Grammar & Writing


They’re not really getting it! Many students are unaware of the true meaning of Grammar and suffer from “grammaritis”. What is Grammar? It is the way that spoken and written words are put together to form clear communication. Grammar is the basic building block of any language and needs to be taught before the writing process can begin. Can we expect a Lawyer to practice in his field before he or she has learned the basic principles of law?

Lack of sufficient English language skills in order to communicate effectively is dumming down our children. In this modern highly developed technological world, the ability to communicate is essential and our students are losing ground. They are not really getting it! As expectations of the global market grow higher, English grammar skills in many elementary and high school students are dropping lower.

The effect of poor Grammar skills may be felt across the world. For instance, the inability to communicate clearly is directly responsible for billions of dollars spent on the recall of shawdy products, poorly installed auto parts and countless other malfunctions in the manufacturing industry. If the fellow worker cannot get his point across and make himself understood, what are the chances of producing a quality product? I think you know the answer to that.

Moreover, test standards are being lowered to accommodate the lack of grammar and language skills, yet the textbook comprehension skills remain high. For example, Wikipedia, although very informative, uses vocabulary and grammar far above the norm of the high school student. What is the result? There is lowered comprehension and students are unable to complete their assignments.

Grammar is not being taught effectively at the level required to sustain an educated culture. Basic grammar rules and terms are being swept under the educational carpet called lack of time or lack of importance. Students cannot write at the grade level required. Even Colleges and universities have had to lower their English entrance standards to accept students; otherwise, the classes would be empty.

Let’s face it; things are not going to get any better unless something is done to change the current trend. We need proactive solutions. We need to wake up to the fact that the level of Grammar has slipped down so far that students have developed slang to communicate amongst themselves. Parents can’t even understand what little Johnny is saying.

Parents and Teachers need to demand improvement in the standard of grammar being taught, if it is taught at all. Without adequate grammar skills, how can we expect our children to write effective paragraphs and essays? How can we expect them to keep our culture high in rich academic tradition, as did our for-fathers, Shakespeare, Sir Reginald Scot, John Howard Staunton and Ben Jon-son just to mention a few.

What Is The Answer? • Reinstate grammar instruction as a basic requirement with no lowered standard. • Bring back a comprehensive grammar program for ESL as well as mainstream English classes. • Give the English language back to the common boy and girl. • Tutor students to apply the skills of grammar for written communication, like paragraph and essay writing. • The information on grammar does exist and can be learned. Let’s teach it and give our new leaders a fighting chance to become literate.