Introduction To Grammar
his is a brief Introduction To Grammar. It is not necessary, in this article, to go into reasoning behind the use of the word “Grammar” for what it represents — or an explanation of the “Traditional” Systems of English Grammar. This is because — first of all — most of those explanations were done by people who did not really comprehend Grammar fully or properly… (At least that is what the descriptions in most grammar references indicate to me when reading them.) 😀
nd like with almost any complex topic — the more that one talks or writes about it (especially if that person does not actually comprehend it) — the more complicated that topic becomes. And… the more complicated it gets — the less useful it is. AND…
“The GiveMeSomeEnglish!!! Grammar Portal & Grammar Reference Guide Has Been Created (and continues to be exapended) For The Sole Purpose Of FIXING That Problem… Not Adding To It!”
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~”The Teacher”
What I Intend To Make Clear In This Document And With The Entire GiveMeSomeEnglish!!! Grammar Portal & Grammar Reference Guide
- To Explain The Constructs & Usage Of English Grammar So That It Is Easily Comprehensible And Useful For ALL
- To Make Clear Those Ideas, Concepts, & Principles Of Grammar That Have Been Made Confusing By Traditional English Teachers & The Traditional English Teaching Industry Itself
- To Introduce To The World — “The Common Tongue” As The New Universal Name For The English Language — And Present It’s Re-Vised, Re-Newed & Re-Imagined Grammar As A Complete System Of Logic, Beauty, & Elegance
- To Ensure That Everyone Who Reads This Not Only “Gets It”, But That — Through The Use Of The Resources Here-in — (what was) “English” Grammar (Now “Common Tongue Grammar”) Will Become Logical, And Even “Simple” & Obvious… (as well as actually Interesting, and even Exciting!)…
[I know… That sounds weird. But it IS possible… Just stick with me] 😉
ow is it possible for me to do this? Because I do NOT have an English “Degree”… or ANY “Degree”, for that matter. Nor do I care to waste my money to go through the self-inflicted torture of obtaining one. I have, instead, chosen to obtain knowledge — combine it with experience — and test it with logic through observation, and contemplation. (Those who wish to bestow upon me any honorary “Degrees”, simply for the brilliance of my genius are welcome to do-so — but no monetary funds will be given for such so-called “Honors”.)
“…A so-called “Degree” (that one would obtain from a university) is — by the very definition of the word itself — nothing more than a determined point upon a measured scale. it is, thus, an “Official” — (yet completely imaginary) — “Limitation” that one pays a very large amount of time & money to have bestowed upon them by others who have only a supposed & imagined “Authority” to do so. And these “Official Limitations” only show that one has memorized a specific and distinct set of information (usually at the exclusion of all other possible information which was not “Officially Recognized” by “Official Limitees & Limitors”).
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And this “Officially Limited Information” is passed-down from a long line of other “Officially Limited” individuals. And thus — A “Degree” is NOT an indication of Knowledge or Comprehension of anything but that specific and distinct, and “Officially Limited” information — which literally IS bought, but figuratively CAN be bought.
.Furthermore — although most “Officially Limited” Individuals have the illusion that their “Degree” somehow bestows upon them: Wisdom… It certainly does NOT. But it is pointless to try to argue with them about any of this. Because those who THINK that they are wise, are almost always, either crazy or just really dumb. (‘Tis Much Better To Spend Your Time With Those Who KNOW They Are Dumb And Think They Might Be Crazy… For There Is A Very Good Chance That They Are Actually Quite Wise) 😛
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Luckily I was — very-early — bestowed with a life-situation that made it possible to not have the ability to be so un-fortunate as-to subject myself to such an expensive & often-demonstrably-useless “Official Limitation”…”
.(And Thank _____ For That!)
