English Communication and Composition 10

Learning Module
Introduction to Grammar

Why Is Grammar Important?

Take a moment and try to imagine a world without language:
written, signed, or spoken. It’s pretty hard to conceptualize, right?
Language is a constant presence all around us. It’s how we
communicate with others; without language it would be incredibly
difficult to connect people.

Many people are self-conscious of their speech and worry that

the way they talk is incorrect: this simply isn’t true. There are several
different types of English—all of which are equally dynamic and
complex. However, each variety is appropriate in different situations.
When you’re talking to your friends, you should use slang and cultural
references—if you speak in formal language, you can easily come off
as uptight or rude. If you’re sending a quick casual message—via social media or texting—you don’t need to worry too
much about capitalization or strict punctuation. Feel free to have five exclamation points standing alone, if that gets your
point across.

However, there’s this thing called Standard American English. This type of English exists for the sake of
communication across cultural lines, where standardized rules and conventions are
necessary. How many times have you heard people of older generations ask just what
smh or rn mean? This is where grammar comes in. Grammar is a set of rules and
conventions that dictate how Standard American English works. These rules are
simply tools that speakers of a language can use. When you learn how to use the
language, you can craft your message to communicate exactly what you want to
convey.

Additionally, when you speak or write with poor grammar, others will often
make judgements about who you are as a person. As Williams and Colomb say,
“Follow all the rules all the time because sometime, someone will criticize you for
something.”

Code Switching
Code switching is the ability to use two different varieties (or dialects) of the same language. Most people do this
instinctively. If you were writing a paper, you might say something like “The experiment requires not one but four
different procedures” in order to emphasize number. In an informal online setting, on the other hand, you might say
something like “I saw two (2) buses drive past.”

The most important facet of code switching is knowing when to use which variety. In formal academic writing,
standardized English is the correct variety to use. As you go through this module, remember that these are the rules for
just one type of English.
Lesson 1: Nouns and Pronouns

Learning Outcome: Explain the function of nouns and pronouns

Nouns and pronouns are the “things” in our sentences. Nouns are specific things or people: for example, plants,
houses, or Nicki Minaj. Pronouns, on the other hand, stand in for a previous noun. They include words like those, them,
and he. Without a larger context, we have no idea what pronouns refer to, but with the correct reference, they can help us
save time and space in our communication.

In this outcome, we’ll learn about the different types of nouns and pronouns, as well as how to correctly use them
in English.

What You Will Learn to Do

 Explain the use of nouns

 Explain pronoun cases and types
 Explain pronoun and antecedent clarity
 Explain pronoun and antecedent agreement

NOUNS

Nouns are a diverse group of words, and they are very common in English. Nouns are a category of words
defining things—the name of people (Dr. Sanders, lawyers), places (Kansas, factory, home), things (scissors, sheet music,
book), or ideas (love, truth, beauty, intelligence).

Identifying Nouns

Let’s look at the following examples to get a better idea of how nouns work in sentences. All of the nouns have
been bolded in blue:
The one experiment that has been given the most attention in the debate on saccharin is the 1977
Canadian study done on rats.
The multi-fuel capacity of the Stirling engine gives it a versatility not possible in the internal
combustion engine.
The regenerative cooling cycle in the engines of the Space Shuttle is made up of high
pressure hydrogen that flows in tubes connecting the nozzle and the combustion chamber.

There are a lot of different categories of nouns, but before we get in too deep, let’s talk about pluralization.

PLURALIZATION
A plural noun indicates that there is more than one of that noun (while a singular noun indicates that there is just
one of the noun). Most plural forms are created by simply adding an -s or –es to the end of the singular word. For
example, there’s one dog (singular), but three dogs (plural). However, English has both regular and irregular plural
nouns. Regular plurals follow this rule (and other similar rules), but irregular plurals are, well, not regular and don’t
follow a “standard” rule.
Regular Plurals

Let’s start with regular plurals: regular plural nouns use established patterns to indicate there is more than one
of a thing. As was mentioned earlier, we add the plural suffix –s to most words (cats, bears, zebras). However, after
sounds s, z, sh, ch, and j, we add the plural suffix –es (classes, sashes, foxes). Some words that end in z also double their
ending consonant, like quizzes.

We also add the plural suffix –es to most words that end in o (potatoes, heroes, mosquitoes). However, when the
words have a foreign origin (e.g.,Latin, Greek, Spanish), we  just add the plural suffix –s (tacos, avocados, maestros).

When a word ends in y and there is a consonant before y, we change the y to i and add –es. Thus sky becomes
skies. When a word ends in –f or –fe, we change the f to v and add –es. Thus calf becomes calves.
However, there are some exceptions to these rules:
 donkeys not donkeies; alloys not alloies.
o If the y follows another vowel, you simply add an –s.
 cliffs not clivves; chiefs not chieves
o If there are two terminal fs, you simply add an –s.
o If you still pronounce the f in the plural, then the spelling should retain the f as well.
Irregular Plurals
Irregular plurals, unlike regular plurals, don’t necessarily follow any particular pattern—instead, they follow a
lot of different patterns. Because of this, irregular plurals require a lot of memorization; you need to remember which
nouns belong to which type of pluralization. Mastering irregulars uses a different region of your brain than regular
pluralization: it’s an entirely different skill set than regular pluralization. So don’t get too frustrated if you can’t remember
the correct plural. If you’re ever in doubt, the dictionary is there for you.
The first kind of irregular plural we’ll talk about is the no-change or base plural. In these words, the singular
noun has the exact same form as the plural (sheep, fish, deer, moose). Most no-change plurals are types of animals. The
next type of irregular is the mid-word vowel change:
Watch the video link: https://youtu.be/VdLOP9teko4

Note: The plural for a computer mouse (as opposed to the fuzzy animal) can either be mice or mouses. Some people
prefer mouses as it creates some differentiation between the two words.

And last we have plural –en. In these words –en is used as the plural ending instead of –s or -es.

 child → children
 ox → oxen
 brother → brethren
 sister → sistren
Note: Brethren and sistren are antiquated terms that you’re unlikely to run into in your life; however, since these are
the only four words in English that use this plural, all four have been included above.
 The last category of irregular plurals is borrowed words. These words are native to other languages (e.g., Latin,
Greek) and have retained the pluralization rules from their original tongue.

Singular –us; Plural –i

 cactus → cacti
 fungus → fungi
 syllabus → syllabi

In informal speech, cactuses and funguses are acceptable. Octopuses is preferred to octopi, but octopi is an accepted
word.

Singular -a; Plural –ae

 formula → formulae (sometimes formulas)

 vertebra → vertebrae
 larva → larvae

Singular –ix, –ex; Plural –ices, –es

 appendix → appendices (sometimes appendixes)

 index → indices
Singular –on, –um; Plural –a

 criterion → criteria
 bacterium → bacteria
 medium → media

Singular –is; Plural –es

 analysis → analyses
 crisis → crises
 thesis → theses

END OF DISCUSSION

Sources and references: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wayaker-level2-english/chapter/text-nouns/

Prepared by: Mr. Rocky Spencer A. Ricardo