Before I sat down to write this blog, I was trying to figure out how to pretend that this chapter wasn’t hard to get through or that I wasn’t bored by it. But now, I feel like I should be honest about my reaction. It took me quite a long time to read it because I kept getting distracted. The material did not really hold my interest. That makes me a little nervous for when I have to teach grammar to my students. If I find grammar dull and tedious, how can I make my students become interested in it?

Before this chapter, I was unaware of all the different types of grammar study: traditional grammar, phrase-structure grammar, transformational grammar, and cognitive grammar. I didn’t really know much about usage before reading this chapter; I was one of those people who lumped usage and grammar together. I’m pretty sure I was taught using the traditional method. But here’s the funny thing- I really don’t have a lot of memories about how I was taught grammar throughout my school years. I remember learning all the grammar “rules” and diagramming sentences, but not much beyond that. I don’t think I did and actual grammar study during my last few years of high school or in college.

I do remember one grammar tip I was taught in high school by my journalism teacher. When we had to proofread our articles for grammar and punctuation, she taught us to read them backwards. We would start with the last sentence and work our way up through the piece. This helped us separate the form from the meaning. Williams states that one reason students do not often recognize their own grammatical errors is because “they tend to read for meaning rather than form.” I will say I still use this reading backwards strategy today and it still works for me.

I’m intrigued by the idea of cognitive grammar and connectionism, even though I don’t completely understand it. I like the idea that it implies grammar is more a psychological, mental activity. I like the example Williams gives about a child learning about the word “dog.” They see a dog, someone tells them it’s a dog and they begin to form a mental model of the word “dog” and what it means. I think it’s interesting to view grammar as more of an innate, unconscious thing. I know I have learned grammar rules in the past, but when I write I never think about them, but I still end up following them and writing grammatically correct content. I often go by what sounds right to me (although this may be considered usage, I still find the difference between the two a little muddy).

Finally, I am guilty of a few of the common usage problems Williams points out. I screw up lie and lay a lot, no matter how hard I try. But, for some reason, it drives me nuts when I see “affect” and effect” misused. I have no idea why it bothers me so much, but it makes me twitch when I see it!