About Grammar
Grammar is not a list of rules invented by teachers. Every natural language has patterns that speakers learn, often without conscious study. Linguists describe these patterns in sound, word formation, sentence structure, and meaning.
Syntax
Syntax describes how words and phrases combine.
Learn MoreNouns
Languages mark nouns in many different ways.
Learn MoreVerbs
Verbs can encode time, aspect, mood, person, number, and other information.
Learn MoreTense and Aspect
Tense relates an event to time, while aspect describes how an event unfolds.
Learn MoreCase
Case systems mark grammatical roles on nouns or pronouns.
Learn MoreAgreement
Words can change form to match other words.
Learn MoreQuestions
Languages form questions using several strategies.
Learn MoreVariation
Grammar varies by dialect, region, age, and social setting.
Learn MoreSyntax
English often uses subject-verb-object order, while many languages commonly use other orders.
Nouns
Some use grammatical gender, noun classes, case endings, classifiers, or almost none of these.
Verbs
A single verb form in one language may require several words to translate into another.
Tense and Aspect
Languages divide these ideas differently, so direct translation is not always possible.
Case
Languages such as Latin, Russian, Finnish, and Turkish use case systems of different sizes.
Agreement
A verb may agree with its subject, or an adjective may agree with a noun in number, gender, or case.
Questions
They may change word order, add particles, use special verb forms, or rely strongly on intonation.
Variation
A form that differs from a school standard can still follow consistent grammatical rules.