Title
Grammar myths
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Language Awareness
Publication Date
1-1-2015
Volume
24
Issue
1
First Page
15
Last Page
37
Publisher
Routledge
Keywords
explicit knowledge, grammar, misconceptions, myths, rules
Abstract
This paper looks at the continued survival of ‘myths’ about English grammar, for example, the statement that in negative and interrogative sentences any should be used instead of some. It is based on a survey of 195 Hong Kong students majoring in English, in five different cohorts, which found that such myths are quite prevalent; with choices of ‘true’, ‘false’, ‘don't know’ and ‘partly true’, the true option was chosen in over 50% of cases. Differences between subjects are identified and discussed, as well as changes across time from the first to the last cohort. Then the individual myths are discussed and explained one by one. A number of possible sources for the myths are suggested, and the means of combatting them are discussed, along with the reasons for their resilience.
DOI
10.1080/09658416.2013.873803
Print ISSN
09658416
E-ISSN
17477565
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2014, © 2014 Taylor & Francis. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Additional Information
A preliminary version of this paper, based on limited data, was presented at the 15th World Congress of AILA, Essen, Germany, August 2008.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Berry, R. (2015). Grammar myths. Language Awareness, 24(1), 15-37. doi: 10.1080/09658416.2013.873803
