When Grammar Met Clarity
Writing has always fascinated me. It’s such an interesting aspect of communication; you can pretty much convey anything you want, in any way you want. Even a grammatically incorrect sentence can carry its full meaning. Yet, somewhere along the way, we began mistaking good communication for intelligence. “Oh, he writes and speaks so well. He must be smart.” Good communication can create a false sense of technical pride. I grew up believing that grammatical precision was the measure of knowledge. But in hindsight, that wasn’t entirely me; it was my teachers. They were absolutely particular that every sentence not only conveyed meaning, but also respected the sanctity of grammar. A misplaced article or preposition could invite the harshest of corrections. Yesterday, my wife and I were talking about writing and as all conversations these days eventually do, it veered toward our kids’ writing. We were laughing over Sahana’s recent schoolwork: a delightful mix of humor, dialogue, and im...
true.. it's hard to make something uneatable... unless you dump a jarful of salt or chilly powder into the dish and even then you can use buttermilk / potatoes and even it out.
ReplyDeleteI mean, the other day to test the theory I sauteed onions, added chopped beef patties and some black eyed peas and what have you, a dish that got finished in 2 hours flat.
dear praveen, you have not mentioned the name of the person who gave you the recipe for poruchcha kuzhambu and when. i feel proud that you are able to prepare the food as instructed by a person from india. it is more than sending a rocket.
ReplyDeleten.kalyanasundaram.