Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-06-13
- pAeEs-LAsT EDITION

not denote time. lie often said that he
wished someone would write "A gram
mar dlscarding tense. We then in
qulred, III tense In not time, what is
az but received no answer. fense does
not seem TO be anything useful or ra-
tional Nothing seems to depend upon
It. II is put into all the grammars. just
as II II had some use; but what that use
is, nobody seems able 20 discover 10
could just as well be lett out and real
divisions OK time inserted, Then the
time-forms OF the verb and the logical
agreement between these tlme-forms
would take the place OF the
present attempts to include the
time meaning Of verbs under certain
other headings, called tense. In like
manner case does not seem TO have
any important meaning in 'English
grammar, and there Is so little in
lection OF the English words that in
struction under these headings could be
greatly reduced IN amount without los.
ing anything in utility. | have OBJ
served too. that many teachers suppose
we study English grammar in order to
learn how to use the English language
correctly but II this were the real Oh
Ject In studying grammar. the child
rem reared IN society where correct
language Is habitually spoken, would
not need to study grammar. AS mat
ter of fact however, these children
have precisely the same need that 0th-
ers have, that Ia, they must learn to
grasp the thought, 90 analyse 1t into It's
elements, and To discern quickly the
main thought with It's subordinate
groups I'm the shape OF modifers or linz
itations The study OF English gram
mar teaches US TO use our minds In a
logical way, and only indirectly teaches
us To use good language. The study
imparts power Of mind and the ability
TO comprehend any complex problem.
This Is what gives to the study It's real
value, one OF the least OF its values
is that II enables us TO correct certain
errors Of speech. | am satisfied that
there IL wide misapprehension on this
point. and that Il Is generally believed
that the study OF grammar is a contin-
uati0n OF the study of oral and written
composition. ON the view | have taken,
II Is nothing Of the kind. II is purely
an intellectual exercise of the highest
logical value-an exercise that develops
and strengthens the reasoning powers
by constant practise I'm discrmina-
ton and classification. I'm point of diff
iiculty, this study ranks with higher
arithmetic and elementary algebra, and
that IS where the study should be
placed In the curriculum II IL true
that little of It can be learned before
this time, just as something OF arthme-
tic aud other subjects may be learned
by children. But this Is its rank and
place,as far as am able TO classify 1t.
MODE Is USELESS.
Again consider the subject Of mode in
grammar. The four modes attempt to
classify the forms Of assertion, but
they fail to do so, for under each form
there are various shades of meaning
which the modes cannot exhibit. Ii
would be better simply to point out
these shades Of meaning and 10 dis
crimnate between them with names
that mean something, rather than to
memOrize the ponderOus terms at pres
ent used In the so-called modes. The
only mode in which any mistake is
likely to be made I'm speech is the sub
tunctlVe, and those mistakes can be
guarded against more easily without
the teaching OF this mode than with 1t,
for in the subjunctiVe mode, the open
contradictions between the name of the
tense and the name of the time denoted
by the verb render this mode not only
useless for purposes of correction and
analysis but absolutely so much lum-
Der thrown In the students way. In
Ike manner the potential mode seems
o. have no necessary use or meaning.
and some authors have discarded IT, The
impera tive has the warrant Of a name
that describes or suggests the nature Of
the assertion, otherwise, II has no spe-
cla Significance There are perhaps 20
forms Of English predicate, each with
a definite meaning, and many of these
forms may be exhibited I'm all modes
except the imperative, If, therefore,
the modes were abolished, and each
form named in accordance with its use
and meaning at present, instead OF In
accordance with its ancient origin or
derivation. then the study Of these
modes would have some rational war
rant and some excuse for being taught
TO students OF language. The usual
classification OF adjectives is logically
less Objectionable hut is always dry;
this subject should be merely a logical
exertlse growing out OF the different
shades of meaning given by the modify
ing elements, These shades of meaning
may be considerably more various than
the classifications given I'm the gram
mar. yet n they arise naturally in the
discriminating analysis Of the sentence
aud its parts. and are named as the oc.
casi0n for the name demands. then
there would be no burden upon the stu
dents memory In learning the various
shades and differences In the meaning
Of modiflers. This is true also of the
classification Of adverbs The Clas-
sifcati0n Of cOniunctions has
no meaning, no sense, no significance,
except as II exhibits the coordination
or Authorization OF different clauses
I'm the sentence This can be better IL
Illustrated than explained, Fortunately
no classification OF propositions has
ever been attempted, and the student IL
spared one infection tshall | say in
nlctionO that the ingenuity Of schol-
astic pedants might we'll have been eN-
pectcd to devise. seeing what they have
done IN the case Of other classes OF
| words.
Now, OF these matters, this Is the
sum That the teachers attitude to-
wards the instruction I'm grammqr
| should be greatly modified or wholly
| changed Grammar Is not a mere APP
| pendage to the study Of oral and writ
! ten expression begun in the primary
| school II IL a science of rea son and
| logic, Its problems are the sentences
| Of our English mother-tongue, as they
| have been used by great writer's and
| thinkers. is aim Is 10 teach the stu
| dent to think; to analyZe; to discrn1-
| mate: TO reason; TO grasp AS whole
| the complicated elements OF any COM
| plete sentence Having this power,
| the student will be able TO grasp the
| complex elements Of any situation In
| life, I'm literature. In art in business or
| anywhere The student will then have
| mature power and a trained mind. The
| current ahsurdity that We study gram
| mar in order TO learn TO speak correct
| ~ does not merit from me any argu'
| ment other than the silent contempt