Language Level 2: Grammar

The basics of Grammar involves the understanding of writing conventions such as sentence structure, punctuation, and word order.
Understanding these conventions involves gaining knowledge about various parts of speech including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections.
Sentence Structure: Sentences may be simple (one independent clause), complex (one independent clause and at least one dependent clause), compound (two or more independent clauses), or compound-complex (at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause).
Word Order: English follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order, but it can change for emphasis or style. Understanding this concept is crucial to effectively communicate and interpret meaning.
Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives: Nouns are words used to name people, places, things, or ideas. Pronouns are used in place of nouns to avoid repetition. Adjectives describe or modify nouns.
Verbs and Adverbs: Verbs express an action, event or state. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs providing more details about how, when, where, how much, or under what condition something happens.
Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjections: Prepositions link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other parts of the sentence. Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses. Interjections are short exclamation-words expressing emotion.
Punctuation: Capitals, full stops, commas, colons, semicolons, question marks, exclamation marks, dashes, and quotation marks aid in readability and giving meaning to the text.
Tense: Understanding tense - past, present and future - is crucial to maintaining consistency and accuracy in conveying when an action takes place.
Understanding grammatical voice (active and passive) is important for varying sentence structure and emphasising different parts of the sentence.
Modal verbs (could, would, should, might, etc.) express possibility, necessity, and contingency, giving a sentence its mood and tone.
Syntax refers to how words are arranged in sentences. Diversifying syntax can make writing more complex and interesting.
Subject-verb agreement is critical as it ensures that the verb form matches the subject in terms of number or person.
Recognising grammatical errors, such as sentence fragments, run-ons, misplaced or dangling modifiers, can help improve writing clarity and coherence.

Remember, grammar is not just about rules, but also about making effective choices to communicate meaning.