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The ‘English Grammar Day’ is an annual event open to the public, with a wide range of speakers, to discuss the role of grammar in the English language curriculum.
A day of talks and discussion on aspects of English grammar
Are you sat down or sitting down while reading this? Have you got or do you have a preference for one form over the other? English has a number of ways of expressing the same concept, and with approximately 400 million mother-tongue speakers and an estimated 1.4 billion non-native speakers it has become a diverse, flexible language that continues to adapt, evolve – and provoke strong reactions. You only need to search for #grammar on Twitter to see what we mean!
Developments in the National Curriculum for England have placed grammar in schools at centre stage once more, and divided opinion among politicians, teachers, linguists and journalists, as well as the wider public, on how and whether it should be taught. How have teachers implemented changes to their teaching and learning programmes to adapt to the new syllabuses, assessment criteria and tests? What resources are available for students, teachers and the general public to learn more about English grammar, and how reliable are they? What is or should be the role of English grammar teaching in schools today and why is this so controversial? What do teachers, professionals, academics and the general public feel is the cultural and educational significance of knowledge about the language?
Join us for a day of talks and discussion, and feel free to ask our panel of experts to explore any aspect of English grammar from ain’t to innit.
Our Next Event
The next English Grammar Day will take place on 7 July 2025.
History
The first English Grammar Day was held at the British Library in 2014. It was a great success, attracting interest from school teachers and pupils, the wider public and grammar enthusiasts. It has been repeated every year ever since, except for a gap in 2020 and 2021 at the height of the Covid pandemic.
In 2022 it restarted, again in-person, at University College London. The English Grammar Day returned to the British Library in 2024.
- English Grammar Day 2025 (7 July)
- English Grammar Day 2024
- English Grammar Day 2023
- English Grammar Day 2022
Earlier events were published on the British Library website. Their timetables are listed below.
2014 Timetable
| 09:30-10:00 | Registration |
| 10:00-10:15 | Introductory words |
| 10:15-10:45 | Dick Hudson, UCL, Grammar schools and school grammars |
| 10:45-11:15 | Jonnie Robinson, British Library, If it ain’t broke don’t fix it: exploring vernacular grammar |
| 11:15-11:45 | Coffee |
| 11:45-12:15 | Bas Aarts, UCL, Introducing Englicious: a web-based platform for teaching English grammar |
| 12:15-12:45 | Debra Myhill, University of Exeter, Grammar, creativity and language play |
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch break |
| 14:00-14:30 | Lindsey Thomas, Buckinghamshire Learning Trust, The Buckinghamshire Grammar Project |
| 14:30-15:00 | David Crystal, New directions in grammar teaching |
| 15:00-15:30 | Break |
| 15:30-16.45 | Any Questions-style panel discussion chaired by John Mullan with Debbie Cameron, David Crystal, Dick Hudson, Debra Myhill and Lindsey Thomas |
| 16:45-17:00 | Closing remarks |
2015 Timetable
| 09:30-10:00 | Registration |
| 10:00-10:15 | Welcome and Introduction |
| 10:15-10:45 | Jenny Cheshire, Queen Mary, University of London, London teenagers’ grammar |
| 10:45-11:15 | Jonnie Robinson, British Library, I’m gonna like go British Library innit: celebrating vernacular English |
| 11:15-11:45 | Coffee |
| 11:45-12:15 | Dan Clayton, Colchester VI Form College, But what does it mean? Making meanings from grammar |
| 12:15-12:45 | Amanda Redfearn, Holland Park School, Literacy and Language teaching at the heart of school improvement |
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-14:30 | Charlotte Brewer, Hertford College, University of Oxford, Monarchs and minnows vs. broadband and bungee jumping: what is the job of a children’s dictionary? |
