A perfect grammatist's view of a beautifully written article.
It is not that I don't like grammar class. I hate it. One doesn't need poetic skills to admire a beautiful girl. A passion for beauty will do. If that is the case, why does one need to know all the intricacies of grammar? It is the world that a linguist may find priceless treasures in. For a casual traveler, comfort and convenience are the priorities. A little bit of geography would be an advantage, but not the minute topographic details. When a person has read so much of noted authors, and has written good language for quite some time, what is the real need for him or her to dig deeper into the ever stretching cave of linguistic algorithms?
A sentence, they say, is a group of words that give a meaning. When the writer is able to communicate effectively with the reader, what is the point in stressing on the knowledge of grammatical jargons? How will the mere knowing of the terms like antecedent disagreement, dangling modifiers, contractions and comma splices help the effectiveness of communication? The grammar teacher says that the right usage of components of grammar depends on the context. It makes me wonder whether the context lead to grammar or vice versa.
Grammar is a composition of widely accepted sets of rules for effective and universal communication of the language. If the ultimate purpose is fulfilled, why go for a hard and fast affliction towards this quaint chord of inflexibility? Grammar is supposed to make the use of language easier. If grammar itself becomes tougher, there is no other go. I quit the class.
2 comments:
You fall in the category of Tamil Politicians - I don't mean it in a wrong sense. You might have seen people delivering great talks amidst huge crowds, yet,if you look at the qualifications of the speakers, you might find that most of them hardly have graduated out of school. Well, yet, they give excerpts from ancient tamil literature, and more importantly, without VISIBLE errors. They gain it by looking, observing and following the talks of their leaders. Yes, for the same reason, you don't need a grammar class. Right from your childhood you have enjoyed teachers and friends talking English and you hardly see the difference between Tamil and English. There are people who learn English as a subject - they've to start from the scratch and they DO need grammar. For a person who mastered in a field, no need for the basics. But for a person who is yet to get the hang of what he learns, basics are important - and grammar is one.
Whatever topic you take up you end up convincing the reader. This time also you did - and I'm just showing you the other side of the coin ;)
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