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English Grammar

Grammar CurriculumGrammar Resources

In an age when the truth and inherent nature of everything is routinely questioned, it should come as no surprise that grammar education has come to be regarded as unnecessary and even pernicious. Teachers advocate integrated approaches in what are essentially programs designed to facilitate language learning by osmosis—students will "pick up" the rules of English by reading and writing on their own much better than when they are subjected to rote memorization of the parts of speech and the drudgery of sentence diagramming.

This view is about 100 years old....and the one that preceded it stretched from roughly the 8th century B.C. in Greece to the early part of the 20th century across the whole Western world. While length of tradition is no argument in itself, the fact that so many great intellectuals were the product of the direct approach to grammar instruction (and the fact that so few of similar ability remain) should count for something. Grammar formed the basis on which the rest of one's education was built—the "grammar stage" of Classical education was just that, a solid grounding in the nature and usage of language intended to facilitate literacy, critical thinking and the ability to form ideas from existing facts.

It's hard to find a good definition of grammar, largely because its importance has been questioned and its content ignored for so long. Currently it's most often described as the rules regulating language, but this is only part of the story. Grammar is the system of usage employed for a language to facilitate and codify meaning. In simpler terms, grammar is rules that do regulate language for the explicit purpose of aiding universal understanding among speakers of that language. If such linguistic governance does not exist, people who ostensibly speak the same language will not understand each other.

A commonly identified problem among those educated in the United States is that they retain a certain form of illiteracy from their earliest years through high school and even college. They can identify and even read words, but they cannot interpret them in any meaningful way and they certainly cannot form complex ideas or thoughts based on what they read. There are (as with anything) a variety of contributing factors, but one of the most basic is the lack of direct grammar education they receive.

To design a bridge one must first be fluent in the laws of physics and mathematics employed in such an undertaking. The same principle applies to language—in order to understand what sentences, paragraphs and books mean, a student must first understand why words are arranged as they are, why punctuation works the way it does, what different kinds of words exist and why they must change form depending on context, even what context itself is. Grammar is that study, and it is not simply an end in itself, it is the foundation for the very thing toward which education aims: comprehension.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

 