~”The Teacher”
herefore — I have not been “handicapped” by the traditional “World Of English Instruction”, and the INCREDIBLY limiting beliefs, and completely (and obviously) false and/or mistaken perceptions that those people who call themselves “teachers” have been taught indoctrinated with… and then wrongly pass-on to their unfortunate students.
nd how does this make any sense? Because the person who gets a “Degree”… (i.e. — pays tons of money to have another person tell them how to do something — only never as “good” as the one doing the telling)… almost never becomes a leader or a “World-Changer” in that particular field. They are “The Mediocre”, passing on the mediocre, to others — but only in a way that those others will be slightly less mediocre than themselves… (for “The Mediocre” always judge themselves as being far-less mediocre than they really are — and judge others far-more mediocre than they themselves should be judged.)
hose “Mediocres” may be very successful in this world — but they will never be an “Elon Musk”, a “Steve Jobs”, or a “Nikola Tesla”. None of those people obtained degrees in the things that they did to change the world. They were “Outsiders”… And I AM almost-definitely THE biggest “Outsider” working within The English Language teaching world today. 😎
nd why do I do it? Well, like most people who become English teachers living in a foreign country — I did it to meet beautiful Eastern-European Women. 😆 But then — after doing the job for a few years — I suddenly “Got It”! And by that, I mean: I had an epiphany; It became clear to me in a way that NO English “text-book” — (a very stupid term, by the way) — has ever explained, or even tried-to.
And That Is What I Will Explain Here…
What Is Grammar?
he word “Grammar” is the term used to describe what most people say are “The Rules” of a Language. However — this is wrong. This is because most people do not actually or correctly comprehend the meaning and the proper usage of the word “Rule”.
“Rule” is a device by-which one “measures” something. And that, of course, IS something that we use English Grammar for. Or at-least, that is certainly PART of the grammar of any Language. But this part of grammar is not comprehended by MOST of the people in the world. It is not a secret, but the reality of it does appear to be hiding… Right in front of everyone’s face!
ut, when most people say “Rule” — what they ACTUALLY mean is “Regulation”; A thing by-which we “regulate” something; How we Limit, Control, & Conduct “The Behavior” of something. And THIS is what most people refer to when they talk about “The Rules Of Grammar”. And it is what most people think is ALL of grammar. But this, also… is only a PART of it…
The Difference Between “Rules” & “Regulations” — In English, we have a common phrase: “The Rules & Regulations”. This is usually used by companies and organizations to say what is allowed, what is not allowed, and to limit and control people’s conduct. If these two words meant the same thing, then the phrase would be redundant. But it is not. The “Rule” measure things (How Much, How Many, How Long, How Far, How Much Time, etc.) — and the “Regulations” say what can and can’t be done — often based upon or determined by some measurement.
For Example: — 1. You can NOT smoke inside the building [regulation] — You CAN smoke outside but you need to be at least 50 feet from any entrances [rule]. 2. You must dress in semi-formal attire Monday-Thursday, but on Friday you can wear regular long pants and a clean shirt as long as it has no political or inappropriate messages [rules]. You must always wear clothes while at work [regulation].
Summary: — “Rules” describe HOW something is done, “Regulations” say what must or must not be done. So as you can see — most people have their ideas about the words “Rules” and “Regulation” reversed. They think that the “Rules” are more strict, and that “Regulations” are more lenient. And this mistake is the product of common usage; people interpreting what other people say, based on the context of the situation. And then it gets repeated until the meaning is completely obscured or even reversed!
The Word Grammar
o give the word “Grammar” a proper & CORRECT Definition & Description; One that PROPERLY describes What Grammar Actually Is & Does — we can say that: The Word “Grammar” Is Used To Refer To:
“…The System Of ‘Rules & Regulations’ By-Which One Analyses, Comprehends, & Uses The Letters, Words, Phrases, & Symbols of Punctuation — Relative To A Spoken & Written ‘Language’ — For The Sake Of Clear & Comprehensible Communication With Others — And Even With One’s Own Self.“
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~”The Teacher”
The Problem With The Word “Rules”
s stated above — the word “Rules“ is used incorrectly by almost everyone who uses it. And considering that the so-called “English Experts”… (What English Teachers SHOULD be)… That even they incorrectly use this word to describe what are actually the “Regulations” of English Grammar — then this is a perfect example of why learning English Grammar from people like them is actually… (as THEY themselves often say)… “Really Difficult”.owever — I AM hear to say that: Learning the “Rules & Regulations” of English Grammar is NOT difficult. It is very easy, and even quite simple, when one uses the CORRECT words, and does-not skip over important elements of Grammar. (Unfortunately — this is something that MOST traditional English “teachers” do — simply because they think that either the student won’t “get it”, or that it is too difficult for them to explain properly.) 😐
“…If you ever have a teacher who describes something as being ‘difficult’, or ‘confusing’ — in many cases, this is an indication that the teacher does not really comprehend it themselves. Regardless — do-not listen to them. Anything that could be thought of as ‘difficult’ can be made easy. And anything ‘confusing’ can be made Comprehensible… (as long as you have the right Teacher)”
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~”The Teacher”
here are, indeed, “Rules of Grammar”. But those rules do not make-up the most important part of English Grammar. They make-up the part of Grammar that traditional teachers say is “very difficult” — and what they consider to be “Advanced English”… (Another very stupid term as anything in the areas that they refer to as “Advanced” can be comprehended by anyone — at any level — if they have the right Teacher.)
