text_combined: disc grammar uk schools disturbed find traditional fallacies geoffrey sampson discussion teaching grammar schools though longer copy prof cameron original post recall essentials found mr sampson passed valid point making favour prescriptivist back basics defense traditional grammatical education prof cameron perfectly correct ridiculing inflexible rote prescriptive approach grammar conventionally inflicted students throughout english speaking world issue able use standard english perhaps _ _ standard english correctly entirely separate reliance traditional rules frequently unhelpful often grossly inaccurate rule regarding finishing sentences prepositions one glaring example total misunderstanding history english unhelpful preoccupation effective communication strikes akin suggesting teachers french forget teaching past participle vivre favour getting pupils develop considered opinions theories derrida though mr sampson used interesting rhetorical image fact false analogy teaching students get feel function grammar language far cry teaching gb theory hpsg understanding sentences clauses verb tenses adverbs etc actually function basic level reasonable educational goal far worthy creating bunch nt never calling grammatical education beyond though teaching orthography grammar school level much broader educational value one lessons learn nothing big worthwhile ever achieved life without careful attention endless tedious often arbitrary details risk making gross national stereotype feel compelled quote george bernard shaw british believe moral merely uncomfortable notion education work matter must unpleasant produce results puritanical relic personal experience successful people tend precisely ones know delegate slough avoid wasting time tedious arbitrary details please read preceding paragraph tongue planted general vicinity cheek spirit greater seriousness though would like second prof cameron call educators abandon prescriptive rulebased approaches grammar embrace general approach based comprehension fluid meaningful principles believe result would students better grasp form function language rather shallow inflexible mastery facile rules marc hamann