Teachers will use this book as a quick but intensive way to brush up on their grammar skills and a guide to hands-on ways to teach grammar concepts. Brushing Up on Grammar: An Acts of Teaching Approach is grounded in a belief that grammar should be taught within the context of writing and reading. Of course, teachers need to know grammar to be able to teach it, something that has become harder as topics like sentence diagramming and parts of speech have disappeared from curriculums in recent years. This book provides the solid grammar foundation so necessary for teachers in the field of English/language arts. Brushing Up on Grammar illuminates the five meanings of grammar; identifies six key grammar characteristics; and covers all of the categories and labels, rules and history, research, and etymologies relative to the subject. The examples and connections here are designed first and foremost as verbal clay. With them, educators can help students mold, probe, shape, reshape, and above all, enjoy their acts of language.