A Concise Guide to English Grammar

Glossary 2.7 Glossary

Critical period hypothesis.

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The theory that there is a window in early childhood during which language acquisition is easiest and most complete; after this period, language learning becomes more difficult.

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Descriptive rule.

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A pattern that describes how speakers actually use language; acquired naturally through exposure rather than explicit instruction.

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Hypercorrection.

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An incorrect use of language that results from an attempt to apply a prescriptive rule in contexts where it doesn’t belong (e.g., using “whom” as a subject because the speaker believes it sounds more formal).

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First language (L1).

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The language acquired from caregivers and community members in early childhood; also called native language.

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Inflection.

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A change in the form of a word (usually by adding an ending) to indicate grammatical features like tense, number, or case.

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Intuition (linguistic).

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A native speaker’s unconscious knowledge about what is grammatical in their language.

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Negative concord.

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The use of multiple negative elements in a sentence for emphasis; a feature of many language varieties that prescriptive grammar stigmatizes.

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Overgeneralization.

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The application of a grammatical rule to cases where it doesn’t apply (e.g., “goed” for “went”), indicating that learners are extracting rules rather than just memorizing forms.

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Prescriptive rule.

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A rule that states how language should be used according to some standard; typically taught explicitly and often based on tradition, social convention, or the usage of prestigious groups.

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Preposition stranding.

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Leaving a preposition at the end of a clause rather than fronting it with its object; natural in English despite prescriptive objections.

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Register.

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A variety of language appropriate for a particular context, audience, or purpose (e.g., formal, informal, technical).

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Second language (L2).

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Any language learned after the first language is established; L2 acquisition typically requires more explicit instruction than L1 acquisition.

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Serial comma (Oxford comma).

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A comma placed before the final conjunction in a series of three or more items (e.g., “red, white, and blue”).

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Singular “they”.

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The use of “they” to refer to a single person, especially when the person’s gender is unknown or nonbinary; increasingly accepted in standard usage.

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Split infinitive.

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An infinitive with an adverb placed between “to” and the verb (e.g., “to boldly go”); prohibited by prescriptive tradition but widely used by good writers.

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Standard variety.

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The variety of a language that is used in formal and institutional contexts and typically associated with education and social prestige.

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Style guide.

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A publication that prescribes rules for writing, including matters of grammar, punctuation, and formatting (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).

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Tacit knowledge.

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Knowledge that speakers have and use without conscious awareness; the implicit grammatical knowledge that allows native speakers to judge sentences.

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