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501 English Verbs
by Thomas R. Beyer, Jr., Ph.D.
2nd edition from Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$18.99
Analytical Grammar - Set
by Robin Finley
from Analytical Grammar
for 6th-12th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$99.95
Analytical Grammar - Student Book
by Robin Finley
from Analytical Grammar
for 6th-12th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$54.95
Analytical Grammar - Teaching DVD
by Robin Finley
from Analytical Grammar
for 6th-12th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$44.95 $28.00 (1 in stock)
Analytical Grammar High School Reinforcement: American Authors
by Robin Finley & Erin Karl
from Analytical Grammar
for 9th-12th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$22.95
Analytical Grammar High School Reinforcement: Great British Authors
by Robin Finley & Erin Karl
from Analytical Grammar
for 9th-12th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$22.95
Analytical Grammar High School Reinforcement: Shakespeare Plays
by Robin Finley & Erin Karl
from Analytical Grammar
for 9th-12th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$22.95
Analytical Grammar High School Reinforcement: World Authors
by Robin Finley & Erin Karl
from Analytical Grammar
for 9th-12th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$22.95
Analytical Grammar Review & Reinforcement
by Robin Finley
from Analytical Grammar
for 6th-12th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$22.95
Antonyms Wrap-Up Keys
from Learning Wrap-Ups
for 3rd-6th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
Applications of Grammar Book 1
Applications of Grammar Series
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 7th-8th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$18.50
Applications of Grammar Book 1 - Answer Key
Applications of Grammar Series
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 7th-8th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$10.50
Applications of Grammar Book 1 - Tests
Applications of Grammar Series
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 7th-8th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$7.50 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Applications of Grammar Book 2
Applications of Grammar Series
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 8th-9th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$18.50
Applications of Grammar Book 2 - Answer Key
Applications of Grammar Series
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 8th-9th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$10.50
Applications of Grammar Book 3
Applications of Grammar Series
by Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 9th-10th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$18.50 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Applications of Grammar Book 3 - Answer Key
Applications of Grammar Series
by Edward & Belit Shewan
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 9th-10th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$6.00 (3 in stock)
Applications of Grammar Book 3 - Tests
Applications of Grammar Series
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 9th-10th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$7.50 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Applications of Grammar Book 4
Applications of Grammar Series
by Edward Shewan & Garry Moes
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 10th-11th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$18.50
Applications of Grammar Book 4 - Answer Key
Applications of Grammar Series
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 10th-11th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$10.50 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Applications of Grammar Book 4 - Tests
Applications of Grammar Series
from Christian Liberty Press
for 10th-11th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$7.50 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Applications of Grammar Book 5
Applications of Grammar Series
by Annie Lee Sloan
from Christian Liberty Press
for 11th-12th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$18.50
Applications of Grammar Book 5 - Answer Key
Applications of Grammar Series
by Annie Lee Sloan
from Christian Liberty Press
for 11th-12th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$10.50
Applications of Grammar Book 5 - Tests
Applications of Grammar Series
from Christian Liberty Press
for 11th-12th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$7.50
Applications of Grammar Book 6
Applications of Grammar Series
by Annie Lee Sloan
from Christian Liberty Press
for 12th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$18.50
Applications of Grammar Book 6 - Answer Key
Applications of Grammar Series
by Annie Lee Sloan
from Christian Liberty Press
for 12th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$10.50
Applications of Grammar Book 6 - Tests
Applications of Grammar Series
from Christian Liberty Press
for 12th grade
in CLP Applications of Grammar (Location: GRA-CLP)
$7.50 $2.50 (1 in stock)
Behind the Mask
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Beyond the Book Report Season 1
by Erin Karl & Robin Finley
from Analytical Grammar
for 5th-7th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$27.95
Beyond the Book Report Season 2
by Robin Finley
from Analytical Grammar
for 5th-8th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$18.00 $17.47 (1 in stock)
Beyond the Book Report Season 3
by Erin Karl & Robin Finley
from Analytical Grammar
for 6th-9th grade
in Analytical Grammar (Location: GRA-AG)
$27.95
BJU English 2 - Home School Kit
3rd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 2nd grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$118.46
BJU English 3 - Home School Kit
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$118.46
BJU English 4 - Home School Kit
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 4th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$118.46
BJU English 5 - Home School Kit
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 5th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$118.46
BJU English 6 - Home School Kit
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 6th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$118.46
BJU Phonics and English 1 - Home School Kit
3rd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 1st grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$210.75
BJU Writing & Grammar 10 - Home School Kit
4th edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 10th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$126.31
BJU Writing & Grammar 11 - Home School Kit
3rd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 11th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$126.31
BJU Writing & Grammar 12 - Home School Kit
3rd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 12th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$126.31
BJU Writing & Grammar 7 - Home School Kit
3rd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 7th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$126.31
BJU Writing & Grammar 8 - Home School Kit
3rd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 8th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$126.31
BJU Writing & Grammar 9 - Home School Kit
3rd edition from Bob Jones University Press
for 9th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (Location: GRA-BJU)
$126.31
Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
by Jane Straus with Lester Kaufman & Tom Stern
11th edition from Jossey-Bass
for 6th-Adult
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$16.95
Bugaboo Review
by Sue Sommer
1st edition from New World Library
for 7th-12th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$16.00
Cache of Jewels
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Caught'ya Again!
by Jane Bell Kiester
1st edition from Maupin House Publishing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Chortling Bard
by Jane Bell Kiester
from Maupin House Publishing
for 9th-12th grade
in Clearance: Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
Classical Composition Book I - DVD
by Brett Vaden
from Memoria Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Memoria Press Classical Composition (Location: WRI-MPCC)
$45.00 $30.00 (1 in stock)
Classical Composition Book I - Set
by James A. Selby
from Memoria Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Memoria Press Classical Composition (Location: WRI-MPCC)
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