by Mrs. Jane Fowler
Webster’s defines grammar as “the study of the way the sentences of a language are constructed.” Grammar is examining how the ordering of our words conveys meaning. When a child learns to speak his first words and to put those words together, he is using grammatical rules. In school we are asking children to examine the rules which they to some degree have already internalized. For example, they use nouns with great effectiveness; we are simply teaching them to identify anything that is a person, place, thing, or idea as a noun. By asking children to examine their language we are asking them to think about the function of words. In a sentence each word has a function and a specific meaning based on the way it is used in that sentence. By teaching grammar, we are teaching the children that words have meaning and that the order of, and the logical relationship between words matter.
We also teach grammar so that our students can be skilled writers who know how to correctly express their thoughts in a manner that makes sense and follows the conventional rules of educated people. One gift of education is the knowledge of proper grammar. Lack of this knowledge can be a handicap. Grammar is a subject that builds upon prior knowledge. The eight parts of speech must be understood before the use of phrases and clauses is mastered. Punctuation and word usage are taught in the context of these three building blocks of our language — words, phrases, and clauses. In the early grades students are taught the basic parts of speech. In upper elementary, they are introduced to phrases, and in the upper school they master the clause. All the while they are taught the punctuation and usage rules appropriate to their level. In this way they are constantly being asked to think about the function of words as they are learning to punctuate and use the words in the conventionally correct manner.
At Redeemer diagramming is a tool we use to help students understand the function of words in a sentence. Diagramming is a way to make a picture of the sentence which shows the relationship between the words. For example, in diagramming, all of the nouns and verbs are on horizontal lines and the modifiers are on slanted lines beneath them. The shape of the lines shows the function of the words. A sentence that requires a comma to separate two independent clauses has a different shape than a simple sentence which needs no comma. By constructing the diagram, the students can see the framework of the sentence and see why each rule of punctuation applies. In addition to diagramming, we also use dictation and the study of Latin grammar. With these tools students are able to master the rules of their language by the end of middle school and are thus able to express themselves in writing both logically and eloquently.