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Good grammar in a nutshell The
Sometimes a problem in expression can be solved by going back to the book. So here, for review and reference, is a brief distillation of the basic rules of grammar, covering parts of speech; simple, compound, and complex sentences; and other aspects of sentences structure.
Grammar, wrote Samuel Johnson, maker of the first great dictionary of our language, “is the science of speaking correctly, the art which teaches the relations of words to each other.”
Many modern grammarians base their studies primarily on the spoken language in preference to the written. Intonation and context are as important as formal rules of structure. Then too, in recent times, knowledge of the formation and change of all modern languages has advanced greatly. What appear to us today as “rules” are understood by grammarians as the state of current usage? And while rules are characteristically inflexible, usage bends and changes with time and the needs of the users. Only a few decades ago the subjective mood was far more familiar than it is today. Now one never says “if I be here tomorrow,” but uses the present indicative “if I am here tomorrow,” which was once considered not proper formal English writing style, and hence not acceptable in educated speech.
For practical everyday purposes, Samuel Johnson's definition still expresses the need for a current grammar to guide the speaker and writer. at the same time, it is ....
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