One of the main aims of The York Dictionary of English Grammar is to clarify this confusion. Current theories and systems of grammar are assessed and explained, and grammatical terminologies both old and new are clearly defined. Several entries in the dictionary trace the historical development of English grammar; other entries, notably those on word classes and types of clauses and sentences, show a continuity between the pre-1950s model and some current models.
Grammar, for some linguists, is an end in itself. The York Dictionary of English Grammar takes a more pragmatic approach in the belief that the realization as well as the source of grammar lies in the writing and speech of the language user.