| The first English grammar, Pamphlet for Grammar by William Bullokar |
| William Lily’s Latin grammar, Rudimenta Grammatices (1534) |
| Lily’s grammar was being used in schools in England at the time, having been “prescribed” for them in 1542 by Henry VIII. |
| Although Bullokar wrote his grammar in English and used a “reformed spelling system” of his own invention, many English grammars, for much of the century after Bullokar’s effort, were to be written in Latin; this was especially the case for books whose authors were aiming to be scholarly. |
| Christopher Cooper’s Grammatica Linguæ Anglicanæ (1685) was the last English grammar written in Latin. |
| Latin grammar traditions bore down oppressively on early English grammar writing. |
| Any attempt by one author to assert an independent grammatical rule for English was quickly followed by declarations by others of the truth of the corresponding Latin-based equivalent. |
| As late as the early nineteenth century, Lindley Murray, the author of a widely used grammar, was having to cite “grammatical authorities” to bolster the claim that grammatical cases in English are different from the ones in Ancient Greek or Latin. |
| The focus on tradition belied the role that other social forces had begun to play in the early seventeenth century. |
| Increasing commerce, and the social changes in its wake, created a new impetus for grammar writing. |
| The greater British role in international trade in the second half of the century, created a demand for English grammars among speakers of other languages. |
| Quite a few English grammars were published in European languages. |
| Grammars were also being written for “non-learned, native-speaker audiences” in Britain, such as women, merchants, tradesmen, and children. |
| As education and literacy had become more widespread by the early eighteenth century, many grammars, such as John Brightland‘s A Grammar of the English tongue (1759) and James Greenwood‘s Essay towards a practical English grammar, were intended for those without a Latin background, including the “fair sex” and children. |