Definition

1. Noun:
   • A linguistic rule for the syntax of grammatical utterances: A "rule of grammar" is a principle or convention that describes how words and phrases are correctly combined to form sentences in a language. It governs the structure of well-formed utterances.

Usage

• A "rule of grammar" is a formal statement about the permissible structures in a language. It is used when discussing language correctness, syntax, and linguistic theory.
• These rules can be descriptive (describing how language is actually used) or prescriptive (dictating how language be used).

Examples

• Noun:
  • One fundamental rule of grammar in English is that a singular subject requires a singular verb.
  • Linguists study the rules of grammar that underlie all human languages.
  • The sentence "She go to school" violates a basic rule of grammar regarding verb conjugation.

Advanced Usage

• "To violate/break a rule of grammar": to produce an utterance that does not conform to a standard syntactic principle.
  • While effective in casual speech, the phrase "ain't" is often said to break a rule of grammar in formal writing.
• "Underlying rule of grammar": a fundamental, often unconscious, syntactic principle that native speakers intuitively know.
  • The ability of children to form questions they have never heard before demonstrates their grasp of underlying rules of grammar.

Variants and Related Words

• Grammatical rule (n): A synonym for "rule of grammar."
  • The grammatical rule concerning adjective order is surprisingly complex.
• Syntax rule (n): A rule specifically concerning sentence structure.
  • This syntax rule explains how to form relative clauses.

Synonyms

• Grammatical principle: A fundamental truth or law governing grammar.
• Syntactic rule: A rule pertaining to sentence structure.

Related Phrases

• Exception to the rule: A case where a grammatical rule does not apply.
  • "I am" is an exception to the rule for forming the first-person singular present tense of "to be."

Noun

1. a linguistic rule for the syntax of grammatical utterances