WHAT IS GRAMMAR?
English grammar is the set of structural rules of the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and whole texts. Eight “word classes” or “parts of speech” are commonly distinguished in English: nouns, determiners, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions. Nouns form the largest word class, and verbs the second-largest.
English nouns
A noun is a word that represents a person, thing, concept or place. In a sentence, nouns can play the role of subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, object complement, appositive or adjective.
Nouns are sometimes classified semantically (by their meanings) as proper nouns and common nouns (Cyrus, China vs. frog, milk) or as concrete nouns and abstract nouns (book, laptop vs. embarrassment, prejudice).  A grammatical distinction is often made between count (countable) nouns such as” clock” and “city”, and non-count (uncountable) nouns such as “milk” and “décor”. Some nouns can function both as countable and as uncountable such as the word "wine" .
English verbs
Verbs are the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is doing. Along with nouns, verbs are the main part of a sentence or phrase, telling a story about what is taking place. In fact, without a verb, full thoughts can’t be properly conveyed, and even the simplest sentences, such as Maria sings, have one. Actually, a verb can be a sentence by itself, with the subject, in most case you, implied, such as, Sing! and Drive!
When learning the rules of grammar, schoolchildren are often taught that verbs are “doing” words, meaning they signify the part of the sentence which explains the action taking place:
1. He ran away;
2. She eats chocolate cake on Sundays;
3. The horses gallop across the field.
Modal verbs
Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are used to express abilities, possibilities, permissions, and obligations. They are: can, Must, May, Should, Would
Phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs aren’t single words; instead, they are combinations of words that are used together to take on a different meaning to that of the original verb. There are many examples of phrasal verbs, some of which have colloquial meanings, such as make up, hand in, bring up, point out, look forward to.
English adverbs
The adverb is a part of speech which expresses some circumstances that attend an action or state, or points out some characteristic features of an action or a quality. The function of the adverb is that of an adverbial modifier. An adverb may modify verbs(verbals), words of the category of state, adjectives, and adverbs
English adjectives
An adjective is a part of speech that can be used to describe or provide more information about a noun or pronoun that acts as the subject in a sentence. Adjectives are found after the verb or before the noun it modifies.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Prescriptive Grammar:
(+) Teaching prescriptive grammar creates formal writers and resources.
(+) Teaching prescriptive grammar is beneficial for both non-native teachers and learners, as it has definite rules of language that help reduce confusion.
(-) Prescriptive grammar might keep non-native speakers wondering and confused when they talk with a native speaker, as they might realize that some natives do not write or speak with these rules.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Descriptive Grammar:
(+) The descriptive grammar approach improves non-native speakers’ pronunciation and helps them sound like native speakers.
(+) The descriptive grammar approach helps language learners understand the applied usage of language and communicate better with native speakers.
(-) The descriptive grammar approach is sometimes not used in formal settings, such as exams and speech.
A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF TEACHING GRAMMAR
Grammar has an extremely respectable ancestry. The earliest evidence we have is from nearly 4,000 years ago, when the Akkadian-speaking scribes of Babylon learned to translate into Sumerian (which by then was already dead). Their training included learning tables of equivalent verb-forms in the two languages, so someone must have analysed these verb forms and produced a systematic framework. Rather remarkably, they ordered first, second and third person forms in that order, so that particular part of our heritage may be four thousand years old – a spectacular example of scholarly transmission.
The term ‘grammar’ comes from the Greek expression grammatike tekhne, meaning “art of letters,” which also contains gramma “letter”, so its modern meaning is a narrowing of the original, though it is still closely associated with writing. The Greeks developed the tradition of grammatical analysis that dated back to the Babylonians into a more highly structured and theoretical system – or, more accurately, a series of different and competing systems – which linked not only to school teaching but also to philosophy2. Somewhat later, the Romans adopted this legacy and applied it to Latin, forming the basis of the European grammatical tradition which survived, with remarkably little change, into the nineteenth century.

By: Jumaniyazova Umida- 5th year student of English language and literature faculty of Turkmen State University