Quote:
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it is vital that children are taught grammar
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What, than, should be done to this coarse and uneducated person (that is, me), who never ever learned any English grammar whatsoever? For truly, my native is Georgian, my mother (and books I've read) tought me Russian, and French was foreign language of my choice when I've been visiting school (visiting occassionally, mind you, as I've been preparing myself for a career of a professional swimmer and spent most of my time afloat in a pool
)
Not that I denounce what've been said. What I would you to see (and repeat after Aiwendil), is that exeptions only underline, or stress the vital importance of rules. But moderate mastery of English can be achieved by means of 'parroting' - per instance, I suppose I do not break
that many rules now as I write current post, but not because I know them, but as I 'feel' them - as I've read many books and I've seen many posts where rules were applied in a proper fashion, and learned to discern them without knowing them.
Do not believe me? See my posts of some years back and compare the language and style (besides, since than I've invested my money into a software under the name of Lingvo 9.0. Good returns on investment I've got too -
ctrl->insert->insert - and doubts as to meaning and spelling are magically resolved)
I constantly progress, and one day I hope to understand what
Rimbaud writes on first reading. [Now his posts, especially short ones, require second reading on yours truly's part to get the meaning across
]
But that'd be personal information, probably of no interest. What I've got to say on topic, is that pursuit of originality, or pursuit of compliance to the rules, are equally ruinous to the work in itself.
Try to be original, and break the rules on purpose (making those two goals an end in itself) - reward will be contempt of critics and probably no readers. Try to follow the rules, and make
that an end - the result, I suppose, would be the same.
But love the subject you write about with passion, believe it to be 'the Truth', write to communicate the subject, not for writing's sake, but for the sake of the subject and for the sake of 'the Truth', and - lo and behold! - if you are even moderately good with language, the piece of work produced will be praised and loved
That'd be general rule which bears no exeptions, which may make mere work about stamp-collecting a fascinating and absorbing read, - else is technicalities of no great consequence.