The Guardian's grammar test

13/14 for me, but I would have to admit that, like Ricardoforce, had I not in recent years learned another language then I wouldn't have known half of what the quiz was asking.

It really seems to be true that to understand the workings your mother tongue learning another language helps immensely.
 
Slaphead said:
13/14 for me, but I would have to admit that, like Ricardoforce, had I not in recent years learned another language then I wouldn't have known half of what the quiz was asking.

It really seems to be true that to understand the workings your mother tongue learning another language helps immensely.
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Exactly! Immersing yourself in another language forces you to think about your own language. The problem I have now is that I've imported some Spanish constructions into my English. For example, rather than "have a coffee", I find myself saying I am going to "take a coffee". :wacky:
 
tiler65 said:
But if you would have known the difference with the questions asked on the test, you would have got more correct.

Just like your engineering. The test is not to ask when they were created, or by who/whom (?) it is there to test you on the correct use of spelling, grammar and punctuation so you can deliver the correct results.
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That test is mainly about whether you know / remember the names of the grammatical terms. You could be skilled at clear and correct writing and still fail the test.
 
PatrickO said:
That test is mainly about whether you know / remember the names of the grammatical terms. You could be skilled at clear and correct writing and still fail the test.
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Not strictly true because question 10 is about spelling the words correctly for the sentence so it reads the correct sense.
 
tiler65 said:
Not strictly true because question 10 is about spelling the words correctly for the sentence so it reads the correct sense.
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I agree that if you got 0/14 then you will probably have poor writing skills, but you could have excellent skills and get 5/14.
 
But you said correct writing skills...that cannot be true if you get most of (or even any) the questions wrong.

The clear part is because we can understand what is trying to be said. It doesn't mean it is correct writing.
 
11/14, educated guess on bar about 2.....So im either lucky or a good guesser!

6,8 and 12 wrong for me.
 
tiler65 said:
But you said correct writing skills...that cannot be true if you get most of (or even any) the questions wrong.

The clear part is because we can understand what is trying to be said. It doesn't mean it is correct writing.
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You can know and use correct grammar without knowing the names of the terms. Most of us use gerunds correctly without knowing that it is called gerunds.

This test is mostly checking knowledge of the names of grammatical terms, not whether you are using them correctly.
 
PatrickO said:
You can know and use correct grammar without knowing the names of the terms. Most of us use gerunds correctly without knowing that it is called gerunds.

This test is mostly checking knowledge of the names of grammatical terms, not whether you are using them correctly.
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But you need to know the difference or you could end up giving the wrong message.....for example......

Grammar is the difference between knowing your ****** and knowing you're ******! (exchange the stars for another word for poo)
 
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Couldn't help myself - had to see what a gerund is. The knowing is information of no use beyond the satisfying of my curiosity!
 
Nod said:
Couldn't help myself - had to see what a gerund is. The knowing is information of no use beyond the satisfying of my curiosity!
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Makes us good members for pub quiz teams.....brains full of useless trivia!
 
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tiler65 said:
But you need to know the difference or you could end up giving the wrong message.....for example......

Grammar is the difference between knowing your ****** and knowing you're ******! (exchange the stars for another word for poo)
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Ok. I'll have one more go.

Would you agree that you can know how to use "your" and "you're" correctly without knowing the grammatical name for those words? I know exactly how and when to use them, but I have no idea what they are called in grammar.
 
PatrickO said:
Ok. I'll have one more go.

Would you agree that you can know how to use "your" and "you're" correctly without knowing the grammatical name for those words? I know exactly how and when to use them, but I have no idea what they are called in grammar.
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But that particular question was about being grammatically correct...it didn't have a name as such. The only way you know it is correct is if you are taught it, which is the whole point of the test.

Countless folk still get it wrong because they do not know it is wrong.
 
tiler65 said:
Not in Scouseland ........ they say 'a apple'...makes me smile all the time.

Well done on the test and I agree about learning more since the advent of Google!

Were we just very lazy in English classes?
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Being from Scouseland, I've never heard anyone say 'A apple".

