What is the difference between a regular grammar and a context-free grammar?

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What is the difference between a regular grammar and a context-free grammar?

The main difference between a regular grammar and a context-free grammar lies in the types of rules they use and the languages they generate.

A regular grammar is a type of formal grammar that consists of production rules where the left-hand side is a single non-terminal symbol and the right-hand side is either a single terminal symbol or a single terminal symbol followed by a single non-terminal symbol. Regular grammars are used to generate regular languages, which can be recognized by finite automata.

On the other hand, a context-free grammar is a type of formal grammar that consists of production rules where the left-hand side is a single non-terminal symbol and the right-hand side can be any combination of terminal and non-terminal symbols. Context-free grammars are used to generate context-free languages, which can be recognized by pushdown automata.

In summary, the main difference between a regular grammar and a context-free grammar is the type of rules they use and the languages they generate. Regular grammars generate regular languages, while context-free grammars generate context-free languages.