The syntax of Indian English, as opposed to phonology and lexis, is said to conform most to standard British English. There are some who believe that Indian English tends to be stylistically different from Western standards, even if it is syntactically close to standard British or American English. It is considered to be more formal, with a preference for certain syntactic forms. Debate marks this issue. As in the case of the phonology of Indian English, syntax too may be placed on a cline – this time of proficiency. The more proficient speakers, with exposure to Western standards, tend to use a form of the grammar that is very close to standard British English (BE) or American English (AE).The less proficient have features that may be identified as typically Indian. Again, the degree to which Indian features figure in the speech/writing of Indians varies from individual to individual.

Most people would agree that a standard variety of IE is close to native varieties. In fact, Dustoor (1968) and Krishnaswamy and Burde (1998) give samples of writing from India and other regions to demonstrate that it is not possible to identify IE. Schneider (2004) points out that there is no consensus as to the amount and nature of differences between native varieties of English. While some believe that there is great homogeneity, others think that there are perceivable differences.