For school, I've been reviewing the basics of grammar (punctuation, the definitions of the various verb tenses, etc.). During my downtime, I sometimes read the material posted by others online in the form of comments and blog posts. As I reflect on the both of these types of reading, I can't help but wonder if most people block out the grammar lessons of their schooldays, as if they were traumatic, psychologically scarring events.
Don't get me wrong: I'm still learning the finer, technical aspects of grammar, myself, and I make mistakes just like everyone else. But I've seen the work of many people who don't seem to know what the differences are between commas and periods. And don't even get me started on apostrophes.
(possible symptom of grammarphobia)
I know you might be thinking, "Well, you don't know if English is their first language." That's definitely a fair argument, but I've made the same observations about people whose native language is definitely English. There has to be another explanation.
In an attempt to get closer to the root of the problem, I reflected on my earliest experiences with learning the ins and outs of sentence structure, punctuation, and the like. I'm certain I was in grammar school (haha), though I'm not sure of the exact year when I began to become acquainted with grammar. I do know, however, that I was diagramming sentences in eighth-grade English class. I also know that I was one of the few people who actually enjoyed it.
I, being the word nerd (and pretty much a nerd all around), loved the idea of pulling a sentence apart and seeing "how it worked." I thought it was cool to see all the different branches come out of a diagram of a seemingly uncomplicated sentence. Most of my classmates, however, saw little point in such exercises and moaned that diagramming sentences was "stupid." Thankfully, none of them had any aspirations to write for a living.
So here are my questions: do most people cringe at the thought of putting together a grammatically sentence because of the "boring," "pointless," or "overly complicated" nature of it? Or have they truly forgotten how? I tend to think that part of the problem is attitudinal, but I also think that grammar-related lessons should be included in the standard curriculum during high school years as well as during grammar and middle school.
What do you think? Do you think a significant portion of the adult population suffers from grammarphobia? Or would it be more accurately described as apathy? Discuss by leaving a comment.
