Facebook post: Conversation on grammar rules: their importance and the uses

CurzAnne: Hi guys! I’ve been grading my students’ papers recently and it got me thinking
about a topic that is deemed very important and something that is never questioned or looked
deeply into and that is... Grammar Rules!! I feel that in many situations when speaking, reading,
or writing, we use several words and phrases that, on paper, are looked upon as bad or lazy
English/Grammar. There are sooo many instances where the grammar we use in our daily lives is
strictly looked down upon because people are taught to learn grammar a specific way. I think the
English language is way more flexible to have one set of rules to say what is right or wrong.
Having the freedom of starting sentences the way you want to, writing freely without worrying
about grammatical syntaxes, and incorporating words and grammar into multiple meanings and
structures based on the context are just a few examples of what our writing habits lack. And that,
I think, really hurts the beauty and the uniqueness of our language. What do any of you guys on
here think? I’m just curious if anyone else feels the same way as me. Haha, Thanks! (Curzan,
2009)

Comments:

Ann_Bodine: OMG! I agree with you 100%!!!!! The English language is far more flexible than
people like to credit for and I think students should be given more freedom when reading and
writing for their classes. A great example in my opinion is the word “they”. We use “they”,
“them”, or “their” in many different connotations whether it be in a singular or plural form. The
word also acts as a gender-neutral pronoun when referring to a group of gender-mixed people.
Some examples can be: “Hey sis, mom and dad are not home. Where did they go?”, “Jimmy and
Jenna went to their cars”, and “Emma went with them.” The freedom and flexibility this word
provides are very efficient. Also substituting a different word for the same purpose sounds very
awkward and unnatural. Saying something like “he or she” every time instead is gonna sound
very redundant and unnecessary. For instance, “ She went to the grocery store with him and her”
just doesn’t sound natural and feels too wordy. (Bodine, 1975)

McLisaLendon99: Ah allow me to chime in on this discussion! The flexibility of the English

language is without a doubt a fact and I couldn’t agree more with the two of you. What this got
me wondering too was: Who made these rules that all students and other English learners have to
follow and obey so religiously? My answer to this question is no one is in charge of making
these rules. Authors, editors, and writers all created their own rules that seemed logical and made
sure to repeatedly incorporate them in their own works to spread to others, and that soon
becomes the new norm in the English language community as no one thinks to question the
creators. Due to this, I too believe grammar rules should not be so heavily focused on as content
is what truly matters honestly. (McLendon, 2019)

SchefflerPaweL2: Wow I absolutely am on the same boat as you guys on this topic! In fact, I
did actually do a little study with my buddy, Marcin Cinciaa on how L2 English learners learn
the language. We did the test on Polish students and the results were quite interesting! Although
learning the language was not bad for the students, they did seem to struggle with some parts
because the structure of our grammar is quite different from that of Polish. Different languages
all have their own specific set of rules, which does make it hard for people with different
backgrounds and cultures to adapt to. I believe that instead of restricting English to one set of
rules, taking account of factors like various grammar origins of specific types of people and
making it easier for them to adapt is the best course of action. Therefore, what my partner and I
think is the best strategy to teach writing to students is to first let them write down anything and
everything they have in mind without worrying about grammatical errors. The freedom given to
students will no doubt only bring about their best writing when it comes to content. Teaching
grammar should help guide students and build upon the ideas that are already presented, not
restrict them. We believe that good writing is ideas and context above any strict and flawless
grammar. It is more like icing on the cake.

Reply:
CurzAnne: Yes! Your thoughts on the best strategy to teach writing are my motto
as well! In my classroom, we start our first draft off with no concerns of punctuation or
other grammatical errors and solely focus on jotting down all the information in the heads
of our students. I find your study very fascinating and seeing the reasons why the Polish
students struggle further proves that forcing grammar onto students will only make
writing more difficult and enjoyable for students of all backgrounds.

Ann_Bodine: Once again, I absolutely agree with the teaching strategies you
guys mentioned. Additionally, perhaps penalizing students too severely on grammar
errors could feel more demoralizing which could limit the potential each student has
when it comes to their writing. I’m sure in the case of those Polish students, they were
able to learn and express themselves freely because they are not too harshly critiqued for
their “broken” English.

MichaelKnievalIEEE: Hello everyone! Although I can understand everyone’s viewpoints here,

I must say that grammar is still very important especially in many high-level career fields. Many
engineers in the field fail to see the importance of grammar and writing well because it isn’t
something they mainly focus on doing. However, it is extremely important to write clearly and
professionally even for engineers as it can help to stay relevant and build clear and direct
relationships with many other industries in that corresponding field. Therefore, holding
workshops about writing and grammar for engineers was a great step in helping everyone do
their jobs well. Practicing good grammar at an early age and gradually perfecting it in all future
writings will make people the best writers they can possibly be.

Reply:
McLisaLendon99: Hey there, Michael! It is without a doubt that the importance
of grammar and writing professionally in specific career fields should not be overlooked.
However, that is a given and we are specifically talking about the ways students should
be taught to write. It is inevitable that grammar knowledge is necessary to be successful
in the future but for students, it is more crucial to let students become comfortable with
writing down their ideas first to create their best work. Grammar skills can come after
and in which jobs like engineering can have both thorough and professional writing.

CurzAnne: Wow, it was great to all hear your guys’ input on this matter and I’m glad that most
of you guys agree with my standpoint. English is a universal language that is used almost
everywhere and having that flexibility and freedom is very crucial in making it feel more
accessible. It is true that the rules do apply differently based on what you do but generally I think
grammar shouldn’t be the be-all-end-all of this language. Thanks for the feedback! Haha

Reply:
Ann_Bodine: Haha thanks for bringing this topic up, It was definitely a fun thing
to discuss over and show our passion for good writing!

SchefflerPaweL2: Agreed! ^.^

 Work Cited:
Curzan, Anne. (2009). Says who? Teaching and questioning the rules of grammar. Publications
of the Modern Language Association 124.3, 870-879.

Bodine, Ann. “Androcentrism in Prescriptive Grammar: Singular 'They', Sex-Indefinite 'He', and
'He or She'.” Language in Society, vol. 4, no. 2, 1975, pp. 129–146. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/4166805. Accessed 4 May 2021.

Knievel, Michael, et al. “Breaking the Rules: Teaching Grammar ‘Wrong’ for the Right Results
in Technical Communication Consulting for Engineers.” IEEE Transactions on Professional
Communication, vol. 53, no. 1, Mar. 2010, pp. 58–68. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1109/TPC.2009.2038738.

McLENDON, LISA. “Grammar Rules Are Not Carved in Stone.” Phi Kappa Phi Forum, vol.
99, no. 3, Fall 2019, pp. 16–19. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.ucsb.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=139300
404&site=ehost-live.

Scheffler, Pawe, and Marcin Cinciaa. "Explicit Grammar Rules and L2 Acquisition." ELT
Journal 65.1 (2011): 13-23. Web.