Bite Size Grammar

Grammar Explained

Grammar is the system for organising a language. It helps us arrange our sentences, as well as our thoughts and ideas.

Word-level grammar refers to the rules and conventions that govern the use of individual words within a language. It includes aspects such as word forms, parts of speech and the correct usage of words in various contexts.

Understanding Parts of Speech

Here we look at the definitions and examples of a noun, pronoun, verb, adjective and adverb.

Word	Definition	Examples
Noun	Words that refer to people, places, things, animals, ideas or events.	Man, woman, dog, cat, love, Library, festival.
Pronoun	Refers to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse.	I, it, he, she, mine, his, hers, we, they, theirs, our, someone, anyone, everyone.
Verb	Action (physical or mental) words that tell you what the subject of the word is doing.	Eat, run, dance, think, play, write.
Adjective	Adjectives are describing words that add information to the noun or pronoun.	Big, small, fat, thin, beautiful, ugly.
Adverb	Adverbs add information to the verb.	Quickly, slowly, happily.

Punctuation

Punctuation allows us to organise our writing to make it easier for the reader to read and understand what we are writing. Here we look at some of the most common forms of punctuation.

Full stop

Full stops (.) are used to signify the end of a sentence.
The only phrases that generally do not include a full stop at the end are titles, subheadings and bullet points.
Comma

Commas (,) are used to join two independent clauses with a junction or to separate an independent and dependent clause.
Apostrophe

An apostrophe (') signifies possession (e.g. it was Marks’ car that was stolen) and can be used in a contraction (e.g. it’s, I’m, we’re).
Hyphen

Hyphens (-) are used to join compound words (e.g. user-friendly, well-being).
Colon

Colon (:) are used when making statements and the text that appears after the colon must explain or describe the text before the colon.
They are mostly used to signal the start of a list of words, and the words in the list are normally separated using a comma.
Semicolon

Semicolon (;) is used to join two related clauses. In academic writing often two independent clauses would form two separate sentences, particularly if the sentences are already long.
Another use for a semicolon is when writing lists that contain items with internal commas (e.g. 1,2,3;X,Y,Z).
Brackets [square brackets]

Brackets [square brackets] are most often used in academic writing to include citations within the text.
Parenthesis (round brackets)

Parenthesis (rounded brackets) are used for non-essential information that would not alter the meaning of the sentence if it was not included. Remember to add the full stop after, not before, the closing parenthesis.
Dash

A dash is rarely used in academic writing.
Exclamation mark

An exclamation mark (!) is rarely used in academic writing.

Using Capital Letters

Capital letters are also referred to as upper case letters. You begin a sentence using a capital letter and they are also used for a proper noun (the name for a specific place, person or thing).

Capitalisation is writing the first letter of a word in upper case and the remaining letters in lower case.

Capitalisation in Titles

The majority of writing styles capitalise, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs when writing a title.

Example

Correct Use: "Exploring the Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Ecosystems"

Incorrect Use: "Exploring The Impacts Of Climate Change On Coastal Ecosystems"

Explanations

Correct Use: In the correct version, major words are capitalised, but smaller, less important words (such as articles, conjunctions and prepositions) are not unless they are the first or last word of the title.

Incorrect Use: In the incorrect version, every word is capitalised including "the," "of," and "on," which typically should not be capitalised in title case unless they are the first or last word in the title.

Abbreviations, Acronyms and Initialisms

Abbreviations

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase.

In academic writing it is appropriate to use standard abbreviations.

Here are some examples:

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Correct use of Abbreviations

Abbreviations are not normally used in a scientific abstract unless there is a common abbreviation key to your area of work.

You write the word or phrase in full the first time it is used within the text, followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis.

Use abbreviations consistently throughout your document once they have been defined, and avoid switching between the full term and the abbreviation unless there is a specific reason to do so.

Some common abbreviations might not need to be written in full, such as UK. Use your judgment and check with your lecturer if you are unsure. Standard metrics used, such as those for measuring temperature, do not need to be written in full.

While abbreviations can be helpful avoid overusing them, especially in longer documents. Overuse can hinder readability and comprehension, particularly for readers who may not be familiar with the abbreviations used.

Acronyms

An acronym is a word formed using the initial letter or letters from the individual words and are pronounced as words.

