This paper comments on a range of specific grammatical phenomena which support the view that grammatical regularities can be ascribed to the grammaticization process, that is to certain strategies people use in negotiating what they have to say with their hearers, in terms of what the hearer is likely to know or be able to identify, what needs to be highlighted or presented as newsworthy, and so forth. This suggests that grammar is best considered as something like 'sedimented conversational practices'.