| 14:30-15:00 | Harry Ritchie, author English for the Natives: You are a grammatical genius |
| 15:00-15:30 | Tea |
| 15:30-16.45 | Any Questions-style panel discussion. Chair: John Mullan, UCL |
| 16:45-17:00 | Closing remarks |
2016 Timetable
| 09:30-10:00 | Registration |
| 10:00-10:15 | Welcome and Introduction |
| 10:15-10:45 | Deborah Cameron, Worcester College, University of Oxford, Grammar is cool: young people, new media and the popular culture of pedantry |
| 10:45-11:15 | Jonnie Robinson, British Library, Grammar on tour: grammatical variation in the UK |
| 11:15-11:45 | Coffee |
| 11:45-12:15 | Ian Cushing, Sheffield High School, Integrating grammar in the secondary English classroom |
| 12:15-12:45 | Simon Horobin, Magdalen College, University of Oxford, Does Spelling Matter? English spelling in the classroom |
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-14:30 | Michael Rosen, Goldsmiths, University of London, SPaG for Key Stage 1 and 2: how grammar got hijacked |
| 14:30-15:00 | Bas Aarts and Ellen Smith, University College London, Grammar’s not grim! How to teach it in a fun and engaging way |
| 15:00-15:30 | Tea |
| 15:30-16.45 | Any Questions-style panel discussion. Chair: Oliver Kamm, The Times |
| 16:45-17:00 | Closing remarks |
2017 Timetable
| 09:30-10:00 | Registration |
| 10:00-10:15 | Welcome and Introduction |
| 10:15-10:45 | Devyani Sharma, Queen Mary University of London, Old and new norms in World Englishes |
| 10:45-11:15 | Lucy Dipper, City University of London, Grammar in the speech and language therapy clinic |
| 11:15-11:45 | Coffee |
| 11:45-12:15 | Marcello Giovanelli, Aston University, Birmingham, Knowing about language: what, why and how? |
| 12:15-12:45 | Eleanor Trafford, Bradford Grammar School, Getting your clause into grammar in the secondary school classroom |
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-14:30 | Geoffrey Pullum, University of Edinburgh, If doctors knew medical science like writing critics know grammar, you'd be dead |
| 14:30-15:00 | Oliver Kamm, The Times, Grammar guidance in the media: the search for certainty |
| 15:00-15:30 | Tea |
| 15:30-16.45 | Any Questions-style panel discussion. Chair: John Mullan, UCL |
| 16:45-17:00 | Closing remarks |
2018 Timetable
| 09:30-10:00 | Registration |
| 10:00-10:15 | Welcome and Introduction |
| 10:15-10:45 | Jonnie Robinson, British Library, Evolving English GrammarBank |
| 10:45-11:15 | Lynne Murphy, University of Sussex, Separated by a Common Grammar: Differences between the UK and US |
| 11:15-11:45 | Coffee |
| 11:45-12:15 | Rebecca Woods, University of Huddersfield, Questions in and on child language acquisition |
| 12:15-12:45 | Suzannah Ferguson, Broke Street Primary School, Ipswich, Teachers’ perspectives on teaching and learning grammar |
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-15:00 | Professor David Crystal, How Poppy fell in love with grammar: the indispensable role of semantics and pragmatics |
| 15:00-15:30 | Tea |
| 15:30-16.45 | Any Questions-style panel discussion. Chair: John Mullan, UCL |
| 16:45-17:00 | Closing remarks |
2019 Timetable
| 09:30-10:00 | Registration |
| 10:00-10:15 | Welcome and Introduction |
| 10:15-10:45 | Charlotte Brewer, Hertford College, University of Oxford, Grammar and gender: do dictionaries keep up? |
| 10:45-11:15 | Jon Hutchinson, Reach Academy, Feltham |
| 11:15-11:45 | Coffee |
| 11:45-12:15 | David Denison, University of Manchester, So, let’s talk about 'so' |
| 12:15-12:45 | Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade, Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands, No complaint tradition in the Netherlands |
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-14:30 | Barbara Bleiman, English and Media Centre, Grammar and Reading – Necessities and Opportunities |
| 14:30-15:00 | Rob Drummond, Manchester Metropolitan University, Language and identity: In defence of the non-standard |
| 15:00-15:30 | Tea |
| 15:30-16.45 | Any Questions-style panel discussion. Chair: John Mullan, UCL |
| 16:45-17:00 | Closing remarks |