thou art a cobbler, art thou?
Wherefore rejoice? What conquests
bring he home?
Dwell I but in the suburbs of your good
pleasure?
O mighty Caesar, dost thou lie so low?
Homework:
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Exercise
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1.3 (page 9)
Read
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Chapter 2