And so it begins! The study of grammar in 7th grade. Seventh grade grammar is more about using grammar rather than just learning it as a memorizing exercise. Knowing your parts of speech enables you to "stop and think" and then talk about writing selections. Grammar becomes another weapon in the critical thinking arsenal .
Examples
* Gore Vidal's lack of pronouns is a sneaky way to hide the gender of his protagonist long enough to shock his reader.
* Ernest Hemingway's sparse use of adjectives empowers his readers by enlisting them as co-creators of the worlds within his novels.
* Stephanie Meyers's prose, pickled with adverbs, has the uncanny ability to reduce intriguing subject matter to not much more than uneventful tripe, utterly boring to anyone who esteems themselves literate.
Knowing the locations and purposes of different parts of speech lends validity to opinions about literature, especially as we discuss texts in class. Your friend might tell you she likes a movie, and you value her opinion based on what you know about her; but, by critically thinking about and presenting your own opinions, you can strengthen those opinions regardless of your relationship to the people involved in the conversation. Knowing the function of words helps you decode their meaning, whether direct or implied, and that, in turn, allows you to strengthen your opinions.
Please click on the "grammar tools" link to open an online, interactive grammar website. Repetition of skills, in this case identifying parts of speech, will only reinforce and solidify those skills.
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