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Linguistics & Grammar vocabulary · Core Concepts

Grammar

Meaning in linguistics & grammar, with examples

/ˈɡræmə/nounCore term

In linguistics & grammar, grammar means: The system of rules that shows how words change their form and combine into phrases and sentences in a language; also a book that describes these rules.

In Turkish: dilbilgisi, gramer

How it is used

Teachers use it for the rules taught in class (a grammar point, grammar exercises); linguists use it for the whole system a speaker knows, which in some theories includes sounds and meaning. Usually uncountable, but a grammar can mean a book or a description.

Example sentences

  1. Today's grammar point is the difference between the past simple and the present perfect.

  2. A descriptive grammar of a language records how its speakers really use it.

Common collocations

  • grammar rule
  • grammar point
  • descriptive grammar
  • teach grammar
  • reference grammar
  • syntaxThe study of how words are combined into phrases and sentences, and the rules of a language that decide which word orders and structures are possible.
  • morphologyThe study of the internal structure of words: how they are built from smaller meaningful parts such as roots, prefixes and suffixes.
  • prescriptiveDescribes an approach that tells people how they should speak or write according to rules of 'correct' usage, instead of describing how they actually use the language.
  • universal grammarThe theory, associated with Noam Chomsky, that all humans are born with a set of basic grammatical principles shared by all languages, which helps children acquire language.

More terms: Core Concepts

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