Mythbusters: The Truth About English Grammar

Introduction

Many students and people who learn English as a second language feel intimidated by standard books on English grammar. Often the presentation of grammar seems confusing and even contradictory. Actually, the grammar of English is quite a bit messier than that of some other languages, but if looked at properly it is still rather simple. The problem is that teaching materials provide such a wrongheaded view of the grammar that they merely confuse the student. In this series of articles, which I call Mythbusters you will learn about the misinformation you have been fed, and will gain an understanding of how things really work in our language.

The guiding principle of our work is that language is a collection of independent and sometimes competing forces. You have to view the language from a variety of perspectives in order to get at the truth about its structure. In the words of Robert Hunter "Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right." Here we will shine the light on grammar, and you will see some amazing things, and learn to appreciate how it functions.