The Power of Grammar

Ehrenworth and Viton, states that voice, which has to do with personality, is composed of word choice, punctuation, and syntax - in other words, is part of grammar. They believe that the beauty of language in general, and of English in particular, is that it is a living, breathing thing, always ready to expand, evolve, and change to accommodate new forms of expression. They emphasize that grammar are much more than simple language rules, they are cultural norms. By teaching students such grammar skills does not necessarily mean asking them to conform to it. It means giving them the knowledge they will need to make informed and meaningful language choices. In assessing grammar, teaching, and reassessing how our own cultural literacy, it is possible to invite students into the recuperation of grammar by demonstrating how knowledge of grammar grants access to power. These are the goals for teaching grammar: to teach knowledge of conventional usage in order to increase power, opportunity, and voice; to teach habits of fluency, inquiry, and experimentation; and to engage students in such a way that this knowledge and these habits are sustaining and flexible.

Micciche adds to that when she states that teaching grammar and teaching writing are separate enterprises. While teaching style is a familiar enough focus in disciplinary scholarship, teaching the “ordinary” use of grammar is often constructed as ineffective because grammar knowledge out of context doesn’t translate to grammatical correctness in context. Grammar knowledge often functions to “draw lines of social distinction, mark status, and rank students in meritocratic order. Moreover she states that grammar competency has always been linked with social power or the lack thereof. Although such skill and instruction are linked to cultural attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions, an absence of attention to grammar instruction prevents us from considering productive links. Therefore, grammar should be taught in a way that offer students more tools for analyzing culture, promote composition’s goals to equip them to be active citizens of the worlds they inhabit, understand the significance of cultural difference, and engaging in community initiatives.

Both articles take the reader to understand that grammar is much more than a set of rules. Grammar is a powerful tool that relates to voice and to our culture. It would be hard to choose only one of those articles to use as an approach for my writing, when combined both are very helpful. I’ve always perceived the power that grammar has, which is often used and abused by politicians, journalists, and business companies to persuade others. Once a person master the true colors of grammar, it becomes easy to debunk arguments, take a stand, and convince others. That is what I am taking from these articles, and I will always use it when teaching about grammar: If knowledge is power, grammar is the shield and the sword… and with such combination, no hero can be defeated.