As I recall, this is about how my freshman year in high school went, as
well. In addition to that, of course, we had a list of required books to
read/discuss/report on - so we got it all. Then again...if I remember right
that year I was placed into a college-prep English classroom (my school had
different classes for different student "levels" based on junior high school
testing), so this might not have been a school-wide thing as much as a
that-class thing.
I definitely remember learning to diagram sentences that year. I found it a
lot of fun.
(As a humorous aside, guess that showed something about me, even then!)
This was all back in circa 1982-83, which is why my memory is a tad faulty.
One of the best things I did for myself when I entered my Graduate program
was start with the undergraduate level course "Teaching English Grammar."
While primarily designed for primary/secondary ed students, it was a great
refresher, got me caught up on the current thinking regarding grammar, and
really helped me set my stage for my own studies and career aspirations.
I guess what shocked me was how many of my fellow classmates (the vast
majority) really had not had any grammar instruction outside of early
elementary school. I didn't think our "generations" were that far apart
until I learned that most kids just aren't taught that way anymore. Quite a
learning experience, that was.
As far as Craig (I think it was Craig) and his question about the utility of
grammar to professional writers - well, *this* professional writer finds her
grasp of grammar to be a huge advantage. Not just in writing/publication,
but just in the expression of my ideas. If I can't express my ideas well,
I'll never get them across well enough. It also makes the editing process
smoother, since I can take any given sentence I write, restructure it along
various "grammatical routes," and give it more, or less, impact, depending
on my intent. I'm also not aware of a particular study on this, but as
anecdotal evidence, grammar is fundamental to my ability to do my work!
-patty
-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 10:00 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: ATEG Digest - 18 Dec 2008 to 19 Dec 2008 (#2008-275)
In my Freshman year at Mississippi Southern, the Freshman English curriculum
devoted the first quarter to grammar, the second to usage, the third to
expression. Weekly themes were required in all three quarters. At that
time, MSC was an open-admission school that accepted all in-state high
school graduates--and some classmates were woefully deficient in knowledge
of and ability to express themselves in written English. I had graduated
from Winter Park (FL) High School, which had 1/3 of all Merit Finalists in
Central Florida--nonetheless, I benefited greatly from that curriculum.
The point should not be writing vs. grammar but writing AND grammar.
I am reminded of various students who wished to write free verse. I always
pointed out that free verse required a more in-depth understanding of the
metrics of a language than blank verse or other forms. Pope and Hopkins
were both masters of their styles; however, Pope is far easier to imitate
than Hopkins.
Scott Catledge
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