Grammar is the skill of knowing language.  Grammar is the “who, what, when, where, and how” of understanding and knowledge.  It is how we combine the elements of language; subject and verb tense, punctuation, spelling, and other linguistic mechanics.  Grammar lays the groundwork for effective communication.  It is for this reason that libraries are full of texts expounding the importance of the study of this science.  These texts even use clever titles to illustrate the importance to the subject, such as, “Eats, Shoots & Leaves,” by Lynne Truss, which features panda bears arranging punctuation marks.  The alternative, without the comma, results in a completely different interpretation – eats shoots and leaves – which explains the presence of the pandas. But, why is it important for Freemasons to study this?

Our eminent Brother Albert Mackey said, “God created man the participant of reason and as he willed him to be a social being he bestowed upon him the gift of language in the perfecting of which there are three aids: the first is Grammar, which rejects from language all solecisms and barbarous expressions; the second is Logic, which is occupied with the truthfulness of language; and the third is Rhetoric, which seeks only the adornment of language.”  Simply put, Masons are prompted to study grammar because it helps us to express our thoughts and feelings more effectively, thus making ourselves better men.

“In order to communicate his own interpretation of the symbolism of any topic of organized learning, as well as what he learns from the natural world around him, the study of grammar, regardless of the age of the individual, is pivotal” (The Masonic Philosophical Society, 2017).  Grammar therefor, as a tool, is intended to assist us in conveying ideas and bringing consensus, not division.  To teach and to understand differences, an enlightened person concerns himself with the study of communication.  This, fundamentally, is the study of the grammar of language.