Quote:
Originally Posted by Rizla
I'm from Canada, Cinasjoy. And I have to disagree that English is the most complicated language. Do you speak any other languages?
What grammar did you learn in school? We focused on spelling and basic punctuation. That was all that was needed. Maybe other levels were taught other stuff.
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I am rusty on other languages now, through lack of use, but I've been fluent in 3, and roughly competent in two more, for whatever that is worth. I'd say that the "roughly competent" have gone by the wayside entirely; I can probably still get by in two. MAYBE. I'd be more comfortable saying that if I had a two-week immersion in hand.
As far as being taught, my instructors spent a boatload of time going over it all: everything from splitting infinitives to dangling participles to you-name-it. Conjunctions, punctuation, clauses, et al. Of course we had spelling and fundamental punctuation, but that was all over in grade school. Issybird's comment about diagramming sentences made my knuckles ache, as I recall a knuckle slap or two when I was still wrapping my head around same. Even some 50+ years later.
Once you move away from fundamental punctuation (relatively simple sentence structure, that is), English is NOT that simple. There are many grammar rules that ought to be followed, which are not, or are, mostly through accident or rote repetition of what's previously been heard/read.
Offered solely FWIW.
Hitch