Prescriptive vs descriptive

2. Descriptive vs Prescriptive
Grammar
By : Shamien, Yuha, Wahida, Sazwani,
Syahir

4. Descriptive Grammar
…is a set of rules about language based on how it is
actually used.
No right or wrong language.
Approach:
Observe principles that describe the way the language is actually
spoken.
The goal of the descriptive approach is a description and
knowledge of rules (principles) of how the language is actually
spoken

5. Some descriptive rules of English
Auxilary verbs come before the subject in questions
Form the plural of a noun by adding -s
Eg : What has she done?
NOT
What she has done?
Eg : Three books
NOT
Three book

7. …cont
• DG attempts to DESCRIBE the phonological,
morphological and syntactic rules that native speakers (L1)
INTUITIVELY follow.
• When a descriptive RULE is VIOLATED, it is very apparent
to the L1 of the language.
• Violation = makes a sentence sound unnatural/weird.
• Descriptive rules are followed EFFORTLESSLY by L1.

8. PRESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR
• "prescribes" how speakers should use the
language.
• rules about the structure of a language.
• deals with what the grammarian believes to
be right and wrong, good or bad language use;
not following the rules will
generate incorrect language

10. Some Prescriptive Rules of English
Don’t split infinitives.
Eg : To boldly go where no one has gone before.
Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.
Eg : “What is she talking about?”
Don’t use WHO in place of WHOM.
Eg : “Who did you call?”

13. Capitalization of the first letter in a sentence.
Eg : The television is broken. It needs to be fixed.
Use subject pronouns after the verb to be.
Eg : It was I who called you.
NOT
It was me who called you.
The subject of a sentence must agree with the verb .
Eg : The instructions are clear.
NOT
The instructions is clear.

14. Cont…
• People may violate the prescriptive grammar
rule without even knowing it.
• Violation may IMPROVE the NATURALNESS of
the sentence.
• Prescriptive rules are :
– Effortful to follow
– Need to be taught
– Need to be memorised

15. Prescriptive Approach
• Attitudes toward language based on what is
held to be “correct” by socially prestigious
elements and by teachers
• This attitude evinces complete disregard for
the way a community actually speaks.

16. Advantages
DESCRIPTIVE PRESCRIPTIVE
• Helps learners to speak
and write like L1.
•Reduces learners’
confusion when they
speak with L1
• When the learners know
the rules, it is easier for
them to write in the
target language.
• Produces better writers.

17. Disadvantages
DESCRIPTIVE PRESCRIPTIVE
• Difficult for teachers to decide on
which dialect and usage of language
to teach.
•If one specific-commonly-spoken
dialect is chosen, students may have
difficulty to speak with L1 who speaks
with a different dialect.
•Not appropriate for beginning
learners because the rules are not
precise.
• L2 will be confused when they speak
to L1- as L1 speakers do not speak
with the grammar as stated in the
book.
• Can’t be able to speak/ write like L1
–because they use standard
grammar-don’t know how L1 use the
language.
•Feel bored of learning grammar rules
all the time.

19. Summary
• Both Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar are
concerned with rules.
Descriptive Grammar (linguists)
- study the rules or patterns.
Prescriptive Grammar (teachers, editors)
- lay out rules about what they believe to be the
“correct” or “incorrect” use of language.

20. Reference
http://grammar.about.com/od/basicsentence
grammar/f/descpresgrammar.html
http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/descri ptive-
grammar.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is- descriptive-
grammar.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is- prescriptive-
grammar.html