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Date: | Mon, 13 Sep 2010 07:22:35 -0700 |
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It indicates to me that he wasn't taught it and hasn't thought about it, so he
doesn't (read: can't) follow a consistent pattern. This argues for teaching
grammar as a separate discipline, as opposed to the currently-popular preference
for nudging students toward good grammar in their writing, all the while not
correcting errors, which to some is "playing gotcha".
Can quarterbacks and surgeons and chefs and small-engine mechanics become
proficient without instruction and drill in the basics of their trades? It makes
no sense to me to imagine that writers can become good at their trade without
learning the basics. "Here's the ball and here's the club and you just go out
there and see if you can hit it. He won the Masters last year but if you
approach your game with confidence, you can beat him." Yeah, right.
.brad.mon.13sept10.This from an old friend, a graduate of (name deleted to
protect the guilty) with a degree in English, and a former editor of the (name
deleted to protect the co-conspirator). Ignore the content.
"I just got a call from Sam saying Sally had died last week. She had been
ill for several years, which he said explains why we haven't heard much from
them. She died in a nursing home where Sam says she got wonderful care."
What's interesting to me is that there are two erroneous "hads" in the first two
sentences, and yet none in the last.
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