3229: Grammar

2026-04-07T04:45:58Z

121.45.203.235: Rewrote the "Words order words random words words random good" explanation to make it more accurate. (but I think I also made it a bit too technical/confusing) Also, I added a bit to the section which explains the title text.

{{comic
| number = 3229
| date = April 6, 2026
| title = Grammar
| image = grammar_2x.png
| imagesize = 227x312px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Communication is one of the most popular ways to transmit information, ahead of rivals such as
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

[[Miss Lenhart]] is shown teaching a classroom about {{w|grammar}}. Grammar is a system and set of rules to describe how a certain language is structured. This is useful to make communication and meaning standardized and clear with little to no difficulty for parsing. In this comic, Miss Lenhart claims that grammar is "''one'' of the most popular ways to structure a language". She also presents two alternative methods (though it could be interpreted as a list of four items without commas to split it up) that competed to substitute grammar, yet evidently never took off to be implemented for practical use. Despite seeming nonsensical, they've gained their own endonyms:

;Words order words random words words random good
:This alternate to grammar likely has very loose rules around structure, as it consists of simply stating words that relate directly to the idea being conveyed. (As opposed to normal grammar, which focuses on linking together many words to form a single coherent idea.)

;EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
:This is the strangest of the two. It might be referencing a scream as a form of communication (albeit an unreliable one).

The title text continues Lenhart's lecture, as she moves on to {{w|communication}} and its rival alternatives, similar to the subject of grammar, but seems to cut off before naming the first one. This may reference {{w|nonverbal communication}} (which is communication without oral means), but this is a subset of communication. Either Miss Lenhart has transferred into another mode of transmitting information to self-demonstrate (that may be impossible to render textually) or lack thereof, as the sudden stop in the middle of the sentence could be a joke for how there no other ways to convey information without communication. Still, this doesn't rule out other possible alternatives to communication, as Lenhart implies that other methods exist. If communication is defined as successful transmission of information, it is possible she is referring to some sort of method/s that attempts, but fails to transmit information. Nonetheless, self-demonstrating lack of communication would not be useful in this setting without further explanation, as abruptly ceasing to provide more information could instill confusion in her students.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[Miss Lenhart is teaching in a classroom. Two students can be seen sitting at desks in front of her, [[Cueball]] in the first row and [[Megan]] in the second row.]
:Miss Lenhart: '''Grammar''' is one of the most popular ways to structure a language, ahead of rival methods such as '''''words order words random words words random good''''' and '''''EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''''.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3229: Grammar