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Our regular contributor Edgar Baker CBE, former Staff HMI in Business Studies, looks at a trio of books covering the maintenance of standards throughout the British educational system.

A grasp of the main rules of syntax can help us understand the underlying structure of our language. We use English through hearing and reading it; but if we understand the grammar we can become more confident in our usage. In this article therefore I will attempt to explain in simple terms the basic rules of clause analysis. Let us begin by defining a few terms so that we are clear what we mean.

The normal word order in English is Subject‐Verb‐Object‐Adverbial phrases:

The Editor has invited me to contribute over the coming months a few articles on the subject of correct English. We begin this month with notes on spelling, for this is an aspect of the language that gives a lot of people a lot of trouble. Someone once remarked that the structure of English is so simple that foreigners learn it too quickly; so the English decided to make their spelling difficult to prevent this unfair advantage.

Teaching Skills is a series of booklets on various subjects in the school curriculum. I have chosen two of these for comment; though I should add that they all offer valuable tips to the non‐specialist, as well as to the subject teacher. The aim is to examine basic teaching skills and to encourage teachers to develop new classroom practices. The danger that every teacher runs is to get stuck in a daily routine which works reasonably well, but which over the years becomes boring. The art of teaching consists in constant self‐questioning and constant renewal of methods. There is no one way of teaching a subject. This series can therefore serve three distinct classes of users: the students in training, the qualified teachers, and those who are pressed into teaching subjects other than their own speciality. The last group appears to be growing in numbers.

It is useful to understand the underlying structure of sentences in English. Words are the building blocks of all languages, and as young children we begin by expressing ourselves in single words; but as we grow up we learn to combine words into groups. There are two sorts of groups called Phrases and Clauses.

The Editor has asked me to write a short personal opinion column to start a series designed to stimulate readers' views. We feel that the expression of one man's views about matters of public concern may spark off reactions from others. So if you read what follows you are invited to write in and say what you think.

Four publications providing an interesting contrast in national styles are reviewed, including discussion on: changing trends and practices in the education systems in the USA and England since the Second World War; further education; and psychology as an aid to understanding, for those teachers involved in training.

We learn to use our mother tongue through unconscious practice and imitation. We do not need rules to guide us; we do as others do. Thus few native‐born citizens of the UK could explain, say, the difference between the Simple Present and the Present Continuous Tense, both of which they use correctly. For those whose native language is not English, however, it is a different story; they need some guidance.

In Education + Training (July‐August 1987) I reviewed two publications, one from Croydon and the other from Suffolk, which dealt with pupil and teacher appraisal. Here are two more publications from the same sources that deal with the same problem. In addition there are three other publications on the subject. They all bear witness to this important issue that is likely to assume greater prominence in the near future. It behoves all of us then to inform ourselves and come to our own conclusions. The striking thing about these five titles is the unanimity of views expressed, but I will come back to that later.