What do you consider "formal Grammar"?

[hsmom]

After reading posts on another thread, I am a little confused in ways. So, what are your views of a "formal Grammar"?

[Plaid Dad]

For me, it would be grammar studied as a distinct subject, with its own curriculum, as opposed to teaching grammar on an as-needed basis as part of another subject (writing, foreign language).

[Trivium Academy]

Formal grammar to me is a concentrated study of grammar instead of learning through application. Parts to whole instead of whole to parts.

[Sue G in PA]

:iagree: Like Plaid Dad said, I consider formal grammar study to be a separate, distinct subject all its own. Using a curriculum or book (such as FLL or R&S or others) to study the components of English grammar like nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc. and how they go together in a sentence. Informal grammar would be, to me, simply "hearing" how a good sentence sounds through everyday conversations or "seeing" how a sentence looks through dictation, copywork, etc. and having mom/dad point out punctuation, capitalization, perhaps nouns, verbs, etc. If you think of it like the way babies learn to speak. Nobody tells them "okay baby, this is now we say mama or dad". They just listen, watch and all of a sudden one day..."mama/dada" and so on, KWIM? THAT, to me, is informal learning. No specific instruction...simply imitation and "absorbtion" of rules, sounds, etc.

[hsmom]

That is what I thought. Thank you. Now my confusion is gone.

[Jill, OK]

I have a 'formal' grammar resource (Rod and Staff), but I don't have a problem folding in grammar instruction as part of other studies (copywork, writing narrations, or as it's encountered in writing, reading and other language study).

One of my biggies is using correct terminology.

"Informal" grammar can sometimes mean absorbing meanings and "rules" through reading, but not knowing the proper name for a gerund, or that "subject/verb agreement" is the term you're looking for when something just doesn't sound right.

I believe in knowing that. For several reasons.

That might be a bit of semantics, but it's an aspect of the "formal" vs. "informal" debate that I'm a stickler for, even though we might not learn it by sitting down and covering it in a particular lesson in the book. (Although I do use the Rod and Staff books as guidelines for when a child might be ready for attaching meaning to certain concepts).

Just another two pennies! :-)

[ClassicMom]

I had the same question myself.

You cleared this up for me.:001_smile: