forms in grammar forms in grammar
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Grammar is an area of the language arts that teachers often find difficult to teach and students likewise find difficult to learn. The Form-Function Method for teaching grammar, however, simplifies the subject by breaking down grammar into the two most basic linguistic elements: grammatical form and grammatical function. The Form-Function Method allows for the study of the grammar of any language.
Tenets of the Form-Function Method
The Form-Function Method for teaching grammar is based on four principal tenets:
Languages contain a finite number of grammatical forms.
Languages contain a finite number of grammatical functions.
Grammatical forms perform one or more grammatical functions.
Grammatical functions can be performed by one or more grammatical forms.
Begin using the Form-Function Method to study grammar by learning the four tenets of the method. Subsequent grammar lessons will elaborate on each tenet.
Grammatical Form
After describing the theory behind the Form-Function Method for teaching grammar, define and explain grammatical form. All languages contain a finite number of language-specific grammatical forms. Grammatical form can be described as “what a word, phrase, or clause looks like.” Traditional grammars refer to grammatical forms as “parts of speech.” For example, the grammatical form of the word dog is noun, of the word bite is verb, and of the word tiny is adjective.
Grammatical form also includes the internal structure of words, phrases, and clauses. Internal structure can be described as the possible inflections of words and the possible syntax of phrases and clauses. For example, prototypical nouns can be marked as singular (dog) or plural (dogs) and marked for the possessive (dog’s and dogs’). Prototypical adjective phrases consist of an adjective (small), an adjective and an adverb phrase (very small), or an adjective and a prepositional phrase (small at the waist).
Take care not to introduce grammatical function while exploring grammatical form.
Grammatical Forms in English
After introducing the concept of grammatical form, study the nine grammatical forms in English. The English language contains nine basic grammatical forms:
Noun/Pronoun
Adjective
Determiner
Verb
Adverb
Preposition
P-word
Conjunction
Interjection
Each grammatical form can be the topic of an individual lesson. For example, the form of the adjective in English includes taking comparative (bigger and more beautiful) and superlative (biggest and most beautiful).
Grammatical Function
After studying grammatical form, define and explain the concept of grammatical function. All languages contain a finite number of language-specific grammatical functions. Traditional grammars do not have a term for grammatical function, which can be described as “what a word, phrase, or clause does.” For example, the noun phrase the kitten in the clause the kitten is drinking the milk functions as the subject and the noun phrase the milk functions as the direct object. Again take care not to discuss grammatical form while introducing grammatical function. Maintain the separation between the two linguistic concepts because grammatical form does not equal grammatical function.
Grammatical Functions in English
After introducing the concept of grammatical function, study the grammatical functions specific to English. The English language contains approximately thirty-two grammatical functions, with the caveat that one count may differ from the count of other grammarians:
Predicate
Subject
Subject Complement (Predicate Nominative and Predicate Adjective)
Direct Object
Object Complement
Indirect Object
Prepositional Complement (Adpositional Complement and Postpositional Complement)
Prepositional Phrase Modifier
Noun Phrase Modifier
Noun Phrase Complement
Noun Clause Modifier
Appositive
Adjective Phrase Modifier
Adjective Phrase Complement
Verb Phrase Modifier
Verb Phrase Complement
Perfect
Progressive
Passive
Modal
Operator
Adverb Phrase Modifier
Adjunct Adverbial
Disjunct Adverbial
Conjunct Adverbial
Determinative
Particle
Infinitive Marker
Coordinator
Correlator
Subordinator
Interjector