10-second review: How can a preoccupation with grammar inhibit writing ability? “This preoccupation with the skills of grammatical analysis rather than with the skills of composing is a subtle, yet crucial factor in the recently publicized decline of writing ability.”
Source: RL Graves. College Composition and Communication (October 1978), 227. A quarterly publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Comment: I think the author is saying that grammatical analysis is not the same as composition which constructs sentences and paragraphs. I think there is some truth to this, especially when the writer stops to analyze grammatically every sentence before moving on to the next sentence or paragraph. I have been guilty of stopping to analyze grammar while I am writing and it keeps me from completing the composition.
I’m a firm believer in writing the first draft as quickly as possible and waiting for after the first draft to go back to analyze and correct sentence structure, usage, punctuation and style. When I complete the first draft quickly, I establish unity, the thesis, the middle paragraphs with topic sentences, the final, summary paragraph and the introductory paragraph. Now I can smooth and polish. RayS.
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