What I wrote here is an excerpt of my theses, so....my apology for the rather academic style :)
In the language teaching practice, what has been done is mostly separating grammar and vocabulary as two different aspects, with more priority given to grammar. It means that learners have to master the grammar system then learn lots of words to be able to talk about anything (Lewis, 2000).
Teachers had also been encouraged to see grammar as the structure or "the bones of the language, and the vocabulary as the flesh to be added" (Hill, 2000:47).
Lewis (2000) then stressed on the importance of learning lexis, specifically, lexical chunks, over grammar since learning lexical chunks enables learners to talk about things. It is possible because lexical chunks actually carry syntactic rules.
It is also claimed that native speakers can better understand ungrammatical utterances with accurate vocabulary, than those with accurate grammar and inaccurate vocabulary (Widdowson, as cited in Zimmerman 1997).
"Without grammar little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed" (Wilkins, quoted in Lewis, 1997).
"A lexical mistakes often causes misunderstanding; while grammar mistakes rarely does" (Sinclair, cited in Lewis 1997).
No more words needed :)
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