Tuesday, February 25, 2003, 07:24 GMT
Who remembers http://www.antimoon.com/forum/2002/370.htm where I asked what the best compromise was between prescriptive and descriptive grammar?
What's your advice to someone who is teaching English either to native speakers or as a second language? How strict should they be about grammar? Grammar needs to be taught, teachers can't just tell their students that anything goes. However, on the other hand, there are some rules that are worth bringing into question.
Some of these rules are rules derived from Latin grammar that gramarians of yesteryear tried to force on English. One such rule is that you should never end a sentence with a preposition. Simon points out that once when told off for bracking this rule, Winston Churchill reputedly answered "Madame, that is a rule up with which I shall not put."
Now, I'm going to be a smart-arse and argue that "Madame, that is a rule I shall not put up with." doesn't break the rule because "put up with" is a phrasal verb so you're not ending the sentence with a preposition but a three word verb. Be that as it may, Churchill would have got his message across: there are some rules that we shouldn't bother with.
We shouldn't be too strict but where do we draw the line? Sentences like "I wish I was rich.", "I didn't do it yet." and "All swans are not white." just sound wrong to me. Whereas using the word "aint", ending a clause with a preposition and spliting and infinitive I can handle. What's your view on the rules of grammar? What should an English teacher tell their students?.
What's your advice to someone who is teaching English either to native speakers or as a second language? How strict should they be about grammar? Grammar needs to be taught, teachers can't just tell their students that anything goes. However, on the other hand, there are some rules that are worth bringing into question.
Some of these rules are rules derived from Latin grammar that gramarians of yesteryear tried to force on English. One such rule is that you should never end a sentence with a preposition. Simon points out that once when told off for bracking this rule, Winston Churchill reputedly answered "Madame, that is a rule up with which I shall not put."
Now, I'm going to be a smart-arse and argue that "Madame, that is a rule I shall not put up with." doesn't break the rule because "put up with" is a phrasal verb so you're not ending the sentence with a preposition but a three word verb. Be that as it may, Churchill would have got his message across: there are some rules that we shouldn't bother with.
We shouldn't be too strict but where do we draw the line? Sentences like "I wish I was rich.", "I didn't do it yet." and "All swans are not white." just sound wrong to me. Whereas using the word "aint", ending a clause with a preposition and spliting and infinitive I can handle. What's your view on the rules of grammar? What should an English teacher tell their students?.