Is Grammar really important for Spoken English? This is a burning question in 2021. This is the most nagging question I often heard from many people.
Millions of times I have heard this questions from all the new young Non-Native learners who remain a bit puzzled centering round this question .
Today I uproot all those bafflement one by one from the mind of the upcoming learners who are highly interested to learn spoken English. I can provide you Spoken English Classes ( Online ) with the help of which you can easily understand the level of grammar required for spoken English .
What is Grammar ?
Grammar is the structure and system of a language, or of languages in general, usually considered to consist of syntax and morphology .
What is English Grammar ?
English Grammar is a set of rules that help us to read, write, and speak correctly and properly .
Which between the Two ( Language or Grammar ) came first in the world ?
Most of the people sometimes describe grammar as the “rules” of a language; but practically speaking , no language has any prescribed rules and regulations .
If I use the word “rules“, I suggest that somebody created the rules first and then spoke the language, like a new game.
But languages did not start like that. Languages started by people making sounds which evolved into words, phrases and sentences. No commonly-spoken language is fixed.
All languages change over time. What I personally call “grammar” is simply a reflection of a language at a particular time.
Should we start learning Grammar to learn a language ?
The shortest and simplest answer of this question is “no“.
Many people in the world speak their own, native language without having studied its grammar. Children start to speak before they even know the word “grammar”.
Should we start learning Grammar for learning a New Foreign Language ?
If you are serious about learning a foreign language, the simplest answer is “yes ” . Grammar can help you to learn a language more quickly and more efficiently. It’s important to think of grammar as something that can help you, like a friend cum mentor .
When you understand the grammar (or system) of a language, you can understand many things yourself, without having to ask a trainer or look in a book.
So I think of grammar as something good, something positive, something that you can use to find your way – like a blueprint or a map.
Branches of English Grammar :-
The English Grammar is mainly divided into five parts:
Orthography:
It deals with the use of letters and the mode of combining them into words.
Etymology:
It deals with the use of various classes of words and the changes they undergo.
Syntax:
It deals with the use of connection and arrangement of words in sentences.
Prosody:
It deals with the use of manner of speaking and reading.
Punctuation :
It is a mark, such as full stop, comma, and brackets, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.
Importance of Teaching English Grammar :-
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Benefits of learning English Grammar :-
Can you construct a house without wood , nails, screws or glue or bricks or cement ?
How would the structure hold together?
It wouldn’t. It would fall to pieces immediately soon after a few month of the completion of the construction .
That’s what it’s like to speak in English without proper grammar.
Each sentence is just a jumbled pile of words!
‘ English Grammar ‘ is one of the most important elements of your language study. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most complex and hard .
In this article, I do show you why English grammar matters in different situations, from informal communicative part to professional communication.
I also help you to study grammar more efficiently by focusing on the concepts that are most important to you .
English is a universal language that helps people hailing from different ethnicities to connect and continue conversations. That is why English is called ” Lingua Franca ” .
This is even applicable to colleges and universities wherein international students from various backgrounds are able to communicate freely.
Even lectures in major universities are conducted in English and therefore it is necessary to have a good command over the language. However, one of the main aspects of spoken and written English is its grammar.
Only when the grammar is proper, do the sentences make sense. Thus, it is important to realize the importance of grammar in language.
Grammar is the structure and sound of a language. Native English speakers are able to recognize the grammar and are therefore able to speak grammatically correct sentences.
It may however, be a struggle for non-native speakers who have to learn the language from its core and whose mother is another language. For such students, construing the grammar may seem to be difficult.
Writing is a complex activity and can be challenging to many students. While many students may be able to speak the language but not construct grammatically correct sentences while speaking ; it is thus essential for trainer to bridge this hiatus and helps students apply basic grammar rules while constructing sentences.
Research indicates that not all grammatical rules are applicable while writing or spoken English , therefore the trainer needs to guide students regarding the right application of only those aspects of grammar that is relevant to spoken English .
The trainer when exposes the student to the right rules of grammar, students are able to develop the proper spoken skills and thus make sentences that have proper meaning and are able to express the ideas coherently.
For international students, this is especially true because they may have difficulty in wording their thoughts in English properly.
Every student has to write thesis, dissertations or academic papers while going ahead with their studies. These papers indicate the level of knowledge that the student possesses and whether he/she has understood the concepts clearly.
While it may seem like a number of words and figures put together, these papers are the consolidation of the students knowledge that he/she has acquired over the years of study and research.
Thus, it is stupendously important that these papers be presented in the right manner with proper sentence structure.
Grammatical errors tend to ruin thesis and dissertations due to their lack of quality. Trainers and professors should encourage students, especially those whose native language is not English to make use of dictionary and thesaurus to ensure that the quality of the paper is maintained .
Grammar is at the center of both our spoken and written communications, and allows us to be clearly understood by others.
Using grammar poorly can result in messages being unclear, which affects our ability to communicate, and can hinder relationship building – an important skill for youngsters to develop.
Using grammar correctly, on the other hand, makes listening and reading easier for others, making communication more enjoyable, and positively impacting relationships.
Grammar also enables learners to expand their vocabulary as they learn more interesting ways to communicate messages and present information.
If learners don’t learn how to use correct grammar, they may experience difficulties in a number of areas, both in work and education, and in their personal lives.
Poor grammar may lead to difficulties in:
- 1. writing essays and completing written exams
- 2. understanding complex reading exercises
- 3. comprehending complex text materials
- 4. writing successful job applications
- 5. terms of mental health
- 6. social interactions
The significance of grammar teaching has reinforced the need for efficacious methods for helping learners to acquire good grammar skills .
