Introduction
Grammarpedia is intended to provide users with an introduction to English grammar. This section introduces the structure of the site and some of the key concepts and skills that will help you work through the materials available here.
Contents1. How is Grammarpedia organised? 2. Key ideas that underlie this site Related pages |
How is Grammarpedia organised?
Grammarpedia contains information about a wide variety of topics related to English grammar. Content within the site is organised on pages which fall into two levels.
Pages at the first level contain a general overview of a topic, such as parts of speech or clauses, and introduces basic concepts relevant to that topic. The current page (Introduction) is a level 1 page.
Pages at the second level contain more detailed information about specific topics. For example, the current page links to three level 2 pages ('Why learn about grammar?', 'Basic concepts' and 'How to parse') which provide more in-depth information.
Most pages within the site contain English language examples, which are presented in italic text.
As well as information pages, the site also contains quizzes on a range of topics. These are accessible from selected pages within the site, by clicking on the 'Test yourself' icon located in the top right and bottom right corner of the page. You can use these questions to test your understanding of the materials being presented and receive feedback.
To navigate around the site, you can click on hyperlinks within pages, or use the site menu at the left of the window. Please note that the menu works best when JavaScript is enabled in your browser software. If JavaScript is not enabled, you will see a message at the bottom of the site menu. Visit the Help page if you need assistance to enable JavaScript.
You can also search Grammarpedia if you are trying to find information on a particular topic. The site search box is located in the top right corner of the window.
The Glossary contains definitions of some technical terms that appear within the site.
If you find any errors within the site, or would like to provide feedback, we would like to hear about it. Please use the feedback form or error form to send us your comments. There is a link to these forms at the bottom of most pages within the site.
For more tips on how to use the site, please visit the Help page.
Key ideas that underlie this site
English grammar is a system. This site is designed to help you understand that system. To understand one part of the system, you will often need to know about other parts of the system. For example, to understand what a grammatical subject is, you will also need to know what a clause and a verb phrase are. For that reason, you will often find a concept discussed on several different pages within this site.
Knowledge about language is called 'metalinguistic knowledge'. Knowing more about English grammar will help you to be a more skillful and confident writer.
Read more about metalinguistic knowledge and the benefits of understanding grammar...
English sentences have a structure. Sentences can be divided into clauses, phrases and words. These components can be categorised according to their type, but also according to what role they play in the sentence.
A major part of understanding English grammar is understanding what these components are, and how they fit together to convey meaning.
Read more about the structure of English grammar...
Parsing refers to the activity of analysing a sentence into its component categories and functions. Parsing is a skill: something that you can learn to do rather than something you simply know about.