Powell's Ponderings: What I Don't Know About English
I’ve been a writer/journalist for 45 years, going back to working for the high school newspaper. My wife has been a teacher/educator for 35 years with an emphasis on English and English as a Second Language. She is a constant reminder of how little I know about the English language even though I write in that language every day.
She understands terms such as subject, predicate, preposition, adverb, adjective, and gerund (whatever that is), and she knows how to diagram a sentence. I haven’t a clue how to diagram sentences I write, or even if they are diagramable.
Most recently, she has begun scoring essays for a standardized testing service that includes evaluating how the writer “integrates interpretation of the text with text-based support.” Well, I’m happy for her because I have no idea what that phrase means much less how to do it.
One “rule” I vaguely remember from English is to never end a sentence with a preposition, which is something I am guilty of. It is something I don’t agree with. It is something I never steer away from. It is a rule that Mark Twain, my favorite author, also sought to violate as much as possible.
Twain has also provided me with my favorite quote: “It is a poor, uncreative mind that can’t come up with more than one way to spell a word.”
I never understand why the proofreaders here at the magazine don’t accept that wise adage.
She understands terms such as subject, predicate, preposition, adverb, adjective, and gerund (whatever that is), and she knows how to diagram a sentence. I haven’t a clue how to diagram sentences I write, or even if they are diagramable.
Most recently, she has begun scoring essays for a standardized testing service that includes evaluating how the writer “integrates interpretation of the text with text-based support.” Well, I’m happy for her because I have no idea what that phrase means much less how to do it.
One “rule” I vaguely remember from English is to never end a sentence with a preposition, which is something I am guilty of. It is something I don’t agree with. It is something I never steer away from. It is a rule that Mark Twain, my favorite author, also sought to violate as much as possible.
Twain has also provided me with my favorite quote: “It is a poor, uncreative mind that can’t come up with more than one way to spell a word.”
I never understand why the proofreaders here at the magazine don’t accept that wise adage.