SECOND SEMESTER RESEARCH PROJECT 1

Johnny Jung
Quest, 7

whom cares
The English language is always changing, but perhaps more importantly, the manner in
which the English language is being communicated is changing. As the emphasis on immediacy
in technology increases, language faces a similar change. The widespread use of text speak and
internet jargon on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging has greatly
abbreviated the English language. How quickly one can convey a message has taken priority
over the quality and correctness of ones writing, strictly grammatically speaking. Fear not,
however, because there seems to be a new wave of self-proclaimed grammar enthusiasts,
patrolling Twitter timelines and Facebook news feeds, pompously waiting to publicly reprimand
the misuse of your/youre or there/their/theyre. While grammar is an important part of language,
people are taking advantage of the black and white nature of grammar to decisively classify
someone as smart or stupid. These premature conclusions can lead to perceive someone as
credible or not with much bias and do not prove that they understand the content any more
comprehensively than someone who does not point out grammatical errors.
The ability to identify grammatical errors does not prove a that one has high level of
analytical ability. It simply means that one has taken a grammar course or has learned the few
basic conventions of the language. Possibly the worlds most well-known standardized test is the
Scholastic Aptitude Test, or the SAT. Until the spring of 2016, the Grammar/Writing portion
will account for one third of the total SAT score (The College Board, 2014). In a study by the
popular student-help website SparkNotes, almost every single multiple choice question in the

SECOND SEMESTER RESEARCH PROJECT 2
writing section could be answered by the Seven Deadly Screw-Ups, a study tool created by
SparkNotes that consists of merely seven common grammar mistakes. It does not take much
analytical ability to be given a list of mistakes to look for and scour a passage looking for these
mistakes. Unfortunately, that is a large component of how some people analyze texts.
This translates directly to the current state of our education system. As technology puts an
infinite amount of information at the convenience of our fingertips, there is a shifting emphasis
from the memorization of rules to applied critical thinking (Common Core State Standards
Initiative, 2013). The symbol-laden formulas of Physics and the countless dates in History which
students are forced to memorize are readily available on the internet with a few keywords and tap
of the Enter key. The time taken in these classes to memorize these facts could be used in
application. Why does this equation make sense in the real world? Why is this date in American
history important in the scope of world history? Similarly in English class, students are
inundated with grammar training, to the point where the student cannot actually enjoy the
language. The focus of language should be about communicating thoughts and ideas thoroughly,
following convention. Truthfully, one can only learn so much grammar. It is black and white;
something is either correct or incorrect. There are a finite number of rules, conventions, and
idioms in the English language. Once the student understands these concepts, the countless extra
hours of grammar training are futile. Should an A-student lose credibility because he said run
fast instead of run quickly? Should we question the value of a supermarket because their
checkout lines say 15 items or less instead of 15 items or fewer? As long as the person who
is being communicated to understands what the communicator is saying, grammar should be
something of little importance.

SECOND SEMESTER RESEARCH PROJECT 3
Relative to other concentrations at the collegiate level, research on linguistics is not as
abundant, most likely due to the qualitative nature of the field (Chassid, 2012). However, some
conclusions have been drawn that show no direct association between the ability to recognize
and take note of grammatical errors and the comprehensiveness of understanding a text. This
goes against what we would consider a logical parallel. Logically, one who is able to find flaws
should be able to understand better than one who cannot.
To discover evidence that was as specific to my thesis as possible, I developed by own
experiment to test whether high awareness of grammatical mistakes was independent of upper-
level analytical capability. In a brief experiment, I asked 20 high school students to proofread an
article on a newly developed gel that helps brain tissue heal after injury due to trauma. The
article was filled with intentional grammatical errors. After a limited two minutes proofreading
period, the students were asked to write a brief summary and viewpoint on the article, as in depth
as they could, without looking back at the article. (Appendix 1.1) The individuals who marked
up their articles catching numerous mistakes including commonly confused words, syntax
inconsistencies, spelling errors, and subject verb agreement, would be expected to create more
thorough responses to the article. Certain members of the sample went above and beyond
correcting the mistakes that were planted in the text, proofreading for fluidity and ease of
reading. There seemed to be three groups among the participants: those who made few to no
changes, those who changed the obvious, intentional grammar mistakes, and those who
holistically edited the article beyond the scope of typical grammar conventions. Those who failed
to make grammatical changes and those who only corrected grammar mistakes showed similar
results in their overall analysis of the article. There was no statistical association between the two

SECOND SEMESTER RESEARCH PROJECT 4
variables. However, only those who fixed the grammar mistakes in addition to making holistic
changes to improve the article created more in-depth analysis and outlook on the issue presented.
Often times, the most powerful texts we read show no regard to literary rules. Through
these conscientious mistakes, a deeper meaning can be revealed. Shakespeare fabricated
dozens of words, many of which would later be adopted into colloquial language. Emily
Dickensons famous poem Behind Me Dips Eternity is laden with misplaced capitalizations and
sentence fragments. (Bhattacharya, 2012) However, these seemingly-incorrect elements
emphasize what emotion she is trying to convey. The key words are capitalized and the
fragments represent her sequence of thought. The most powerful texts do not follow pristine
syntax and punctuation. The emotion in the texts have license to ignore these rules and change
convention to better express the message of the author.
This wave of grammar neo-Nazis is becoming a shortcut for how our generation analyzes
new people and ideas. Instead of searching for content, many people are using flaws in language
to dismiss ones ideas, failing to consider the message that is being conveyed. I do not make the
mistake of thinking grammar isnt important. Studies show that students who study grammar are
better equipped for other tasks, including learning new languages (Chin, 2000). It is universally
understood and accepted that grammar is important. However, it should be only supplemental to
the real core of a text; it should be a decoration and a method of refining a well developed idea.


Appendix
Figure 1.1
Works Cited

SECOND SEMESTER RESEARCH PROJECT 5
Bhattacharya, Rima. "The Silent Voices." Inclusive RSS. KOLKATA CENTRE FOR
CONTEMPORARY STUDIES, 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.

Chassid, Elad. "America's Obsession With Grammar And What It Means | Pop Chassid."
Pop Chassid. N.p., 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

Chin, Beverly A. "The Role of Grammar in Improving Student's Writing." The Role of
Grammar in Improving Student's Writing. Sadlier-Oxford, 2000. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

The College Board. "Redesigned SAT." The College Board. N.p., 2014. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.

Common Core State Standards Inititative. "Myths vs. Facts." Home. N.p., 2013. Web. 30
Mar. 2014.