English teaching

Press, 8 March 1984, Page 20

English teaching

Sir,—P. Allison bemoans the absence of a recognised English textbook in primary schools, yet the British G.P.O. gets down to the heart of the matter in its letter franking. It stamps out on letter covers: “Write it! Say it better in a letter.” There is nothing like having to write a letter to make one

realise one’s deficiencies in syntax. For example, how can one remember there is no apostrophe in possessive pronouns, yet it is necessary to use one in an impersonal pronoun. If everyone uses the telephone and never writes a letter, it ultimately becomes difficult to put pen to paper with confidence. I suppose I have written thousands of letters to the newspapers and this is one way for the working person to improve his English expression. Certainly I had the benefit of a standard recognised English textbook at school but I have never been able to get interested in analysing sentences which was an aspect of grammar my teacher forced into me. How much better to have been trained in article or letter writing.—Yours, etc.,

PATRICK NEARY. March 6, 1984.

Sir,—l strongly support Mrs Brooke’s views on the poor standard of English teaching. A young person who has been assured repeatedly that grammar is not important, and who later fails to get a job through sheer inability to construct an acceptable letter of application, has been cruelly and cynically deceived. Grammar, spelling and punctuation may not matter to teachers, but they matter to many other people, including employers. Many English teachers consider language structure unimportant because they do not understand it themselves and therefore cannot teach it. A much higher standard of English should be required, not only of teachers but also of professional journalists. Newspapers, radio and television daily perpetrate ludicrous errors of grammar, syntax and spelling. No carpenter or mechanic unable to master the tools of his trade would be allowed to qualify. Why are people employed as journalists whose handling of English has never progressed beyond Standard 4?— Yours, etc.,

lAN HOOD. Blenheim,

March 5, 1984.