To wonder if English can be self-taught through reading?

[mytartanscarf]

This is purely anecdotal but I would be interested in your thoughts.

My attendance at school was always patchy and I didn't really go in at all, much, in my GCSE years. However, I got A*s in my English and I'm fairly sure it's purely down to a love of reading.

I don't remember anybody ever teaching me about language, punctuation or grammar - I just picked it up. My dad had taught me to read by the time I started school.

I am just wondering if this is the exception or whether English, or rather writing and reading skills can be taught just by seeing models through reading? (I am not including English taught as a foreign language.) :)

I'm much the same as you Isabella but I did teach English!

I think that there is a difference between speaking grammatically and being good at grammar. The former could be attributed to exposure to other people's speech whilst the latter (for me) means being able to parse sentences, explain parts of speech, define when to use of particular verb tenses etc.

Makes self comfortable on the pedants' bench.

Alisvolatpropiis haha when people bang on about how English was so great/pure in the good old days. I always think #yeah what about Jane Austin then? or Charles Dickens?# ( sorry my punctuation marks aren[t marked on this keyboard so it is a bit hit and miss )