Does Grammar Help?

Does knowledge of 

grammar help in speaking English?

Almost every body who wants to learn to speak in English has this doubt. Will I be able to speak in English without first reading/learning grammar? This article answers such doubts.

Question: How grammar help in english spoken course?

Response 1:

Grammar is the soul of a language, be it English or any other language. It is possible to speak English without knowing grammar by being in the company of a native speaker, but this way you would never know the ins and outs of the English language. Mastering English grammar makes you a confident speaker and enables you to answer many language related questions

Response 2:

Spoken English doesn't need grammar.Students develop an inferiority complex when rules of grammar are applied and get confused in the bargain.One would have noticed that acumen of children is sharper that helps them pick up another language while playing with children of that language.Do we follow the rules of grammar when we speak in our own mother tongue? So my humble recommendation is to teach Spoken English to non-English medium students first.I have been sailing with different nationalities out at sea.They use simple English and convey their message.I am in the field of teaching Spoken English employing non-grammatical method which instils a lot of confidence in them to develop the required skill to converse in English.The pity which is prevailing in our system is that people good in grammar are not able to convey even a simple thought.

My response:

Let us start with the basic requirement of any language. The basic requirement of any language, especially spoken language, is simply to convey a thought. And, it is not necessary for the language to be grammatically correct for this thought to be understood by the recipient. For instance; let us take this question and above responses. Two persons above have replied to the question because they have understood the intention of the writer. But, the question itself is grammatically wrong. It should actually be: How does grammar help in Spoken English course?

Now the answer to the question: Does grammar help in speaking English or for that matter any language? Yes, it does. And, what is grammar? Grammar is simply like traffic rules of the language.And, rules are same for everybody.  Following the traffic rules makes flow of traffic smooth and not following it will result in accident. Grammar basically simply tells us how words should be arranged in a sentence so that the recipient can understand your message easily.Not following rule of grammar makes it difficult for the recipient to understand our message thus defeating the very purpose of communication.

But, the real question is: Will a person whose first language is not English be able to speak English confidently and fluently without being taught grammar (I repeat taught grammar in a classroom)? 

The answer is- YES, ABSOLUTELY.

Why? Because, we learn to speak a language by listening to it, and not by studying rules of grammar of that language. That is how we learn our mother tongue or first language. Just imagine that parents start teaching toddler rules of grammar instead of just carrying on routine daily conversations   in presence of the child! Will the child learn to speak? No. That is why a child who is born deaf will not be able to speak because it could not listen to the language.

But, how do I learn grammar of the language I want to speak? Just by listening to that language. Listening is the first step to learning any language. Without listening, no one can learn any language.

Also, we all want to learn a language we do not know. Hence, how will I be able to understand rules of grammar of the language I do not know in first place? Isn't it impossible?

Hence, the only way to learn any language is not to first master rules of grammar by reading books on grammar but simply by listening to that language and speaking. And, listening some more and speaking some more without worrying about grammar. This way you will learn grammar automatically and be able to speak confidently and fluently eventually.   Incidentally, even in educational institutes teaching grammar starts only after students have learned to speak, read and write and not from the day a child starts attending school.

We conduct many English improvement and soft skills training programs both on site and on line for industries, educational institutes and individuals. We also offer a few programs pro bono (free of charge) to educational institutes. Contact us at englishacademybaroda@gmail.com or at sarwansingh6644@gmail.com or on (91)88666 80407.