GRAMMAR 



2555 



GRAMMAR 



most unkindest cut of all," because in his day 

 the double superlative was still used by the 

 best writers and speakers; but modern gram- 

 mar brands such expressions as incorrect, 

 reasoning that if the ending est conveys the 

 superlative idea, the superlative adverb most 

 is not needed. The simplifying spirit of the 

 English tongue has constantly been discarding 

 the superfluous. 



English grammar may therefore be defined 

 as the science which teaches the principles of 

 correct English in speaking and writing, ac- 

 cording to the standard of the educated people 

 of the time. This covers not only the classes, 

 forms and uses of individual words, but the 

 relations in which they stand to one another 

 when joined in sentences to express thought. 

 The word grammar comes from the Greek 

 gramma, meaning letter or writing. 



Why We Study Grammar. The chief reason 

 for studying grammar is, therefore, to secure 

 a mastery of "this universal English" of ours, 

 the language spoken by over one hundred 

 fifty million people. In the lower grades, in- 

 struction in English takes the form of "lan- 

 guage lessons," which merely emphasize what 

 is correct and correct what is wrong, without 

 teaching a system of rules; for grammar is a 

 science, and the minds of little children are 

 as yet too undeveloped to grasp scientific 

 principles. Says Samuel Thurber, an authority 

 on the teaching of English: "The language 

 should be well possessed before it is subjected 

 to scientific study. The youth should not be 

 troubled with grammatical technique till he 

 knows enough to perceive its desirableness." 

 It is not until the seventh grade is reached that 

 the best schools now think it profitable to in- 

 troduce the study of technical grammar into 

 the course of study. 



Up to this time the pupil has been taught 

 to use certain expressions and avoid others 

 without always knowing exactly why. When 

 he comes to the study of formal grammar, he 

 learns the logical reasons for these things. As 

 Dryden says: 



Who climbs the grammar-tree distinctly knows 



Where noun, and verb, and participle grows. 



Now light is thrown on the work in language, 

 and this developing insight stimulates fresh 

 interest. No longer must the student choose 

 between right and wrong forms on the strength 

 of a memorized model; instead, he applies his 

 knowledge of fundamental rules to straighten 

 out any problem of expression that may arise 

 to puzzle him. 



He begins to take real pride in speaking 

 grammatically. The charm of good English 

 begins to make its appeal. He begins to 

 realize that correct speech means the power 

 to express himself clearly and forcefully and 

 will stamp him as a person of education and 

 culture. Gradually he develops the habit of 

 close observation and critical examination, not 

 only of his own speech and that of those about 

 him, but of the English used in the book* 

 and magazines he reads. The illustrations in 

 his grammar text quotations from the masters 

 of modern English furnish him with the best 

 possible models of sentence structure, raise his 

 standards and arouse his interest in good liter- 

 ature. Incidentally, they give him a certain 

 acquaintance with these writers which makes 

 them seem like old friends when he comes to 

 read their works. 



The study of grammar, besides teaching 

 purity of speech and preparing the student 

 for the appreciative study of literature, gives 

 valuable mental training by strengthening the 

 reasoning powers. One must think logically in 

 order to analyze sentences and apply general 

 rules to specific cases, just as one must think 

 logically to analyze and solve problems in 

 arithmetic. This is why grammar ranks second 

 only to mathematics as a "mental discipline 1 ' 

 study. Yet it need never be irksome, for a 

 really enthusiastic teacher can make it one 

 of the most fascinating subjects in the course. 



Again, both language work and grammar arc 

 by their very nature closely correlated with 

 composition, since the student must from the 

 beginning build sentences to illustrate the 

 principles he has been studying. Grammar is 

 likewise a foundation for the study of rhetoric, 

 which is but the science of grammar carried 

 forward into an art. As the Romans used to 

 say, "Grammar speaks; rhetoric gives coloring 

 to speech." 



Divisions of the Subject. The majority (if 

 modern grammarians recognize only two main 

 divisions of the science etymology, which ha- 

 been called the "grammar of words," and *//- 

 tax, called the "grammar of sentences." The 

 older textbooks included three others orthog- 

 raphy, or spelling; phonetics, or pronunciation; 

 prosody, or versification but these are now 

 usually studied as independent branches not 

 properly belonging to grammar. 



In the wider use of the word, grammar if 

 didactic, historical or comparatii'c, according 

 to its treatment. The grammar of our school- 

 books is termed didactic because it lays down 



