“Grammar the Write Way”

In 2011, Inscriptions will be featuring several articles on grammar and its importance to good writing. To introduce this theme, the following selection was adapted from the article “Grammar the Write Way” by Dana Gage, originally printed in the Homeschool Helper newsletter from BJU Press.

Since I hold both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in English, my friends are often surprised when I tell them I started out as a math major. I usually explain that English was my least favorite subject in high school. It was hour after hour of workbooks, rules, and more exceptions than rules. Once I turned in a short story I had spent hours writing and was disappointed because spelling errors lowered my grade. In contrast, math class seemed exciting, fun, and challenging.

So I left for college excited about being a math major and reluctantly signed up for the first of the three required English classes. In these classes, however, I began learning some new things. I learned that I could arrange my paragraphs in a way that would make my argument more convincing. I learned that I could replace linking verbs with action verbs and give my essay strength and vitality. I learned that writing poetry was more than finding rhyming words. My papers were graded on content as well as spelling. It soon became apparent that not only had I grown to love English but I was also actually more competent in that area than in mathematics.

Maybe you share my feelings about English, especially grammar. Maybe you see grammar as boring, impractical, and repetitive. Remember that language is a gift from God and unique to beings created in His image. It is important to understand language and to use it well. With a fresh approach to grammar, you will be able to polish your God-given talent for writing.

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