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THE NON-LINGUIST who has conscientiously tried to keep abreast of developments in linguistic theory may well be ready to give up. Linguistics, especially transformational grammar, has matured recently at an alarming rate, so that transformational grammarians may seem to have developed increasingly narrow interests and, moreover, to have become so embroiled in the muddy business of securing their own positions, digging themselves in on a narrow front, that whether they are involved in civil war or are continuing to extend the frontiers of linguistic knowledge is often very unclear-even to themselves. I fancy that scarcely a single transformationalist will bother to raise his head as Professor Chafe wings his way overhead firing enthusiastically but erratically in all directions. The outsider is much more likely to notice the high-flier, and he needs some help in assessing the significance of Chafe's sally-perhaps it would not be out of place to give him at the same time some reports from the transformational trenches, and to assure him that all is still well there. I shall assume that he is reasonably familiar with Chomsky's Syntactic Structures1 and the main developments in transformational grammar up to about 1965, when Chomsky published his Aspects of the Theory of Syntax.2 Not that I believe the college English teacher has any (narrow professional) reason to bother much about contemporary linguistics. On the contrary, recent developments in transformational grammar should make it perfectly clear that there is no hope whatever of making direct use of that approach to linguistics in English teaching-at any rate not along the lines of existing attempts. And Chafe's work seems even less relevant.

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A good many teachers of technical writing are guilty of blindly following tradition and convention in teaching students to rely on the outline as an organizing device, in categorically condemning the passive voice, in magnifying the importance of form and format, and in insisting on a set of inflexible rules for grammar and style that ignore widespread usage. Implicit in the attack on shibboleths is a plea for honest pragmatism in determining effectiveness in technical writing.

In the sixties in all English-speaking countries there was a marked swing away from formal methods of teaching writing and a corresponding interest in methods that are broadly termed creative. More and more teachers were persuaded that can't write writing, and that you only write well when you write what keenly interests you. The central responsibility of teachers became the arousing of interest in each writing task, thereby engaging the mental-emotional energy and creative resources of students. I have supported this emphasis, especially against attempts to push the secondary schools into comprehensive study of one or other of the new systems of grammar. But I have not seen any need to go as far as those who now exclude from their classes all reference

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(for an outstanding article in PMLA) for the year 1968 was laid upon Stanley B. Greenfield's Grammar and meaning in poetry (PMLA 82.377-387 [1967]) in New York City on Fourth Day (four French hens, three turtledoves, etc.), but I guess he got money. In the following pages I will first demonstrate that this essay is a pointless, not very good article, then turn to asking why it was that the Most Valuable Essay of the year award was so made. This is not a pretty thing to feel compelled to do, but unless we face such questions squarely, we will continue to operate some great distance below the level of integrity displayed by the athletic world. To begin: Greenfield's essay seems to deal with but two matters:

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Despite a large number of studies dealing with the relation of dialect to the teaching of reading, little attention has been given to the relevance of dialect studies to the preparation of materials for teaching spelling.1 It is by now quite generally agreed that the most efficient reading materials are those which allow the child to relate written English to the spoken English he already commands. This implies that the early reading vocabulary should be drawn from the word stock common to all dialects of English (or, according to some theorists, from the child's dialect specifically) , and that the grammar and phonology assumed by the lessons should as fully as possible reflect the language the child knows.2 In general, it is now taken for granted that the best materials for instruction in reading are those which

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1 This article is based on a master's thesis prepared by Miss Auguste under the direction of Mr. Nalven at Queens College, where he is a part-time faculty member. 2 B. Folta, comparison study in the syntax in speech and writing of grade one students using the initial teaching alphabet and students using traditional orthography (USOE Bureau of Research Project No. 7-E-145. Lafayette, Indiana: Lafayette Public Schools. 1968). 3 Lenora Sandel, comparison between oral and written responses of first-grade children in I.T.A. and T.O. classes (USOE Project No. 7-8220. Hempstead, N.Y.: Hofstra University, 1967). 4 A. Mazurkiewicz, A comparison of I.T.A. and T.O. reading, writing, and spelling achievement when methodology is controlled, in The initial teaching alphabet and the world of English, A. J. Mazurkiewicz, ed. (New York: ITA Foundation, 1967), pp. 59-63.

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6. As the mind can absorb only as much as the seat can endure and the attention span encompass, vary teaching procedures. Don't lead them to water; make them thirsty. Use repetition, drill, and review for habit formation. However, avoid grinding away at grammar or teaching them what they already know. Test before teaching. (Do not use class time to teach a handful what the rest of the class has mastered. Instead, assign make-up work for the bewildered. Use programmed materials or coach them individually during conferences.)

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The goals of this course is to • help students to explore English grammar through a unique ’discovery ’ approach that encom-passes both critical thinking and text analysis • study English grammar from a theoretically/descriptively informed perspective? seek the right balance in our English grammar teaching between theory and practice • help (prospective) teachers to be able to apply this knowledge in various contexts. This course is ideal and useful for those interested in English education/language arts, English as a second language, and linguistics. The class will cover the basic grammar rules and major English constructions. After each chapter, students will have a writing assignment that tests the grammar rules covered in the chapter. Students who successfully finish this course will be able to apply their understanding of grammar structure to the EFL classroom. As usual, this class consists of two class hours as a unit. Students are required to read the main textbooks thoroughly and do exercises as homework. Main Textbook: