CBSE Grammar (Or the lack of it)
Check this out…
How many types of soil there are. *Full stop* Name them? *Question mark*
What on earth?! I have half a mind to answer like this:
Q: Name them?
A: No.
I’m sure that bad grammar in CBSE textbooks is no new thing to anyone. It is just so distracting! But lately, I’ve noticed that grammar isn’t the only thing messed up in those books.
I study Geography out of a set of two books. One of questions, and the other of answers. What I would like to know is…did the people who wrote the answers EVER look at the questions they were answering?!
Give four examples of human-made resources
The skill or technique of crops utilization of resources planning is important for the skillfully use of resources, because without planning, there well be a mass wastage
What is resource planning?
Soil erosion is caused by deforestation, heavy and torrential rains, over grazing and winds etc….
How is soil formed?
Soil erosion, deforestation, land fills, mining and over exploitation of ground water resources.
That is REALLY the way it is!! Spelling mistakes, bad grammar and ALL!!
It is really sad that with our economy boom and everything, we are still incapable of writing articulate English! I am not suggesting that the way we speak in India has to change, I’m not in any way trying to be elitist…but if we can’t publish textbooks in proper English…I don’t know what to say.
I wish people would stop trying to speak in languages they can’t handle. I learn French…but I’m not writing French literature now am I?
How many types of soil there are. *Full stop* Name them? *Question mark*
What on earth?! I have half a mind to answer like this:
Q: Name them?
A: No.
I’m sure that bad grammar in CBSE textbooks is no new thing to anyone. It is just so distracting! But lately, I’ve noticed that grammar isn’t the only thing messed up in those books.
I study Geography out of a set of two books. One of questions, and the other of answers. What I would like to know is…did the people who wrote the answers EVER look at the questions they were answering?!
Give four examples of human-made resources
The skill or technique of crops utilization of resources planning is important for the skillfully use of resources, because without planning, there well be a mass wastage
What is resource planning?
Soil erosion is caused by deforestation, heavy and torrential rains, over grazing and winds etc….
How is soil formed?
Soil erosion, deforestation, land fills, mining and over exploitation of ground water resources.
That is REALLY the way it is!! Spelling mistakes, bad grammar and ALL!!
It is really sad that with our economy boom and everything, we are still incapable of writing articulate English! I am not suggesting that the way we speak in India has to change, I’m not in any way trying to be elitist…but if we can’t publish textbooks in proper English…I don’t know what to say.
I wish people would stop trying to speak in languages they can’t handle. I learn French…but I’m not writing French literature now am I?
posted by 
@ 5:32 am
4 Comments:
At 5:56 am, December 01, 2004,
D. said…
(Off-topic - but hey! I'm probably behind you in French and I write stories and stuff in it! I'm trying to translate that Harry Potter fanfic...)
I share your pain. ICSE grammar - it doesn't even exist, actually.
And our textbooks are pretty dunderheaded too. I mean:
Name some aplications (sic) of quantum mechanics? (question mark reproduced from original)Now, resisting the temptation to go 'Everything', you could still write some pretty cool stuff - magnetism...electricity...
What does the textbook say?
The hydrogen atom, the rigid rotator, the harmonic oscillator, the uncertainty principle.
None of this is in our syllabus anyway, but that isn't the real point.
Why these four and no others?
Because it's a four mark question, of course!
Our History book calls 'Swadeshi' 'Swedeshi'. Our Chemistry book wrote 'Vanadium Pentoxite' instead of 'Pentoxide'.
(Incidentally, Vanadia Pentoxite has become a key character in a story of mine.)
The giggles can't hide the fact that it's pretty painful.
To sum up...next time we're asked
Name four consequences of the 1857 mutiny?Why don't we all say Shan't!
At 5:43 am, December 06, 2004,
Aveek said…
Oh yeah... I went through that last year... actually, it was quite funny. Trust me, its the only thing that'll cheer you up when you got study leave. I was in splits jsut trying to comprehend the true meaning of thee question!! Hey, everyone sucks. Some are just so much better at it than the rest. That's why they established a club, and called themselves the Government of India!!
At 6:38 am, December 15, 2004,
Anonymous said…
well boohoo
everyone went through it so you do too. if youre such an elitist who's tortured so badly by bad spelling, why dont you write your own textbooks?
At 9:26 am, December 15, 2004,
Aveek said…
And why don't you go suck an egg, you little twerp? Are you getting us to try and sympathise with your non-elitist nature, so that we treat you with more attention? Would you really want that so badly?
If you're so tortured by someone elses point of view, why do yo visit this place? Why not sit back and be content that you can laugh at people who actually try and educate you?
You obviously are some sorta lazy, pathetic slob. Can't you understand that someone is trying to take action agains't a fundamental flaw, so that it doesn't worsen? You have no mindset, do you? If everyone can put up with it, so will I. Someone else can change things. Well, looks like you're the mediocre middle man waiting for change, and she's the 'elitist' who's trying to bring it around. Now, who do you think is better off?
Post a Comment
<< Home