This paper focuses on graphics and how they can be created, in real time, from information stored in a database, and the application of this technique to computer-assisted instruction (CAI). It is noted that this is a special case of the general trend towards endowing instructional systems with a degree of decision-making or design expertise, as it requires that the system not only present information in a variety of graphic formats to satisfy the requirements of a large repertoire of instructional strategies, but also that the system decide upon the format in which information is to be presented during instruction. A generalized model of an intelligent CAI system composed of a database, a collection of rules, and an interface is discussed, as well as a grammar for graphics which represents the decision rules of a linguistic model of such a system. The three components of the grammar are also discussed, i.e., syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. A program which allows the user to interact with a database and retrieve information in either textual or graphic formats is then described to illustrate how a grammar of graphics might operate. Diagrams of the intelligent CAI, linguistic, and program models are appended, and 50 references are listed. (MES)