Rules Should Help, Not Hinder!

One of GrammarBob's main mantras is that Rules Should Help, Not Hinder! That seems obvious enough, but look around in language land and you'll see that there is ample room for improvement, to say the least.

Art for art's sake I can understand. Grammar for grammar's sake is a different matter. Some fanatics may revel in it, but the vast majority who don't feel like eating, drinking and breathing grammar 24/7 will be eternally grateful for some strict moderation. Less is more, especially for beginners. 

It's all a matter of which rules help and which don't. Many rules are not all that important. The same goes for the various exceptions to rules. As far as I'm concerned, most lesser rules and exceptions belong in the 'nice if you know them, no big deal if you don't' category. Until truly needed, they're excess baggage.

There are many points of grammar that students will pick up along the way, without any need for explicit instruction. A few points, however, must always be explained clearly because they represent the indispensable foundation of English. This is where SvVOPT comes in. 

Basic English word order SvVOPT is what makes the difference between speaking real English or speaking your mother tongue with English words. There's a huge difference.

Basic word order SvVOPT also happens to rule the typical behaviour of English verbs. As a rule, there's always a helping verb and that's why it makes sense to start with Present Continuous tense. Simple is the exception, yet coursebooks typically start there. Books, like rules, should help and not hinder. So if the coursebooks obscure what matters, it's up to us teachers to light the way. 

Word order and verb constructs are indispensable; a mere handful of other points of grammar is quite useful; all else is often more trouble than it's worth. So why waste valuable time and effort on ineffective, boring grammar if you could have real fun with the language instead? 

It all comes down to SvVOPT and how it governs the most essential points of English grammar: word order and verbs. That makes SvVOPT the indispensable foundation and a much-needed lifeline for all English language students. It's the one rule that truly helps. 

SvVOPT rules!

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GrammarBob's continuing mission: to boldly go where no grammar has gone before and to make essential English grammar easy for all.

For those of you who are new to my posts: SvVOPT stands for the basic word order in English sentences: Subject - helping verb - MAIN VERB - Object - Place - Time.