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ome de
, terms, and differences 
rammar as seen by the non-specialist 
ative sp
kers usually think of English grammar as a subject studied in school. Studying grammar teaches 
ou how t
lk and write correctly. Note the word "correctly." You already know how to talk, having learned 
e langu
s a toddler. And you had at least the rudiments of writing well in hand before you started 
tudying 
ar. The study of grammar was sort of an embellishment and refining of something you 
lready kn
large pa
grammar for the native speaker is learning the names for elements of the language nouns, 
erbs, pre
like-and learning how they work together in prepositional phrases, sentences, 
lauses, p
on. This aspect of grammar can be compared to an anatomy class in which you 
muscles successfully since you were horn. Now you 
ing w
a
actually do. 
art 
speaker is fine tuning the language already used. Such things as 
in which you choose the correct form of "lie" or "lay," activities teaching you to use "whom" in the 
es, 
ti
and eliminating dangling modifiers (e.g., "I saw an accident standing 
droo
mpts to correct tiny mistakes in your use of the language. 
s
th
marian 
words and phrases are 
e language is parallel to a biologist's study 
f a
nimal. What are the various organs in this organism? How do they work? What do they do? 
approaches a language in the same way. Some of the 
are: 
are the words, prefixes, suffixes, etc.? 
ine to communicate such things as negatives, 
mething happened, etc.? 
ements interact with one another? In what order do they occur in a phrase or sentence? 
Gr
FL/ESL context 
age learner, learning the grammar of the language is closer to the 
ng
ition than the non-professional native speaker's. The learner needs to know what the words of 
know how to combine these words to say what he 
later that in English the verb comes in the middle 
he end of the sentence as it does in Japanese:
r
This is a book. 
This chap
Metho
sequencing and suggests ways to deal with grammar in
d, Direc