Traditional Grammar Teaching

Here, we'll discuss what traditional grammar is, discuss the debate around teaching it and have a
look at some helpful grammar resources.

What is traditional grammar?

Grammar can broadly be defined as a set of rules that structure our languages. Traditional
grammar is a conventional approach to language that’s been around for generations, and it
defines what exactly is the correct way of writing and speaking.

Having a set of traditional rules for grammar is seen as a positive thing by some, who feel that it
holds our language together, keeps it consistent and can benefit our understanding of it.

Some aren’t as convinced, feeling that traditional grammar teaching is an outdated approach.
Here, we’ll look at what exactly traditional grammar is, the pros and cons of traditional grammar
teaching and some alternatives.

Traditional grammar essentially organises our language and keeps the rules consistent. Some
linguists feel that it’s innate to humanity to have certain rules of grammar, and evidence this with
the presence of shared rules across different languages and cultures.

With regards to speech, traditional grammar groups words into one of eight different categories.
These are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, and
interjections. You can fit a word into more than one of these categories, it all depends on the
context in which it is used.

One key element of traditional grammar is diction. Diction is defined as a style of language in
speaking or writing, and it’s determined by the person using it. ‘Proper’ diction in the traditional
sense means using the most appropriate words for their context, so that the meaning of what’s
being said can be easily conveyed.

Another important element of traditional grammar is sentence structure. Traditionally, a sentence

Proper grammar in the traditional sense also requires proper spelling. This is one of the more
widely agreed-upon elements of grammar that people consider important. In traditional grammar,
the correct use of upper and lowercase letters is also vital. Without proper spelling and use of
cases, a sentence can be considered grammatically incorrect.

This ties into another key feature of traditional grammar, which is the use of proper punctuation.
One basic rule, for instance, is that each sentence must be concluded with a punctuation mark of
some kind, like a full-stop or a question mark. Other punctuation used within sentences includes
commas, colons, dashes, semicolons or quotations. These are just a handful of examples - there
are plenty more. Each of these elements of punctuation has a specific set of rules, and they must
be used correctly according to these rules for writing to be grammatically correct.
The term traditional grammar refers to the collection of prescriptive rules and concepts about the
structure of language that is commonly taught in schools.

Pros and cons of traditional grammar teaching

Because traditional grammar relies on prescriptive rules and principles, it’s often the subject of
controversy within education. Some feel that it’s Latin roots and lack of change over time render it
an outdated, old fashioned and ineffective way to teach language. Many people prefer to teach
functional grammar or avoid the teaching of grammar rules overall. We’ll look at some of the pros
and cons of traditional grammar teaching, and alternative ways in which grammar can be
approached.

Pros:

Traditional grammar is lauded by some as it’s a way of achieving grammatical consistency. It

Without grammar, there wouldn’t be any language rules, so people might end up writing gibberish
and others struggling to understand. Traditional grammar provides a framework and standard for
everyone to aim for with their writing and speaking, so it keeps us all on one playing field in a
sense. It can also be used as a way of assessing students’ abilities to communicate clearly and
effectively. Drastic misuse of grammar can lead to awkward language that’s difficult to
understand, and in academia, getting your point across clearly is key. Traditional grammar can
therefore provide a consistent way of helping people achieve this.

It can also be useful when learning second languages, as it gives an indication of how the language
actually works. Understanding the rules behind a language can make the process of learning it
properly and reaching fluency easier for some.

Cons:

Many people, however, feel that traditional grammar is an outdated way of teaching language.
Some studies, in fact, have concluded that traditional grammar teaching has little to no positive
effects on students’ writing. A heavy emphasis on traditional grammatical structures and small
errors that don’t affect readability or understanding has been viewed to actually harm students'
overall writing quality in the long run.

Teachers often struggle with the rules themselves, and students can find it dull and hard to follow.
This can alienate students from their studies of English in general, and if it isn’t helping their
writing, some ask “what’s the point?”.

Traditional grammar also doesn’t account for change, modernisation or the introduction of
cultural twists and variation. Its main goal is to maintain the traditions that uphold it, whether
these are arbitrary or not. Traditional grammar also prioritises rules and traditions over modern
function and effectiveness for communication. It’s also, to some extent, impractical and hard to
apply to speech.

All in all, it’s a difficult nut to crack, since academics, linguists and those in education have
disagreed for decades on how to approach grammar. There are certainly advantages to a
traditional grammar structure, but also plenty of reasons to focus on a more modern, less
prescriptive approach. One way to get around the problem is by focusing on a ‘functional’
approach to grammar. Functional grammar focuses on the context of the text being studied, the
actual meaning of the text and how language is used to express this. Some academics opt for this
approach if they feel traditional grammar teaching is outdated and needs reconsidering.