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II. LITERATURE OF REVIEW
2.1 An overview of the English grammar
2.1.1 Definitions of the grammar
Grammar has been defined by many researchers. As cited in Harmmer, the
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English [5] defines grammar as "The study and
practice of the rules by which words change their forms and are combined into
sentences". Therefore, two fundamental elements of this definition are the rules of
grammar and of rules for study and practice, and the rules of grammar deal with how
words are changed and how they are put together in sentences.
Richards, Platt, and Platt [8] write in their Longman Dictionary of Language
Teaching & Applied Linguistics: "Grammar is a description of the structure of a
language and how linguistic units such as words and phrases are combined to produce
sentences in the language. It usually takes into account the meanings and functions
these sentences have an overall system of the language. It may or may not include the
description of the sound of a language".
I prefer the concept of grammar by Richards, Platt, and Platt [8]. Since in this
definition, grammar is seen as descriptive and refers to the form of a language as it is
actually used by speakers and authors. In addition, deification refers to both linguistic
and social features of grammar, since it refers not only to the rules for valid phrases but
also to the meanings and purposes of certain phrases in a language that is important for
the teaching and learning of foreign languages.
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