Were You Taught Basic English Rules in College?

[_Doctor Steuss]

In another thread, a poster claimed of their college education:

We don't learn basic English rules much in college, such is learned in lower education.

Now, I didn't go to a University, and I don't have a degree. I attended Community College for a few semesters, and have taken some continuing ed. courses over the years.

In English 101, one of the required books was The Little, Brown Handbook.

My wife is currently taking courses for an additional degree. She lost 15 points on a recent paper because of a persistent persnickety homophone mishap -- it wasn't an English course.

So, from my personal experience, and the experience of my wife, not only are the basic rules of punctuation, grammar and usage taught, but if you don't follow them you are going to have a very difficult time passing just about any course outside of math.

Is this unique, or does this match anyone else’s college experience?

[_Quasimodo]

I believe that most colleges and universities require at least one semester of English/ composition. Mine certainly did.

[_The CCC]

In another thread, a poster claimed of their college education:

We don't learn basic English rules much in college, such is learned in lower education.

Now, I didn't go to a University, and I don't have a degree. I attended Community College for a few semesters, and have taken some continuing ed. courses over the years.

In English 101, one of the required books was The Little, Brown Handbook.

My wife is currently taking courses for an additional degree. She lost 15 points on a recent paper because of a persistent persnickety homophone mishap -- it wasn't an English course.

So, from my personal experience, and the experience of my wife, not only are the basic rules of punctuation, grammar and usage taught, but if you don't follow them you are going to have a very difficult time passing just about any course outside of math.

Is this unique, or does this match anyone else’s college experience?

I learned the basics in 7th grade. Never had to take any 100 level English Class. Tested out of University level Junior English. I still mistakes though.

[_ajax18]

I tested out of grammar in 10th grade.

When I went to the reading/writing center lab at BYU, they said they could review my paper for flow and clarity but they couldn't check grammar. There was a movement to take grammar out of English. Mathematics and physical sciences are the only real objective academic studies in my view. English and other writing classes were nothing more than a litmus test as to whether you accepted the liberal religion.

[_Doctor Steuss]

I learned the basics in 7th grade. Never had to take any 100 level English Class. Tested out of University level Junior English. I still mistakes though.

Things may have been a bit different back then (I'm comparitively a young runt), or maybe the requirements were just different at my CC. E101 was the highest that one could place in. From there though, I think you could skip 102.

[_Doctor Steuss]

I tested out of grammar in 10th grade.

When I went to the reading/writing center lab at BYU, they said they could review my paper for flow and clarity but they couldn't check grammar. There was a movement to take grammar out of English. Mathematics and physical sciences are the only real objective academic studies in my view. English and other writing classes were nothing more than a litmus test as to whether you accepted the liberal religion.

Wow. If you don't mind me asking, when did you attend BYU?

I will have to ask my wife about her time at UCLA, but any course that has involved writing at both UNLV and CCSN have included grammar as part of grading.

[_Analytics]

So, from my personal experience, and the experience of my wife, not only are the basic rules of punctuation, grammar and usage taught, but if you don't follow them you are going to have a very difficult time passing just about any course outside of math.

My only experience at college where I learned anything about "the basic rules of punctuation, grammar, and usage" was in a foreign-language course. For English, it is generally presumed that this material was mastered in high school, although many colleges will have a remedial program for people who really don't know reading and writing well enough to be in college. Those classes won't count towards college graduation requirements, however.

Writing is taught, but the focus is on how to write well, rather than merely how to write correctly. For example, the focus of college writing is judged on how clear, persuasive, well-researched, focused, and inspiring it is. You receive huge penalties for not conforming to standard spelling and grammar. The reason for this isn't that standard spelling and grammar are part of the curriculum per se, but rather, deviating from it is a huge distraction to the reader--it's difficult and painful for the reader to focus on the writer's actual ideas when he is distracted by trying to figure out what the author means by "their's" or whatever.

Those writing standards extend into all classes that have writing assignments. I recall a specific Economics course where I was friends with a foreign student. Her spoken English was very clear and had few mistakes, and she probably would score a 3 on the in real life scale ("Professional working proficiency"). However, the Economics professor would mercilessly hack at the grade on any paper for each and every infraction of spelling and grammar, regardless of how minor. He explained without apology that this was an American college course, therefore correct use of the English language was required on all written assignments.

[_ajax18]

I tested out of grammar in 10th grade.

When I went to the reading/writing center lab at BYU, they said they could review my paper for flow and clarity but they couldn't check grammar. There was a movement to take grammar out of English. Mathematics and physical sciences are the only real objective academic studies in my view. English and other writing classes were nothing more than a litmus test as to whether you accepted the liberal religion.

Wow. If you don't mind me asking, when did you attend BYU?

I will have to ask my wife about her time at UCLA, but any course that has involved writing at both UNLV and CCSN have included grammar as part of grading.

1998-2001. They made us do grammar as part of my stint in law school. It didn't factor much into your grade. I think it had more to do with one of the English professors making a job for herself.

[_The CCC]

I learned the basics in 7th grade. Never had to take any 100 level English Class. Tested out of University level Junior English. I still mistakes though.

Things may have been a bit different back then (I'm comparitively a young runt), or maybe the requirements were just different at my CC. E101 was the highest that one could place in. From there though, I think you could skip 102.

I'm older than dirt. This was in 1970.

[_EAllusion]

No. My general reqs required two literature classes that were graded almost exclusively on the basis of essays, but there was no focus on the basics of grammar and style. We were expected to have this knowledge going in. There were no other English requirements.

When we did peer reviewing of papers in those classes, I remember that the papers I received were atrocious in their grammar and writing style. So obviously not everyone came in with that skill-set intact. There comes a point when you understand the basics of standard grammar well enough to deviate from them purposefully to embellish your style. This wasn't what was happening with those papers. People just didn't know how to write.

For several psych classes I took there was a refresher in the beginning on APA style just to remind people of expectations. That was mostly focused on citation standards, though. We were required to purchase and know the APA handbook.