nd the only reason that they refer to these particular rules as being “confusing” is because — since they are “Rules”, and not “Regulations” (and since most teachers do not comprehend the difference) they can be — and very-often ARE — broken. And even when these rules are broken — the communication still works. This is because they are “Rules”. When a “Regulation” of grammar is broken — the communication makes no sense or the meaning is changed. (More on that soon.)The “Rules & Regulations” Of Grammar
Notice! — I use the term “Rules & Regulations” — rather than “Regulations & Rules” — only because it is a common phrase, and it just seems to “sound” better. It is perfectly fine to say “Regulations & Rules”… (and might make more sense, logically — considering that the “Regulations” are the basic elements of Grammar — while the “Rules” are the “Extras” that build upon those basics)… But since the phrase is more commonly said in the “backwards” way (and the meaning is-not changed by doing-so) — I shall continue to use it in this way. 😉
o… the “Rules & Regulations” actually make-up the two COMPLETELY Separate & Distinct, but Necessary & Related aspects of English Grammar. Those aspects are:
1. The Regulations Of English Grammar: Those parts of English Grammar that are vital to use so that the expression of the Letters, Words, & Phrases Is Comprehensible; So that they “Make Sense”. When these Regulations are not followed, then the expression is (most of the time) incomprehensible; It doesn’t “Make Sense”. Included with these Regulations is also: Punctuation — something which is often over-looked as a necessary part of Grammar.
“The Regulations Of Grammar” are used to “Prescribe” how something must be done (otherwise it just won’t work.)
2. The Rules Of English Grammar: Those parts of English Grammar that are NOT always vital to use in the way they are described in the traditional grammar books. And even though those “Rules” not followed — it is still possible for others to “make sense” of what is being expressed. (And sometimes makes even MORE sense than when the rules ARE followed) 😀
“The Rules Of Grammar” are used to “Describe” how we use the language, but these rules may change or even be “bent” while still maintaining clear communication. (But not always.)
hese then provide the basis for Knowing & Comprehending the two different worlds of Grammar. They are like the “Yin” & The “Yang” of Grammar. So as to not get too esoteric here — we will refer to them as “The Two Aspects Of Grammar”.
hey are found in any language — but they are the most “Rich” and complex in The English Language. However — despite this complexity — when it is known that there is a difference between these “Two Aspects Of Grammar” — or even that there ARE two Aspects Of Grammar at all — then it is no-longer “difficult” to LEARN English Grammar. And, in fact — it actually becomes quite interesting & amazing! (My opinion, of course. But I bet that I can make you interested as well.) 😎
The Two Aspects Of Grammar
hese two different Aspects Of English Grammar actually do have names which are used by some linguists — but almost never by actual English “teachers”. I only discovered the names of them AFTER their existence became clear to me through my own “Grand Grammatical Epiphany”.
