Grammar Webquest: Shawna Blumenschein

To comprehend and use any language effectively it is vital to have a firm understanding of the rules that govern the language and the elements of a sentence. The parts of speech - such as an adjective and adverb - are the building blocks of English sentences and thus it is important to understand what function they have in a sentence. Another vital part of a sentence is a verb, the action that's being performed, and the subject, the person who does or receives the action. There are some tips that will help identify the subject and verb of a sentence. Of course, one must follow these rules as well; not adhering to common conventions - such as capitalizing the first word of a sentence and proper nouns - or including all the necessary parts of speech runs the risk of not being understood by others. But where and how did these rules develop? Such a question can be answered by looking at the history of English grammar. Since the language and its rules evolved over time, understanding that history has the potential to convey additional understanding of why certain rules exist or why certain words are spelled the way they are.