Spinney
Bimbleur extraordinaire
- Location
- Back up north
Grammar quiz in the Grauniad
- Thread starter Spinney
- Start date
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Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
13/14. Got 13 wrong.
Pro Tour Punditry
Guru
I didn't even understand what they were asking! So put me down as 0/14
martint235
Dog on a bike
- Location
- Welling
14/14. It's hardly rocket science is it?
threebikesmcginty
Corn Fed Hick...
- Location
- ...on the slake
15 - piece of p1ss.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
Well, no, not to someone who has learnt grammar via classics or modern languages to any level. However, the average score of 10 is telling, especially as that is made up of readers of the esteemed Grauniad.
Pro Tour Punditry
Guru
Well that can't be true as I did Latin, French and Russian languages as well as English to university level. And still didn't have a clue what they were on about - it's all a load of old cobblers in the grand scheme.
OP
OP
Spinney
Bimbleur extraordinaire
- Location
- Back up north
Not knowing (never having been taught) that gerunds end in 'ing' doesn't prevent one using such words correctly. Likewise, not being able to identify which part is a 'prepositional phrase' doesn't mean that one cannot use such phrases correctly in writing. Some of the questions were 'labelling' questions.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
Well, for a start Guardianistas aren't likely to be a median group in terms of educational standards. If this quiz were to be replicated in one of the red tops, then I suspect the average score would be considerably lower than 10. The average score across the English speaking population of the UK is likely to be different again.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
9/14 which was actually better than I was expecting, as grammar and spelling have always been one of my weak points.
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
True, but to some people, knowing how language works is in itself entertaining. It's like knowing how to ride a bike and knowing how to fix, build or service one. The latter three are useful but not essential in terms of "getting by", but in the grand scheme of things someone, somewhere needs to know the mechanics of a language. By labelling grammatical structures we can see how languages compare with others, how they evolve, how they are used. To a linguist that is every bit as crucial as knowing the way to solve quadratic equations is to a mathematician.
OP
OP
Spinney
Bimbleur extraordinaire
- Location
- Back up north
I agree with all that. What I was trying to say that some of the questions in the quiz don't give any indication of whether the person can use the language.
Some do, like the one testing their/there/they're
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
What's your maths like?
glasgowcyclist
Charming but somewhat feckless
- Location
- Scotland
13/14. I got number 13 wrong too.
GC
GC
Guilty as charged. 14/14
Yebbut. Does it matter? Language is about being understood and technically 'incorrect' grammar doesn't often matter in practice.
