Role of Grammar and Grammar Instruction

      “They’re more like guidelines,” these words from Captain Barbossa on “The Pirates of the Caribbean” are spoken in reference to the pirate laws. While it’s very understandable that pirate laws are very different from the rules of grammar, this statement from Barbossa can be used to describe the rules of grammar in the same way that it describes the pirate laws. From my education, I learned that while grammar has specific terms and rules that govern how text should be written, these rules can be considered more like guidelines because they can be just as versatile as the context of a piece one is writing. 

      The role of grammar in writing is to give our writing structure. From professional writing to creative writing, it helps the writer to create style in their writing. 

      Grammar is used to make our professional writing – such as resumes, cover letters, and essays – more appropriate and professional looking. By using proper grammar in professional writing the writer shows the reader that they fully understand and are capable of corresponding in an appropriate manor for the position that is being applied for or for the argument that is being made.  

      Grammar is also used to help creative writers produce a style that makes their writing stand out. This helps the writer to make their story more believable to the reader and it helps to transport the reader into the world that the writer is trying to create. In “The Pirates of the Caribbean” many of the characters in the story have different ways of talking. If this story were written down as a novel, the writer would use grammar rules as guidelines so that they could show these different dialects to help the reader envision these characters more vividly. 

      While many students remember the time when grammar was taught to them through these scary little books and by repetitious exercises, my memories of grammar instruction are very different. I remember the book from my elementary years, but we went back and forth between learning a new rule and using it the following day in our daily writings. In this way we were not only getting the repetitious instruction but we were practicing these rules in a practical manor. 

      When I had started my middle school and high school years it was a very similar way of learning. Grammar wasn’t taught nearly as much then because we had done well in elementary but if there were mistakes our teachers noticed often we would go back to that little grammar book and practice it one day then use it in writing the next day. The terminology wasn’t focused on very much but we discussed the rules and when they could be broken. 

     I feel fortunate to have had such an enjoyable experience with grammar compared to many other students. I feel that because of the way I had been instructed I can better understand the concept of grammar being flexible and “more like guidelines”.