[Lecture One] Principles of Grammar
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 2 hours, 4 minutes
Course summary: In this course, Dr. Peikoff explores the epistemological roots of the science of grammar. In it, he illustrates how an understanding of the basic methods of combining words into sentences is essential to clear thinking and writing. Each lecture contains student exercises that should be completed prior to the end of the lecture. Read more »
In this lecture: In this lecture, Dr. Peikoff reviews the basic conceptual foundations of grammar and indicates the objective roots of grammatical rules. He explains the basic parts of a sentence and the parts of speech to be used in parsing sentences.
Study Guide
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| Provide your own basic definition of grammar. |
| What are the two branches of grammar and what do they relate to conceptually? |
| What are the two incorrect theories about the source of grammatical rules? |
| Indicate one unique thing about English grammar that creates a set of grammatical standards. |
| Why does a valid rule of grammar not necessarily apply universally to all languages? |
| In terms of grammar, what is a complete thought? |
| Why is the conceptual or intellectual unity of a sentence so important? |
| What are the bare minimum necessities to make a complete thought? What are the grammatical names for these? |
| What is the grammatical definition of a phrase? |
| What are some examples of phrases? |
| What is the grammatical definition of a clause? |
| Review the parts of speech related to the subject including nouns and noun equivalents. |
| Review how verbs work as predicates and how verbals work. |
| How do we differentiate the simple subject and simple predicate from other parts of a sentence? |
| What are the four things an adverb can modify? |