Why Learn English Grammar If AI Can Fix Everything?

If you ask an English language teacher like me if grammar is important, of course, I'll say yes. But why? Why invest the time and effort? Don't some people learn a language without studying grammar? And if you have to write email or anything else these days, you can just ask ChatGPT to fix everything and make it sound good, right? Okay, I'm ready to take on this challenge. Hi. I'm Jennifer, and as an English teacher and a language learner, I'd like to give you ten reasons why you should learn grammar. 1. Grammar is absolutely essential for clear communication. You've probably heard these comparisons. Grammar is the glue that holds language together. Grammar is the backbone of language. And you know what? It's true. Let me prove it. No grammar. No structure. Understanding. Bad. Did you understand my meaning? If you did, you had to guess and fill in missing words. I wasn't using complete sentences. How about this? Organizes. Grammar. Ideas clearly. This time I had all the words, but they were out of sequence. Let me use standard word order. Look. Grammar is a set of standard patterns that people understand and follow. If you don't use the standard patterns, you risk not being understood. 2. It's hard to pick up all the grammar you need as a language learner without any direct study. I agree that reading and listening to good models is not only helpful, but also necessary. But can you pick up all the structures for effective communication without any formal study? No teacher. No textbooks. No grammar resources. Some people are quite good at recognizing patterns. It gets easier to do this when you start studying more languages. But what happens when there's no one to correct you, guide you, or explain those patterns? You're sometimes left guessing. You can learn by trial and error, but this can be frustrating. And while you don't need perfect grammar, you do need accurate grammar. If you lack accuracy, you will not be an effective communicator. Studying grammar directly, especially with a teacher, can help erase doubts and increase your accuracy. A teacher can present grammar in a way that conversation cannot. Teachers can create noticing tasks like this. We were often confused. If you see these examples, it's rather easy to answer the question, When does an adverb of frequency come before or after a verb? The answer? Put the adverb after the verb BE and before other verbs. Over time, nonstandard grammar becomes fossilized, meaning fixed and hard to change. And this negatively affects the quality of your speech. If someone doesn't learn standard word order with adverbs of frequency, will the world end? No. Can they still get a job if they don't use subject-verb agreement and say, But when inaccuracies accumulate, they can create problems. Fossilized mistakes become a regular part of your speech. You aren't aware that your speech isn't following the standard patterns. It all makes sense to you because this is how you've been talking for a long time. But your listener or reader has to work harder to understand you. Imagine someone tells you their plans like this. We can understand the meaning, but this kind of speech lacks accuracy. Here are those statements again with standard grammar. Much clearer now, right? A lack of accuracy means a lack of clarity. A lack of clarity means weak communication. My question is, do you want to be a strong communicator? Do you want others to see you as a strong communicator? No matter what profession you're in, strong communication skills are valued. If you're a strong communicator, people will value you because you express yourself well. It's not about knowing a lot of terminology or memorizing charts. It means taking the time to master standard patterns. Standard grammar will serve you best in the greatest number of situations. Mastery of grammar allows you to speak not just correctly, but also appropriately. Speaking correctly isn't enough. Why? Because speaking correctly doesn't always mean that it's the most appropriate language for the situation. For example, both these questions are grammatically correct. A is more formal. B is more everyday English. If you know grammar well, you can adjust your language to the circumstances. It's partly how you want to be seen, heard, and understood. Don't you want control over that? If you understand the parts of speech and syntax, you'll have better understanding of English pronunciation. Just watch my lesson on fast speech. Once you understand what content words are, you hold the key to understanding stress, which creates rhythm in English. And when you learn vocabulary, it's not enough to study the definitions. You need to learn the grammar so that you can accurately use the words. If it's a noun, is it countable or uncountable? Can you make it plural? If it's a verb, is it transitive or intransitive? Does it take an object? If it's an adjective, which prepositions naturally follow? Yes, you can open up your favorite AI tool and have it correct all your mistakes. But then you're giving up the chance to explore your learning potential. Let me tell you something. There is joy in being competent. There is confidence in mastering a skill. It's natural for all living things to grow. Why deny our nature? Is stagnation, meaning no growth, really preferable? Learning grammar expands our mind and strengthens our communication skills. Developing language competence is a choice. And choice empowers us. Why do you want to fly on autopilot? You're the pilot in command. You're the captain of the ship. You're the driver. Don't give up your ability to make choices. You have the responsibility to accept or reject AI suggestions based on your knowledge and experience. As humans, we must make use of our critical thinking skills to evaluate information and make an informed decision. Back in 2009, two American pilots experienced dual-engine failure due to a bird strike. Captain Chelsea Sully-Sullenberger chose to make a water landing on the Hudson River. He and his human co-pilot read the instrumentation, reviewed recommended procedures, but ultimately chose to follow their intuition. Both were experienced pilots. Their choice paid off. And not a single passenger or crew member died that day. No one will die if we make a grammar mistake, but we are the authors of our words. We must take ownership of them. Don't fly on autopilot. AI can make suggestions, but will you blindly accept everything it tells you to say and write? I'm not saying you have to spend hours a day learning grammar, but why not acquire enough knowledge so that you can make informed decisions? We all carry a calculator with us thanks to our phones. We can use our calculator at any time. However, we all learned at least basic math skills. We understand the process of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. We can do it if and when we need to. Similarly, language learners should have a basic understanding of syntax, punctuation, and some more advanced concepts like parallel structure. We should all understand what's being checked so that we can accept or reject suggested edits. Last summer, I gave my son a copy of Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. He read it, and we talked about it only briefly. That fall, in one of his psychology classes, a professor asked if anyone had read Man's Search for Meaning. Faster than anyone who had chat GPT on their phones, my son raised his hand. He knew the story of this Holocaust survivor, and he had a basic understanding of Frankl's logotherapy, a form of psychotherapy. Did the seed planted in the summer grow? Yes. This spring, my son is studying abroad, and he's been traveling throughout Europe. Recently, he visited Poland, and he toured Auschwitz. He's studied history more than most, but I know that Viktor Frankl's account as a concentration camp survivor added a layer of depth to his visit. My point is that taking the time to complete an activity, like reading, can have unexpected benefits. My son is not an expert on Viktor Frankl or logotherapy, but he's already found applications of the small amount of knowledge that he acquired on these topics. Trust me. Studying grammar will help you in more ways than I can name. I've worked with many students, and the ones who communicate with the most confidence and accuracy have all had some direct study of grammar. Some explanation and practice with a teacher can strengthen your communication skills. Certain things in this world aren't meant to be easy. Language proficiency is not supposed to be handed to anyone in seconds after typing in a prompt. It's acquired with effort and time. AI can make things easier for us, and we'd be silly to completely reject this support. But the acquisition of knowledge and the opportunities to synthesize and apply it are part of our human experience. We should embrace our humanity even when making use of AI. 10. Learning grammar can be fun. If you find grammar boring, learn with different teachers. Find teachers whose style and methodology you like. I've played grammar games with private students. In some of my videos, I've used real and made-up stories. Storytelling can be an interesting and effective way to study grammar. Don't say grammar's boring. Find the right approach, and it won't be. You don't have to become a grammar expert, but some direct study of grammar can benefit you. In conclusion, let me remind you that we are meant to grow. Every day is an opportunity to learn. You can let AI offer convenience and support, but don't give up your birthright to grow. Learning grammar is an investment in your communication skills and your intellectual abilities. You are worth the investment. If you'd like to study with me and receive my support and guidance, then join the English with Jennifer community on Patreon where we practice all skills for confident, effective communication. The link is in the video description. That's all for now. Thanks for watching and happy studies!