A Lack of English Grammar

The lack of English Grammar.

During all of the time I have been writing stories I have had one major problem, English grammar. My English Grammar is not really up to standard. I will never admit that it was down to my not listening in the class, because that was something I always did. Due to something taking place as a child, I was deprived of schooling from a five year old until I was almost seven.

The Devils Dyke Sussex

Those eighteen months to two years even at that young age are very hard to catch up on. I would even go as far as to say that although I caught up on most subjects before I left school at fifteen, I was still two years behind in English Grammar.

View from the Devils Dyke on Sussex Downs

There are many reasons this had taken place, and the first being the amount of time allotted on the subject in school. The criteria between the years 1954 – 1962/3 was very different from the one used today in English schools. There were only then six hours of schooling per day = thirty per week. I will now try and break that down to what took place.

Arundel Castle

Three hours sports. Three hours of art. Three hours of woodwork/ metalwork. Three hours of science. Two hours of geography. Two hours of history. Three hours of maths. Two hours of religious education. Two and a half hours of morning assembly. Two and a half hours of morning breaks. One hour a week Physical Education.

Chichester Cathedral

This left three hours left for two periods of the life and blood of England....English Grammar. I mean no disrespect to the teachers now, but then they were not up to standard. It was not their fault, because most of the good and developed teachers had lost their lives during WW11 while fighting for Queen and country.

The Dartford Crossing

An example of the teachers I had. My woodwork teacher was an ex submariner that for no apparent reason would go into fits of trembling, that sometimes lasted the whole of the three hour lesson. He was also slightly deaf due to continued depth charging of his boat. We knew this because he explained during one lesson when he was trembling so much he could not teach us.

The Severn Bridge

The science teacher was an ex decorated bomber pilot, who would set the class a task. He had then been known to look at the clouds through the window for the rest of the lesson. I looked at his facial expressions one lesson for almost half an hour. I am not sure what he was thinking, but it was not very nice. During these times the class would not play up, and give him his space.

Bolton Castle

There were very few female teachers, and the ones I had were only just out of college. I have written about this in another post, but the fact was there were far too many subjects to learn in so few hours of the week.

Chequers Buckinghamshire

I was in a C grade which was slightly below average. This never helped me in any way because those with me in that same grade had not missed the two years of education that I had. It was as if because you failed the 11+ test there was a stamp placed on your head saying, “Basic working class with no ambition.” This invisible stamp meant to the teachers, just teach the basics, because they these children do not have the brain to comprehend the intricacies of education. Yes it is a harsh assumption, but I am in no doubt that it was in the back of a few of the teachers minds.

Windsor Castle

In my penultimate year at school my father moved jobs and I moved schools. I was still in the C grade, but the school was new. It had teachers with advanced ideas of how to teach the C grades. The criteria was different, and they had more time to teach those lagging behind, Unfortunately in my case it was too much too fast with my English Grammar brain cells still lagging by two years.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

I don’t hold a grudge against those teachers that were fighting an up-hill battle trying to teach me. I do place the blame at my father’s feet, because it was he that caused me to lose those two years of my life. Who also in his ignorance denied me the same help with my schoolwork that he gave my older brother. I had to fight on my own at school for every bit of my extra tuition from my teachers, where others had received it as their right.

Shakespear's Birthplace

The lack of English Grammar knowledge has not impaired my ability to go forward in life. I am a writer of stories with a mind full of information, and fantasies. I have an imagination that allows me while writing my stories to ride at the side of, Hippolyta Queen of the Amazons fighting the Hun. It allows me into the outer world to watch, Marina, Battle warrior to the Gods, as she wars with the bad and wickedly evil gods that threaten the realms.

Banbury Town Hall

What I don’t have in English Grammar and letters of education behind my name. I have replaced with the gift of imagination, and fantasies with the knowledge of how to put it to writing. The latter are gifts that cannot be taught in any school. I believe that if a person is short of something in life, fate takes a hand and replaces it with a gift of similar value.

Banbury's Fine Lady Statue

I have a person that checks the English Grammar in my stories, who then corrects the mistakes for me. I am in no doubt that if I advertised for a person to do the same work I would be inundated with calls. However, there is only one person with my imagination and stories, which makes me unique among many.

Stratford-upon-Avon Clock Tower

Be well Ian