Experiment: Grammar Check

Today in class, I said that a student didn't necessarily have to know the difference between words like they're, there, and their because of how advanced modern grammar checkers are. I think that students should know the difference between these (and other) homophones, but I still wanted to check and see just how good grammar checkers are getting. Microsoft Word 2007 pointed out grammatical errors in the following sentences:

Their here for the party.
The police gave them back they’re cars after the night was over.
There not interested in learning proper English.
There are two many people here.
I asked her and she said it was to soon.
Let’s go out too the movies.
I looked around but I couldn’t figure out who’s coat this is.
Whose going to do their homework?

This raises a question: are students going to be motivated to follow the rules when a computer program can just point out the problem and fix it for them? It's a little scary that we now have programs that can recognize these errors contextually.

Making Fun of Grammar

Today, one of the web sites I write for has a really funny article about grammar, so I thought I'd post here and link the class to it. And if you need proof that it's funny, here's a quote.

When speaking, the noun is that thing which you speak about. That thing which is described by the adjective, you see, or that thing which is done by the verb. The basic basis of our talk, the noun helps us present an object into the mind of the listener. You yourself are likely a noun, though if you are doing a thing you are a verb, and if you are being some way you are an adjective. Likely, if you are sitting still, you are a noun.

Click here to read it. There are also a few other entries in this series. These articles are just for fun, but they're also very good satires of grammar. And you probably thought such a thing couldn't exist.

Mythological Grammar

For Wednesday, I'd like everyone to come to class thinking of one grammatical rule they feel okay about breaking, and one grammatical rule they can't tolerate seeing broken. Don't post about them here, just remember them for class. This is part of an exercise that me, Becca, and Brandon will be doing.

Please note that this message itself contains grammatical errors. Collect them all!

More Grammar

Williamson

The Williamson article was a nice read, but it was a bit redundant. Perhaps we have just been discussing the issue of grammar so much, it just feels redundant. I was surprised to learn that studies have been showing that grammar is ineffective in helping students learn how to write for 80 years now. I thought it was more a "new" idea. I guess I thought if it had been around that long, it would have been implemented. How wrong could I be? haha...

I think the teaching of grammar in school persists partly because it is a tradition, and partly because it does seem common sensical that teaching it would help students in the long run. Teachers tend to repeat lessons that they themselves have had in the past. (It makes sense. They did well with the information. They think their students will do with the same information.) However, most of them don't realize that it wasn't the lessons that helped them, but something else. (Although what that something else exactly was, I don't know.) Plus, it does seem to make sense that correcting students mistakes would teach them not to make those mistakes. (It doesn't, but it seems like it should.)

Williamson is probably right that it will take a great many more years for the teaching of grammar to really transform in schools. Schools, just like most big institutions are resistant to change. They are also resistant to self-reflection, I think. Teachers don't like to look at what they are doing and examine it critically. They would rather blame the students, or the school itself for their ineffectiveness. I don't mean to sound critical... haha. All people have this tendency to blame others for their problems. It is a human thing.