ABSTRACT
Try this simple game. Take a piece of paper and write GRAMMAR at the top. Then beneath it write
down the first few things that come into your head as you consider that word. I’d be surprised if your associations do not include something suggestive of
boredom, hostility, impatience or dread, or possibly all four! For grammar has a very poor image at present. It conjures up pictures of dusty arid classrooms or of tedious struggles with the mechanics of a foreign language. Grammar seems to be the preserve of dull pedants who delight in taking you to task for a momentary slip or who write crusty letters to The Daily Telegraph and suchlike, bemoaning the illiteracy of contemporary life.
