Introduction

Why bother learning the rules of grammar? Who cares about punctuation? Why waste your time learning how to spell when every word-processing program on every computer is equipped with spellcheck?

Back in the 1960s educationists and teachers revolted against what they called the straitjacket of correct English. They claimed that learning the rules was pointless because there was no evidence that knowing them improved students’ writing. And in any case they objected to many of the rules on the grounds that they were irrelevant, out of date and elitist.