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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

I think one of the problems is that so much time is given over to encouraging children to understand  the messages in what they read and far too little to teaching them exactly how those messages are created; i.e the basic tools of writing -  grammar and syntax.

 

A couple of years ago I was asked to edit some pieces of writing to be included in an anthology of youth writing. These kids had all been hand picked to take part in a series of master classes for young writers; they were keen, intelligent, brimming over with the most amazing ideas, but they simply didn't have the basic tools to express those ideas in sentences and paragraphs.  I could more or less understand what they were trying to say, I  could see - it was  there on the paper in front of me -  the linguistic contortions they were going through trying to say it, and I could imagine their frustration as they struggled marshal their words into meaningful sentences.  It nearly broke my heart.

 

I really think the only answer is to bite the bullet and go back to the basics of teaching English. When I was in high school I found the regular lessons in English grammar the most boring part of the whole curriculum. I have an 'ear' for language, in the way some people have an ear for music - I knew instinctively what sounded right and what didn't, but I didnt know or feel I needed to know why. Years later, when I started writing my first novel, I realised for the first time, that instinctive knowledge is not enough - it's like playing an instrument by ear without ever learning to read music or practising scales. At that point I suddenly realised how grateful I was to those nuns who persevered in the face of determined boredom and recalscitrence  to drill into me all those boring grammar rules.

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Thanks she-ele.

Yes, I agree with your sentiment to a large degree, perhaps not on the means of getting there.

I would not go back to the days of drilling kids down over grammar and sentence structure but I do believe that more discussion and in class exercises should be used to overcome the lack of fine grammar skills which are so obviously lacking.    

I also think that a lot of those skills are lost through lack of use and people need to brush up at various stages in their lives as that becomes apparent.  For example, as you talked about the ear for language I think that discussion and group exercises is often a more effective way to imprint the message than the rote learning fo the past.