he First Aspect Of Grammar — that-which forms the basic Elements, Units, Structures, and many of the Devices of the language — is called “Prescriptive Grammar”. This is the Grammar that makes-up “The Regulations” of the language. It is with “Prescriptive Grammar” that we form the Words, Phrases, & Sentences that make-up the language as we Know & Comprehend it.he term itself is indicative of what it actually is. It is “Pre-“ (before) “-Scriptive” (of or relating to: “Script”; Writing). Therefore — this is the set of regulations that one MUST implement even BEFORE (“Pre-“) writing (“Scripting”) any Words, Phrases, or Sentences… (Of course this is also true for speaking.) Without these regulations — the Words, Phrases, & Sentences will not “make sense”.
he Second Aspect Of Grammar — is what is referred to as “Descriptive Grammar”. As the name indicates, these rules only “Describe” how the language is used.
s such — these rules are often broken, because common usage changes over time. However the “Rules” — as they are are written in the grammar books — almost never changed over time. And so the student is left wondering why English grammar makes no sense. Especially when many expression — when they are FOLLOWING the so-called “Rules” — actually make LESS sense than the way we speak, presently.
he Grammatical Devices & Structures that are within this aspect of grammar are those-which “add color”, or “give life” to our expression. This is the part of the English Grammar that (probably) every other so-called “teacher” who teaches “from the book” and does not use their own logic… gets wrong… (or not at all).
irstly — they get it wrong because probably more than 90% of traditional English teachers do not even recognize that this is a distinctly different aspect to “the grammar” that they think is all just one big pile of “Rules”.
And… — And that is why grammar does not make sense to so many people when they are trying to learn it. Because there is no “System” with the traditional way of teaching & learning grammar. It is like trying to learn how to be a car mechanic by simply learning about each piece of the car, but not how they all work together as a whole structure. 😐
ut almost worse than that — they get it wrong because so many of them constantly & continually tell their students that it is “difficult” (which it is-not)… (Not if you have the right Teacher) 😉
“Imagine if art teachers only gave their students Black, White, & Grey Paint — and then told them that the colors were too “difficult”; that using colors in their painting was for “advanced” students. If that was the case — then the only great painters would be those who learned on their own — or those who just didn’t listen to their ‘teacher’… Like Me…” 😀
~”The Teacher”
nother absolutely astonishing thing is that — every traditional teacher knows that many of the “Rules” that make up “Descriptive Grammar” CAN be broken (and often are) and the message will still be clear… And yet they still see no difference between this and “Prescriptive Grammar” and force the student to “follow the book” — rather than logic. But — without “breaking these rules” — we would not have “Poetry” or “Song”… (At-least not very good poetry & song.) 😀
Theoretical Frameworks Of Grammar vs The Common Tonuge
f you look-up the word “grammar” on Wikipedia, and then scroll down the page — you will see that there are a number of what they call “Theoretical Frameworks”. However — the names these theoretical frameworks are all titled as if they are different “Grammars”…
“…NONE Of These So-Called “Grammars” Is A Separate “System Of Grammar” — And NONE Of These Frameworks Are Designed To Actually Help You Better Comprehend & Communicate In English… Therefore — They Are Not “Grammars”… They Are Merely The Toys Of Scholars, And Have Almost No Practical Usage In ‘The Real World’…”
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~”The Teacher”
However — “The Common Tongue” Grammar Is Real. And When It Is “Finished” — It Will Be The Only TRUE Grammar For What Was Called “The English Language” — But Here, We Call “The Common Tongue”
he Common Tongue is the name that I now use for “The English Language”, and for the Grammar that I have been creating for it. Others may say that it is only a “Theoretical Framework”, but they would be wrong. It is a complete Revision & Reconstruction of that what we have known as “The English Language”.
t is A Complete System That Is Comprehensible & Elegant. It recognizes both “Rules” AND “Regulations”, and respects words & phrase in their TRUE meaning… not that of their mal-adapted common usage. It repairs what has been damaged from the language and disposes of what has been thoroughly destroyed through ignorance.
ll of the grammar contained within this site and across GiveMeSomeEnglish!!! — as well as the Lexis & Vocabulary — and the Pronunciation — is ALL based on The Common Tongue. It Is Based Upon Truth — Recognized Beauty — Strives For Wisdom — And The Clear Communication Of All Through Knowledge & Comprehension… (Not “understanding”.)
Next: Common Tongue Grammatical Terminology
(coming soon)