Example : "WISH" is an acronym for "Walking In ScHools"

Initialisms

Initialisms are formed using the first letter from a collection of words and are typically pronounced as individual letters.

Example: "FBI" stands for "Federal Bureau of Investigation."

Clauses

An independent clause is a simple sentence containing a subject and a verb (e.g. Mark fell).

A dependent Clause is a fragment of a sentence (e.g. As Mark ran across the road). This example does not fully inform the reader and is therefore considered a fragment of the sentence.

A dependent clause, similar to an independent clause, has a subject and a verb. However, it is introduced by a subordinating word that makes the clause dependent on another independent clause (e.g. Mark fell as he ran across the road)

A dependent value is also known as a subordinate clause.

A conjunction is a word, or words, used to connect two clauses together.

A subordinating conjunction is the word(s) used to link the two clauses.

Subordinate Conjunctions	Coordinating Conjunctions
Although	And
Because	But
Since	Yet
Until	So
While	Or

Writing a Sentence

Cause and effect is a fundamental concept in both academic and business writing that helps explain why something happens (the cause) and what happens as a result (the effect). Understanding how to effectively use cause and effect in your writing can enhance the clarity and impact of your arguments and analyses.

What is Cause and Effect?

Cause: The reason something happens.
Effect: The result or outcome of that cause.

When writing sentences that demonstrate cause and effect, you explain the relationship between two events or situations. If you include the phenomena towards the beginning of the sentence, you should expand on this. This can help illustrate the impact of a decision, action, or phenomenon, making your writing more compelling and logical.

Next we will look at the different types of sentences.

Simple Sentence

A simple sentence has one verb.

Example:

Mark ran across the road. The street was quiet.

Compound Sentence

These have more than one verb and at least two independent clauses. Most of the time they are joined by a semicolon, a coordinating conjunction or a comma.

Example:

Mark ran across the road because the street was quiet.

Complex Sentence

These have a main independent clause and a dependent clause to add extra information. These are typically joined together by a subordinating conjunction.

Example:

Mark was afraid to cross the road, despite the fact the street was quiet.

Writing Concisely

In academic writing you want to avoid the use of unnecessary words or sentences. Using more nouns or noun phrases can result in more concise and academically toned sentences. Here are some example verb based and noun based sentences to demonstrate how using more nouns can achieve a more academic tone.

Verb-Based Sentence	Noun-Based Sentence
Researchers analysed the data to determine the trend between X and Y.	The data was analysed to determine trends between X and Y.
The company decided to implement a new strategy to increase market share.	The company's implementation of a new strategy increased market share.
The government needs to regulate emissions to reduce pollution.	Government regulation of emissions reduces pollution.
Managers must evaluate employee performance to ensure productivity.	Manager evaluation of employee performance ensures productivity.
The CEO aims to achieve growth through acquisitions.	The CEO's aim is growth through acquisitions.

Structuring a Paragraph

Paragraph development is an important element of academic writing.

The PEEL approach, which stands for Point, Evidence, Explanation, and Link, is a highly effective method for structuring paragraphs in academic writing.

This approach ensures clarity, coherence and logical flow within a paragraph, making it easier for readers to follow and understand the writer's arguments.

By starting with a clear point, providing solid evidence to support it, offering an explanation to elaborate on the evidence, and linking the point to the overall argument or the next paragraph, writers can create a well-organised and persuasive piece of work.

The PEEL approach is not a strict rule but rather a flexible guideline for structuring paragraphs clearly and coherently, although you can include more than one piece of evidence and corresponding explanations if needed.

Using the PEEL structure also helps writers maintain focus, avoid tangential information, and build a strong, compelling case for their thesis.

Example Paragraph

This paragraph effectively uses the PEEL approach to clearly present and support the argument that the influence of media has a profound effect on shaping people's perceptions and behaviours.

The Point is introduced in the first sentence. This is followed by Evidence, which provides examples of the effect of media exposure on individuals' views on social and political issues. The Explanation unpacks this evidence and is then supported with additional Evidence and Explanation. Finally, the Link connects this argument back to the broader context, highlighting the need to understand its impact on the public.

By structuring the paragraph in this way, the writer ensures that each component builds logically on the previous one, creating a clear and persuasive argument.

Mastering grammar in academic writing is essential for effectively communicating complex ideas and enhancing the credibility of your work.

By following the guidance provided here you can ensure your writing is clear, precise and academically rigorous.

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