Is grammar important when speaking English?

I often tell English learners not to be afraid of making mistakes, that people will still understand them if they make a mistake, and to focus on communication more than perfection.

But what does this really mean? Does it mean that grammar is not important as long as you can communicate?

I think some learners have the idea that grammar is not important when you speak. It’s only important when you write. Or they think we use grammar in formal English but not in informal English.

But in fact, all types of English, spoken or written, formal or informal, are grammatical.

And good grammar supports good communication.

I want to emphasise that I do believe communication is the most important thing and that you don’t need perfect grammar in order to have a conversation. A few small mistakes won't stop people from understanding you. 

But that doesn’t mean we can just totally ignore grammar when speaking. Grammar can make your English clearer and it helps people understand you more easily.

It also gives you more confidence because you’re not having to guess if everything you say is right or not. So you feel calmer and speaking requires less effort.

It’s important to realise that not all mistakes are equal. Missing out “a” or “the” is unlikely to cause a misunderstanding. But if you mix up your verb tenses, like using the present instead of the past, your listener might get confused.

Also, remember that making an occasional mistake is normal and probably won’t get in the way of communication. But as the number of mistakes increases, the listener has to work harder to understand you.

Going back to the issue of spoken vs written English, it's true that they are different. When we speak, we use simpler language, we don’t always bother to use complete sentences, we say “um” and we change direction halfway through a sentence. 

When we write, we’re more likely to use complete and more complex sentences and a wider variety of grammatical structures, although it depends on what kind of writing we’re talking about. My WhatsApp messages are more like spoken English than formal written English!

But none of that means there is no grammar when we speak! Spoken English still needs to follow grammar rules if you want people to understand you.

Imagine if somebody says, “Friend not go ill,” what do they mean?
Who didn’t go?
Didn’t go where?
Who was ill?
In fact, we don’t even know if this is about the past, present or future.

Without tenses, correct word order or linking words, it’s difficult or impossible to understand the intended meaning.

In contrast, “I didn’t went to see my friend because she was ill” has just one mistake. Can you spot it? But now the meaning is clear.

So don't wait until your grammar is perfect before you start speaking. And don't worry if you still make a few mistakes.

But don't ignore grammar either. Every grammar point you learn gives you another tool to express yourself more clearly and confidently.

You don't actually need to know the names of all the tenses or parts of speech or be able to explain all the rules. But you do need to be able to put words together in such a way that other people will understand you.

You can learn that through grammar study, through lots of reading and listening, or – best of all, in my opinion – a combination of both.

Remember, communication is the goal. Grammar is one of the tools that helps you achieve it.


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