that I was unschooled for so long

The last few days had been massive for me. I was rushing to get my assignments done so that I may hand them up on time. Yes, chide me procrastinating and leaving everything to do at the very last minutes, or in this case, days before the due date. My bad. I failed to change. Still. But I just had to state what went swirling in my mind while doing these assignments. Actually, while doing one assignment. The essay question.

As with all essay questions, you need to have all your facts, supported by evidences, researches, case studies, arguments, etc. To do so, the only way, and the best is, of course, to read extensively on the picked subject. The question that I chose had lines along grammar and its benefits to both teachers and learners.

Now, I have never really understood grammar well. With all honesty, I've never really bothered to study grammar until I undertook this short course. Well, in all necessity, of course I have to learn it, if not for passing this course, then for having something intelligent to write for the essay submission. Not genius level, but at least not stupid lazy level, either.

So I googled and read tons of sites, materials, thoughts, journals, samples, articles. Whatever I could get my hands on from the net, and time permits. I even managed to find a helpful video recording. After all those, no, I would deem myself knowledgeable in that field, but at least I had a better understanding and clearer view of that topic. And of course, slightly better grasp of the terms, the rules, and the jargons that (can be) used to appear 'studied in the area of grammar'.

And suddenly a thought dawned in me. It is possible!

What is that which is possible? Well, I have a book, a collection of work from one of the best author I've ever read, Roald Dahl. He, I believe, always has the label children's author tagged alongside his name, although I never really understood why, as I think his writings are very much mature and riddled with complicated adult humour.

Anyway, back to the story. In that collection, there is one short story, The Great Automatic Grammatizor. When I first finish that story, I was like wow, is that possible? I did not know then the deeper concept of sentence structure and grammar, and the likes of it. Words and writing being wholly the creative outputs of writers, I found it to be very fanciful, almost impossible story, although it does highlight a genius thinking, undoubtedly.

Simply, I was unschooled in the finer area of the linguistics of languages. Technically, it was probable, but there is just a myriad of writing styles and topics and words and phrases, which had I had thought there were just not enough rules, forms, and structures, that governs them. In my mind, these were the result of the individual creativity of the writers. That is why we have good writers, ones that we can tolerate, and some simply just too atrocious that you wonder what ever gave them the idea that they could write. Anyone can write. The question is always, should they, not could they. And that Dahl attempt to describe how that could be done, was just for filling up the pages purposes. To do that you need really really good 'if-else' 'neither-nor' grasps of programming understanding, and really deep penetrating concentration not to get lost in the massive programming that you have to create. It's just too not possible, writing is free and you cannot program something which is free. Not possible.

Suddenly, that impossibility that had hung in my head, when reading this story, had changed. It is possible, after all. Writing is not all that of free. Language has its own technicalities, just like Maths, Science, Electronics. Each sentences has a reason why it was constructed and how it was constructed. Placements, necessities, word choices, it is all possible! I have to say, it made much much more sense reading the story now, and certainly change my perception of writing and language, being free of complicated technicalities, to be creative, without boundaries. I was wrong.

Today, I have more respect for language and writings. They are not free from technicalities, they too have rules to adhere too. And respect for the master writer, Roaldl Dahl, for trying his best to expose this to the ignorant me, much much earlier.

And I am doing my best to reduce the number of violations when writing. Please bear with me.