I don't doubt that many famous writers have done "quite well without having studied grammar." I am wondering though if you have some documented instances in mind. I think that it would be instructive to contemplate some specific examples. (I already know about Homer and the other Greeks pre-Aristotle.) On Thu, 15 Feb 2001, Richard Veit, UNCW English Department wrote: > At 02:10 PM 02/15/2001 -0600, Mary Evans wrote: > >The problem is not so much with spoken English, but with written English, > >and it seems to me there is a big difference between mastering speaking and > >mastering writing. High school students often have not even mastered the > >art of beginning sentences with capital letters and ending them with periods > >(the conventions of English), much less the finer points of the language. > >You DO have to be taught how to write in your own and in second languages. > >It does not come naturally. > > Asolutely. But written conventions such as capital letters and punctuation > aren't "grammar," as linguists use the term. Nouns and verbs and > appositives are grammar. Many famous writers have done quite well without > having studied grammar. Of course, as a grammarian, I highly recommend > studying grammar. > > Dick Veit > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/