The Art of Grammar

At some stage during their course, all students will need to submit written work in order to demonstrate their understanding of what they have been learning.

Regardless of how big or small the assignment, the correct use of grammar is an important consideration for any student.

Written assignments are a student's chance to demonstrate their skills, understanding and knowledge. It is important that grammar is used correctly.

As a student, you are undergoing professional training, which in many cases is preparing you to enter careers, so it is important that your work looks professional. At its very least your work needs to be of the same standard professionals working in that field would be expected to use. Your work must be credible.

The whole point of written communication is to convey a message. If the reader fully understands what you have written, then you as a writer have done your job. How much attention you need to pay to grammar will depend on who the writing is intended for and why you are writing it. In this day and age of text messaging and email-speak, grammar is even more important as it is not something every person needs to use every time they write. Your best friend most likely speaks the language of text, so emails to them about social things can be very informal and abbreviated. While your friends may know exactly what you mean by C U @ 8, it is not appropriate language for an assignment. A written assignment is generally marked by someone who does not know you personally and cannot clarify any details before grading your work. Grammar needs to be more formal in assignments in the same way your behaviour is more formal when meeting people for the first time or when you are speaking to someone in an official capacity

The whole point of written communication is to convey a message. If the reader fully understands what you have written, then you as a writer have done your job. How much attention you need to pay to grammar will depend on who the writing is intended for and why you are writing it. In this day and age of text messaging and email-speak, grammar is even more important as it is not something every person needs to use every time they write. Your best friend most likely speaks the language of text, so emails to them about social things can be very informal and abbreviated. While your friends may know exactly what you mean by C U @ 8, it is not appropriate language for an assignment. A written assignment is generally marked by someone who does not know you personally and cannot clarify any details before grading your work. Grammar needs to be more formal in assignments in the same way your behaviour is more formal when meeting people for the first time or when you are speaking to someone in an official capacity

Correct grammar, accurate word usage, punctuation and spelling all add up to the correct use of English and are all important considerations for your written work.

So what exactly is grammar? It is far more than starting a sentence with a capital letter and ending it with a full stop. Grammar can be defined as ‘the study of the way the sentences of a language are constructed; morphology and syntax.’ A less formal definition of grammar is that it is a set of conventions or ‘good manners’ for a group of written words. Or, more simply, the rules of written language.

Grammar is a challenge all students must face and meet. There are many, many books available that explain all the various complex grammatical rules that govern the written English language. We recommend that students have access to a grammar rule book and dictionary when writing assignments. Your local bookshop or library should be able to assist you find reference materials suitable to your needs.

Anna-Louise Barrie
Student Liaison Officer