Will the next generation be better readers?

Because my watch had stopped, I did not know what time it was, and I was worried I was going to be late for my appointment.

Mr Lucas caused a fracas in the department, in an incident with the photocopier, and because of this he was suspended, pending an investigation. 

 What type of sentences are these?  Simple?  Compound?  Complex?  Compound-complex?

Who knows?

Children in school, today, know!

There is an increased focus on the mechanics of language and literature in today’s GCSE study, much more so than when I was at school.  I was never taught about grammar, sentence structure and language devices like metaphors and similes in as much detail as today’s pupils are; it was assumed that my generation would just “learn” it or “know” these things through reading in our own time and our natural use of the English language.  It was as if teachers expected the knowledge to osmose its way into our brains.  Curriculum changes meant that my Primary School had told me I’d learn about grammar when I got to Secondary School, and by the time I got to Year 7 at the age of 11, I was told that I should have already learnt about grammar and that they didn’t have time to teach us. 

However, today there are dedicated lessons: to the mechanics of the language; to studying the effect of long, compound-complex sentences; to investigate why semi-colons are used; and, why paragraphs are different lengths and in a certain order.  In fact, most of the GCSE questions require these skills in order to gain marks in answer to them.  So, does this mean that the next generation will be better readers? 

Perhaps so.

We all know the benefits of reading, you wouldn’t be here, reading this, if you didn’t.  The question is, despite this forensic skill being taught to the youngsters of today, do they want to read?  Is there an apathy towards learning and reading in today’s youthful generation?  Too many young people, we’re told by the media, are glued to their smart phones.  Perhaps, though, the issue is not their unwillingness to read paper books, but rather a set of books available to them – in any format – which does not challenge them as much as they might expect.  Is this because they’ve been trained to look for more detail than the last generation was?  Than the people writing the books, have been?  Are writers afraid of adding in that extra layer in case it falls upon deaf ears in Young Adult/Teenage fiction? 

With the increase of teachers such as Mr Bruff delving into the mechanics and beauty of the English language on his YouTube channel, for the purposes of revision for GCSE pupils (this one is particularly useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0gDzLhfxRI&t=889s ), tomorrow’s readers will understand why writers use different sentence types, rather than be overwhelmed by them as some “average readers” might be of an older generation.  What people of my age, or older, may consider a “long sentence,” might be there for a reason they may not have thought to consider. 

So, what’s my point with all of this?  Why bother discussing it?

I suppose I have two points. 

The first relates to writing, the second regards reading/giving feedback.

 Writing

I suppose my advice, should you want it, is to push the boundaries.  I’m sure you already think carefully about how to manipulate the language on the page, but there is nothing wrong with a complex, or a compound-complex sentence as long as it reflects the situation in the plot.  Readers need to be entertained, challenged, and immersed into the world of your book; what better way to do this than by ensuring their attention is solely on your words because of the increased need to concentrate on what they’re reading?  Surely, as writers, we’re the guardians of the quality of literature; why compromise for the sake of an “easy read” or in the fear of your reader not understanding the nuance of the text?  This is what layers are for; trust in your reader and you might be surprised by how much they enjoy your work; especially if you write Young Adult fiction for readers you know have been trained to scrutinise in intricate detail and need to be challenged by good writing.  

Reading/giving feedback

Which brings me to reading others’ work, and giving feedback.  I’ve said this before, in my last blog, but it warrants repetition: intelligence is not to be underrated.  If you’re offering feedback on a piece of work, consider why a writer has used a certain sentence type, and what they’re trying to add to the plot, or what they’re trying to reflect in the main character’s feelings.  Instead of, perhaps, complaining about a slower pace in a piece of writing, consider why the pace has been slowed – does that reflect the main character’s sadness?  impatience? frustration about their situation?  If you’re not sure – ask!  Ask the writer what they were hoping to gain by altering sentence type, ask them why they’ve structured their work in the order they have, ask them why they’re changing the focus or distracting you from the main events, ask them why they’ve not given all the information one might expect at the start of a novel -why they haven’t set the scene completely.  Not only might it help you consider a new perspective, it might give you ideas for your own writing, too. 

I’ve seen something, recently, that’s hit the nail on the head when it comes to this topic.  Feel free to have a look, and join in the conversation, yourself, here. 

 As standards in education continue to be raised, shouldn’t we should be raising the standard of our writing, also? 

 Until next time,

 Louise