In our class this week, we talked about formal grammar instruction, and whether or not it’s necessary to learning how to write. Some people were of the opinion that it is absolutely essential, whereas others said that it wasn’t important at all. I personally landed somewhere in the middle of the debate, but closer to the importance of teaching grammar in school.
I think formal grammar instruction should help a developing writer learn the writing skills they need. While a writer’s work doesn’t have to be perfect, it does have to be coherent, and grammar instruction should help with that. Learning about grammar and how to use it definitely helped with my writing technique. I got most of my knowledge from books, then when I went to school I learned officially how to use most of the rules I’d already seen. Books are very helpful to see rules used in context, but it isn’t a perfect way to learn. For one thing, many books break some grammar rules in order to make stylistic choices. That makes it difficult to tell when a book is or isn’t being correct. Also, seeing a word spelled is no substitute for hearing it pronounced out loud. Mortgage, (mor-gij), colonel (kernel), queue (q), choir (quire), etc. I thought it was pronounced “choir,” like “chair” but with an “o,” for the longest time…
It is possible to not be taught proper grammar in school and still be an excellent writer. However, writing becomes much easier if grammar was taught. While all writers have information in their heads that they want to put down, if they don’t have the means in their head to do so easily, then the actual act of writing can get in the way of the spirit of the story. If you have a great description scene you want to write, but you can’t remember whether your sentence structure is correct, then the story suffers for it. So while it isn’t impossible to be a good writer without being taught correct grammar, it is much easier to have the background knowledge.
Writing Wizard 