Why Grammar Matters
by Laurie Ann Britt-Smith After 20 years of teaching academic writing to both native speakers and English language learners, I can attest that at some point, just about everyone asks me why, or even whether, grammar matters. There is more than one way to define grammar. Linguists – the people who study language – define “grammar” as a description of how a language operates. Though some people use it to bully people for making mistakes, grammar is not a way to decide if language is right or wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, and the English language is amazingly flexible in how its […]
This article is only available to subscribers. If you're a subscriber, log in. To subscribe, choose the subscription that suits your needs: 1 Year Individual Subscription, 1 Year Library Subscription, 1 Year Academic Department Subscription, 1 Year College Teaching & Learning Center Subscription or 1 Year College Faculty Association/Faculty Union Subscription
