Faculty of Agricultural Science
University of the Punjab Lahore
Name: Muhammad Salman
Roll No: BS-AGS-16-F-24
Semester: 1st Morning
Topic: Assignment (All types of English Grammar)
Subject: FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH
Submitted to: Prof. Rizwan Bhatti sb
TYPES OF GRAMMAR
1. Descriptive Grammar:
Definition:
Describes how language is actually used by speakers without judgment.
Use:
Focuses on understanding linguistic patterns and variations in real-world
usage.
Example:
Observing how people use double negatives.
e.g., "I don't know nothing."
(Descriptively valid in some dialects, though prescriptively incorrect.)
2. Perspective Grammar:
Definition:
Specifies rules for how language should be used according to established
norms.
Use:
Enforces standard language usage in formal contexts.
Example:
Avoiding split infinitives.
e.g., "to boldly go"
(prescriptively corrected as "to go boldly").
3. Functional Grammar:
Definition:
Explains grammar based on the functions of language, emphasizing
meaning and context.
Use:
Analyzes how language fulfills communication purposes.
Example:
Examining how word order changes meaning.
e.g., “He gave her the book” vs. “He gave the book to her.”
4. Theoretical Grammar:
Definition:
Studies the abstract structure and rules of language as part of linguistics.
Use:
Investigates the universal properties of languages.
Example:
Researching why all languages differentiate between subjects and
predicates.
e.g; “Marry is loved by John”.
5. Traditional Grammar:
Definition:
Based on classical linguistic frameworks, emphasizing Latin and Greek
influences.
Use:
Taught in schools to understand sentence structures.
Example:
Classifying sentences into subject, verb, and object.
Performing an action.
e.g; “The cat chased the mouse.”
6. Structural Grammar:
Definition:
Focuses on language as a system of structures and relationships (syntax,
morphology).
Use:
Breaks language into smaller components for analysis.
Example:
Analyzing a sentence using phrase structure rules.
e.g; “The boy ate an apple.”
7. Generative Grammar:
Definition:
A theory by Noam Chomsky that seeks to define the rules generating all
possible sentences in a language.
Use:
Explains the cognitive ability to form grammatically correct sentences.
Example:
Studying transformations, like forming questions: e.g; “You are going” →
“Are you going?”
8. Comparative Grammar:
Definition:
Studies similarities and differences between two or more languages.
Use:
Aids in translation and understanding linguistic universals.
Example:
Comparing English and Spanish sentence structure: e.g; “I eat bread” vs.
“Yo como pan.”
9. Transformational Grammar:
Definition:
A type of generative grammar that describes transformations between deep
and surface structures.
Use:
Explains how simple ideas turn into complex sentences.
Example:
Transforming and underlying idea is same.
e.g; “She sings beautifully” into “Does she sing beautifully?”
10. Pedagogical Grammar:
Definition:
Simplified grammar rules designed for teaching and learning languages.
Use:
Helps language learners understand and use grammar effectively.
Example:
Teaching basic tense structures to ESL learners:
e.g; “I eat,” “I ate,” “I will eat.”
11. Applied Grammar:
Definition:
Focuses on the practical application of grammar in real-world scenarios.
Use:
Used in professional communication, editing, and language development.
Example:
Proofreading for correct grammar in business email.
Improved clarity and professionalism.
e.g; “Let me know.”
12. Lexical Grammar:
Definition:
Examines how words and their meanings fit into grammatical structures.
Use:
Explains the relationship between vocabulary and syntax.
Example:
Discussing why “go swimming” uses a verb followed by a gerund. Focusing
on individual words.
e.g; “This success depends on your efforts.”
13. Contextual Grammar:
Definition:
Considers grammar rules within specific contexts or discourse.
Use:
Helps analyze how meaning changes with context.
Example:
Choosing between formal and informal grammar, e.g., “Do not go” vs.
“Don’t go.”
14. UniversalGrammar:
Definition:
Chomsky’s theory that all languages share a common underlying structure.
Use:
Explains why humans can learn any language.
Example:
The existence of subject-predicate relationships in all languages.
e.g; “ She eats apples.”
15. Formal Grammar:
Definition:
A mathematical and logical approach to grammar used in computer
science and linguistics.
Use:
Applies to programming languages and artificial intelligence.
Example:
Defining syntax rules for a programming language like Python or C++.
e.g; “ The expression 5+ (3*2) follow this rule.”
