In thirteen years of education, those six lessons were the only formal instruction in English grammar any of us had.

Sigh... this topic makes me realize just how badly education has slipped in this (U.S.A.) country.

When I finished 8th grade (that would have been at age 13 or 14) my English teacher had quite literally taught us (or at least attempted to teach us) everything there was to know about English grammar. I mean, everything.

Things like use of the nominative case and nominative form of the verb "to be" in instances where uncertainty of expression called for the subjunctive. Example: "I would not do that if I were he." is correct grammar, and we were taught why it was correct.

In all the remainder of my education (an additional 10 years or so) I was never, not one time ever, exposed to any aspect of grammar that I hadn't been taught in the eighth grade.

When I try to discuss these things with my contemporaries (well, not exactly contemporaries, there aren't too many people around as old as I am -- say, people 10 years younger than I) they just look at me with a blank expression and think, frequently aloud, that I am weird.

Y'know, not even nostalgia is what it used to be.

tanstaafl.