ELA Academy is no longer an active venture, but it’s being left up in case anyone finds these resources helpful.
Grammar is such a contentious issue. Is it really important? If so, how important is it compared to other things, like clarity of message, quality of evidence, force of argument? Just how much grammar does one need, anyway?
I’m not here to settle the age-old debates because honestly, that’s been tried, and people still argue about it. But as a practical matter, I think there are grammar concepts that it’s helpful to know. There are common editing issues that people have a hard time understanding if they don’t have some kind of foundation in the mechanics of language. That’s what I’m aiming to correct with this series. I’m not trying to turn all of my viewers into expert grammarians; I just want to give you the tools you need in order to polish your writing.
I like to think of it this way. Perfect grammar and perfect artistry of language are like celebrities getting all dolled up for the Oscars: beautiful people wearing the most expensive and flattering clothes, jewelry, hairstyles, and make-up. Poor grammar is like going to an important business meeting looking and smelling like you just spent six hours cleaning your garage. There’s a happy medium somewhere that I think everyone can strive for.
So! With that in mind, here are my grammar offerings.
Parts of Speech
Parts of the Sentence
Clauses – Part 1, Parts of a Clause
Clauses – Part 2, Clause Types