Importance of Grammar in spoken English :-
The importance of grammar in spoken English is immense ; though it is believed that learning spoken English only by learning grammar is an old method of learning spoken English.
However, in order to start speaking English, there are some basic grammar concepts that you should learn.
But it is always good to look at these core concepts every few seconds .
The more time you spend practicing and communicating with your best spoken English trainer , the better you would start understanding these grammar rules.
Core part of English Grammar on Which you have to target your maximum Focus to Improve your Spoken English :-
These are the main five ( 5 ) core parts of grammar , I think , in my opinion , urgently necessary to grab the spoken English fluency .
1.) Present Tense , Present Continuous and Present Perfect Tense :-
Present Tense ( Present Indefinite / Simple present ) – I go to school daily.
The present tense refers to something that happens daily. In other words, it is a habit.
Present Continuous / Present Progressive tense – I am taking protection during corona virus pandemic lockdown .
The present continuous tense refers to an action that is taking place at the present moment
Present Perfect – I have eaten an ice cream now
The present perfect tense refers to an action that has begun in the past but connected to the present. It is formed using the past participle , eaten.
2.) Past Tense and Past continuous Tense :-
Past Tense ( Past Indefinite / Simple Past ) – I ate an apple yesterday .
The past tense refers to something that happened yesterday. The verb ate indicates the past tense of the irregular verb eat.
Past Continuous / Past Progressive Tense :- I was playing soccer .
This tense refers to an action in a continuous mood taking place in the past .
3.) Simple Future and Immediate Future
Simple Future – I will study music in university
The simple future is a way of expressing something that will happen in the future
Immediate Future – I am going to watch a movie in a cinema hall .
The immediate future is a way of expressing something that is planned to happen in the future
4.) Past Perfect Tense :-
Past Perfect Tense – The patient had died , before the doctor came .
When two incidents were happening simultaneously , in that case , the incident which happened earlier would be in past perfect tense and the latter would be in simple past tense .
5.) Regular Verbs and Irregular Verbs
There are 2 types of verbs in the English language; Regular Verbs and Irregular Verbs. Most verbs are regular.
Regular Verbs have a pattern ( Add d / ed with the main verb at the time of turning into the past tense )
Jane plays with the doll.
Jane played with the doll yesterday.
Jane liked to play with the doll.
Irregular Verbs do not have a regular pattern. The best way to learn irregular verbs is through practice.
Do not to memorize lists of irregular verbs. This is a waste of time and energy.
Jane eats fish.
Jane ate fish yesterday.
conclusion :-
In fine I must advise you “ Grammar is invariably important in Spoken English ” , but , that is not the be all and end all .
Tense , verb and sentence are the three basic pillars of Spoken English in the beginner level , but , in advance level of Spoken English , you need something more than that .
It is your spoken English trainer who can train , feed and guide you according to your grasping capability .
About the Author
Indrajit Ganguly
Hi ! I am Indrajit Ganguly. People all across the globe know me by my professional nickname IG. I am a spoken English language trainer and Blogger. I love to write article which attracts me.
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Grammar is not important to learn spoken English for non native learners. Because of the English is the mother tongue of them. But we native learners need to need to know some basics of grammar speak spoken English fluently.some people often said that you don’t need to know grammar to learn spoken English.
Speaking English is never considered fluent, unless it’s grammatically correct. Grammar is even important for our social life. Even people on online dating apps are less likely to chat with someone who uses poor grammar. Plus, the last thing we would want is to be misunderstood! We need to have a firm idea of how to structure our words.Correct grammar won’t just show our English skills—it’ll also show that we are diligent and have an eye for detail. Colleges and universities are likely to assess our academic english based largely on your knowledge of English grammar. Correct grammar is the key to speaking English fluently and confidently. Knowing that our grammar will help us to avoid errors that make our English sound strange to native speakers. But there are certain situations in which English grammar is especially important.
As you mention in the article that ‘grammar is simply a reflection of a language at a particular time’ , I think if one has the base of grammar invincibly then he/she can speak the language charmingly. It comes automatically. Practically if I say , while writing a language properly , grammar is invariably important but in case of speaking there may not be needed to put right grammar in every sentence.
You are true .
I’m absolutely in the same track with this article. As former bengali medium student what I have seen in my school is that all the teachers always emphasize on grammar more than anything else and it really helped me a lot to build the base very strong in the subject. I feel very much confident about grammar whenever I start to speak . But definitely I didn’t know these so many branches of English grammar , it was a new information for me .
I think, Grammar is the main spinal cord in the English language. If someone’s grammar is stronger , they can speak and write good English.
But when you are speaking English, to express your feelings, sometimes doing simple grammar mistakes are negligible in that matter. We should always try to make our English writing and speaking more grammatically correct , like to make the spinal cord more stronger.
I must say, the way you have described the simple grammatical rules, will definitely be very helpful for me to build my English stronger.
Absolutely right you are .
Sir, being a former student of a reputed Bengali medium institution, we can proudly say that we have been taught proper English Grammer from very beginning of our school life,even if we lack in good spoken English power. Spoken English is important in today’s scenario but if a person doesn’t know proper grammar of a language,they can never be good at that language, neither in writing nor in speaking. Although, I personally have faced such situations for umpteenth time where I had to listen that I don’t have to emphasize on grammar that much when I am speaking English. It might be true because we can see so many people out there with good communication skills who don’t care much about grammar when speaking.
But initially, I do believe grammar is most important to form a sentence. When you can grab grammar well,then you can augment your speaking by removing one or two grammatical terms to make it sound sweeter.
Very nicely you have commented .