Grammar

Grammar refers to the rules that govern how we change words to change their meaning; and how we combine words to create phrases and sentences. As children learn the rules of grammar, they are able to verbalize longer and more complex spoken sentences. This allows for the exchange of more complex ideas and more precise communication.

Grammatical rules are applied to single words, phrases, and sentences.  

*At the word level, speech sounds known as morphemes, can be added to a word to convey meaning ( e.g. "ed" added to action word to indicate past tense;  "s" added to noun to indicate more than one thing).
*At the phrase level, words are grouped together to carry meaning ( e.g. describing words such as adjectives and adverbs added to a verb or noun).
*At the sentence level, phrases are combined to convey a complete idea  (e.g. phrases combining subject of the sentence with the action of the sentence).‍

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Strategies

Model correct grammar whenever the child makes an error.  Repeat back what they have said with slight emphasis on the corrected target.   (e.g. Child: "He runned.",  Adult: "  Yes, he ran.")

Nouns, verbs, adjectives ( words that describe the noun)  and adverbs (words that describe the verb)  are very important because they allow the child to make a greater variety of sentences and allow for more complex communication.     Be aware of what words the child knows and uses.   Try to introduce new words at all times.  Repeat the word often.
Targeted practice with lots of repetition is the best way to memorize the exceptions to the grammatical rules. Such as, irregular past verb tenses ( e.g. ran, slept), and irregular plurals (e.g. knives, deer)

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