Joanne Wagner:
 
    Grammar is important in both English and foreign languages.
Where there is stickiness in understanding elements of English
grammar, there is likely to be comparable confusion in teaching a
second language.
 
    Grammar is a many-sided coin.  Teaching is going to contain both
inductive and deductive features.  There is no magic in either one
alone.
 
    Some of my college students are poor in basic grammar.  Errors
are made in written work, which remind me of ones committed by my
fifth and sixth graders.  This is scarcely something to be cheered.
Relatedly, I am still waiting to see the "creative" cognitive wonders
of students who presumably focus on "content" or "thought", instead
of letting "basic grammar" befuddle them.
 
    Essentially, little is gained by skimping in grammar.  The
chickens indeed come home to roost, when teachers weak in this area
are then trying to teach students another language.
 
    Relatedly, learning involves effort.  While there are various
useful educational aids, there is no substitute for effort.  There
really is no royal road to geometry or other disciplines.
 
Sincerely,
Richard Swerdlin
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