Just what is grammar?

And why do we need to study it?

Grammar is…

Rules and Customs of English that govern the way sentences are constructed.

What would happen if you were driving along the highway and everyone made up their own rules for the road?

Understanding grammar can help writers express themselves clearly.

It helps keep the ‘roadways’ safe.

Take a look at the following sentences…

The teacher stood at the front of the room and called the students’ names.

The teacher stood at the front of the room and called the students names.

What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?

Let’s try another set…

Miss Morales, the supervisor, inspected the finished products.

Miss Morales, the supervisor inspected the finished products.

What is the difference in meaning?

One last set…

Seth said, “I like to clown around.”

Seth said I like to clown around.

What is the difference in meaning?

So then…

Without grammatical rules, everyone would write and speak as he or she wished.

This would make communication confusing.

It could make communication impossible at times.