Grammar in our schools
Sue Wighton asks to be allowed "one last rallying call for the return of sound grammatical knowledge to our schools" ("Don't split your infinitives here", 3 March).
She should not fret. The process is under way.
The language strand of the English component of the Australian Curriculum contains commendable detail on a sensible approach to the grammar of English. It is just to be hoped that the current review of the curriculum does not meddle with this strength before it has been fully understood and properly implemented.
In addition to the necessary but insufficient business of avoiding grammatical errors, the curriculum sensibly focuses on how different choices of grammatical structures construct meaning in different ways.
There is, however, no place for cluttering up kids' (children’s) heads with three traditional so-called "rules" which are, frankly, nonsense.
I refer to the time-honoured prohibitions against splitting infinitives, beginning sentences with conjunctions, or ending them with prepositions.
As Wighton implies, judiciously managed, all three are fine.
Garry Collins, president, English Teachers Association of Queensland
Tags:Curriculum matters |
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This is the first time I have been to an ETAQ conference and it was really sensational to get so much at all of the sessions.
ETAQ conferences always have sessions that make me excited to be a teacher.
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