Maybe my Scouseland family & friends are clever :p

9 of 14 for me, anyway.
 
tiler65 said:
Probably!
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and thats patricks point. You can know whats right or wrong without knowing what it is called. There were questions in the test that relied more on your ability to know the terms of the grammar rather than just knowing if it is right or not

right patrick?
 
joescrivens said:
and thats patricks point. You can know whats right or wrong without knowing what it is called. There were questions in the test that relied more on your ability to know the terms of the grammar rather than just knowing if it is right or not

right patrick?
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So is there a name for it or not? It matters now because your point is based on the fact that there will be a name for it - what if there isn't?
 
PatrickO said:
Your is a possessive adjective.

You're is a contraction of the second person form of the verb "to be"

I really need to get a life...
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Count yourself lucky that there is only one verb "to be" in English. There are two in Spanish.
 
PatrickO said:
Your is a possessive adjective.

You're is a contraction of the second person form of the verb "to be"

I really need to get a life...
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So the Guardian should have used for Q10......'Which term is a possessive adjective?'
 
tiler65 said:
So the Guardian should have used for Q10......'Which term is a possessive adjective?'
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Precisely the point i was trying to make, you can know the correct grammar and how/where to use it without knowing what it is called
 
rpsmith79 said:
Precisely the point i was trying to make, you can know the correct grammar and how/where to use it without knowing what it is called
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But my point is that because they used a not quite correct way of asking the question, we are still able to process what is the correct answer.

I think you did know what they were called, it is just that you have forgotten what they were or in my case, not listening at the time of being told!
 
tiler65 said:
But my point is that because they used a not quite correct way of asking the question, we are still able to process what is the correct answer.

I think you did know what they were called, it is just that you have forgotten what they were or in my case, not listening at the time of being told!
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But if all the other questions had been worded in a similar way then i might have been able to answer them, but worded they way they were i didn't have a clue

Question 1 for example, i have not idea what an Antonym is, however if it asked what is the opposite then i could have answered it easily (yes i had to look that up), but because i didn't know what an Antonym was i couldn't answer the question

Does that make me bad a grammar because i don't know the meaning of that particular word
 
rpsmith79 said:
But if all the other questions had been worded in a similar way then i might have been able to answer them, but worded they way they were i didn't have a clue

Question 1 for example, i have not idea what an Antonym is, however if it asked what is the opposite then i could have answered it easily (yes i had to look that up), but because i didn't know what an Antonym was i couldn't answer the question

Does that make me bad a grammar because i don't know the meaning of that particular word
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your point is very obvious and I'm not sure why tom can't understand it.
 
rpsmith79 said:
But if all the other questions had been worded in a similar way then i might have been able to answer them, but worded they way they were i didn't have a clue

Question 1 for example, i have not idea what an Antonym is, however if it asked what is the opposite then i could have answered it easily (yes i had to look that up), but because i didn't know what an Antonym was i couldn't answer the question

Does that make me bad a grammar because i don't know the meaning of that particular word
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You don't need to know the meaning of the word "Antonym" to answer question 1, it can be worked out logically (two of the options have the same meaning, leaving only one).
 
rpsmith79 said:
But if all the other questions had been worded in a similar way then i might have been able to answer them, but worded they way they were i didn't have a clue

Question 1 for example, i have not idea what an Antonym is, however if it asked what is the opposite then i could have answered it easily (yes i had to look that up), but because i didn't know what an Antonym was i couldn't answer the question

Does that make me bad a grammar because i don't know the meaning of that particular word
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But the point of the test was to see if you understood it...not if you got them right or not.....why can't you see that?

Like I said, you probably did know them but have forgotten.

And for your last point, strictly speaking, it does make you less than perfect at grammar if you don't know what it means otherwise you are guessing. But we can still be educated and learn things everyday!
 
tiler65 said:
But my point is that because they used a not quite correct way of asking the question, we are still able to process what is the correct answer.

I think you did know what they were called, it is just that you have forgotten what they were or in my case, not listening at the time of being told!
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Aplologies, but to me that line makes no sense at all.
If I forget something, even if for a short time, then I no longer know what that something is. A telephone number is good example; and if I wasn't listening when the subject was being explained initially, then I never knew it.
 
viv1969 said:
Aplologies, but to me that line makes no sense at all.
If I forget something, even if for a short time, then I no longer know what that something is. A telephone number is good example; and if I wasn't listening when the subject was being explained initially, then I never knew it.
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That's not how the unconscious works though. Many of the lucky guesses we make in life are little unconscious nudges.
 
12/14 - 11 and 13 wrong.
 
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