Uplevelling: a rant.

What is uplevelling?

I came across this page, below, on Facebook the other day, which gives us some idea:





I'm not sure exactly who produced it, but it's apparently a work sheet, or page of a text book, used in English schools.

There is a great fashion in England for teaching grammar to children. This sounds a good thing, and it should be a good thing, because of course you're much more likely to be given well paid and/or interesting and worthwhile things to do if your writing and speech can be easily understood.

But this...

I suppose the idea of the exercise above is that if you make all the changes required then the sentences will get higher marks in a grammar exam - that is, they'll go up a certain number of levels, which is presumably how the exam results are expressed.

Ah well. I must at least be glad that it's called uplevelling and not improving your writing:* because according to the work-sheet's criteria this passage, for instance, is a pile of utter rubbish.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. 

(That's by St Paul, from his letter to the Corinthians. St Paul was well known for writing a good letter.)

I was going to finish this post by uplevelling that first sentence: love is patient, love is kind, but I've realised that it won't in any way make the world a better place, and anyway I really can't bear to do it.

I can only hope that our poor children are taught about truth and beauty, as well as levels.

Word To Use Today: level. This word comes from the Latin lībella, which is the diminutive for lībra, scales. 

*Though, very sadly indeed, the word improve is used in one place. Oh dear!