grammatial variations

dialects

• dialects can differ not just on words but also on a grammatical level

what is syntax

the arrangement or order of words and phrases which create sentences

what is morphology

the study of the structure of words

northern and midlands accents

• ‘was’ is often replaced by ‘were’ and vice versa

• “i were going to go to the shop”

• “it’s fine if you was going to go”

some south eastern dialects

• use singular past tense verb ‘to be’ in all grammatical constructions

• “you was going yk be asking me another time”

• this is referred to as incorrect syntax or disagreement across subject/verb order

• all sentences, to be grammatically correct, must have a subject (noun) performing an action (verb) and the verb must grammatically match with the noun in order to have correct syntax

multiple negation

• double negatives used together to attempt to make a positive, this makes meaning unclear so the syntax is incorrect

• however they can sometimes be used to make a point emphasised