Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
I make my living from writing (technical stuff, not fiction), and for the material I write, clarity and lack of ambiguity are the most important characteristics of it. Of course the "rules" of language aren't set in stone, and they do indeed evolve over time, but I would respectfully maintain that being able to write grammatically correct English (or whatever language one happens to be writing in) is an essential skill for the author and, alas, one which many appear not to possess these days. It's fine to deliberately "break the rules" on occasions in order to achieve a desired effect, but before you do break the rules, you'd better know what the rules are!
The company I work for takes on a number of apprentices every year, and unfortunately it's rare to find one who's capable of writing coherent English. I don't know what children are taught in English lessons in British schools these days, but grammar appears not to be among the skills they're taught. I daren't let our customers see the stuff that most of them write - it's not fit for purpose.
I think we're saying essentially the same thing here: there's nothing wrong with innovation in the appropriate context. The issues arise when people just don't know how to write formally when the occasion does require it.
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In answer to your question, probably the same thing American children are taught, not much or just whatever is on that stupid state test.
I also have to agree with you on the authors. Your opinion which pretty much matches mine is why I am here and not somewhere else. I see you are posting more in another forum. You are appreciated by the authors.