ABSTRACT
We begin this chapter by outlining three conceptions of grammar, which we term traditional, formal, and functional perspectives. We then focus on a functional perspective and how it can inform the work of literacy educators by providing an analysis of a text produced by an Australian tenth grader. We conclude with a brief discussion of how a functional perspective on grammar has been taken up in the United States as a way of supporting teachers and their students in negotiating the demands of changing social, political, and economic forces in education.
