Language is common to every living thing on Earth and each human being knows at least one if not two languages, in terms of writing and speaking. To know a language is having the essential structure on how to use the language effectively in different environment in spite of whether you have the vocabulary to do so or not. According to Oxford Dictionary, grammar is described as a way in which words are put together to form proper sentences. It is a set of rules of a language which includes phonology (the study of sound system), morphology (structure of words), syntax (how words can be combined to form phrases and sentences), semantics (study of the meaning of linguistic expression) and lexicon (mental dictionary of words). Grammar can be divided into 2 areas: descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar.
Descriptive grammar is defined as the systematic study of the description of a language. It represents the unconscious knowledge human beings have in them. It refers to the structure of a language as it is actually used by the speakers or writers. It is how we describe the language according to the sound patterns, meaning of words and rules of combination. .
Prescriptive grammar is a set of rule directing how a language should or should not be used instead of how it is actually used. It deals with how the linguists consider to be right or wrong. Inability to follow the rules will lead to incorrect use of grammar. It contrasts with descriptive grammar.
You may have heard to never end a sentence with a preposition. That is prescriptive grammar. For example, "Who were you talking to? " While this is acceptable for society, it is grammatically incorrect if you use prescriptive grammar. The correct and acceptable sentence should be "To whom were you talking? " But in the world we are currently living in, society prefers the first one and not the latter. You would be deemed being too "formal " or peculiar by the society if you decided to use the second sentence although it is grammatically correct.
