The grammar-hammers are at it again, this time trying to abolish the comma. People intent on tearing apart the language, word by word, hyphen by hyphen, cannot see the importance of correct grammar, maybe because they have never learned it? The poet, Geoffrey Hill, highlighted a typical and subtle example of the value of the comma: “To dispense, with justice; or, to dispense with justice” (from his sequence The Mystery of the Charity of Charles Péguy, 1983).

In the administration of the law the placement of a comma or a semi-colon can be the difference between freedom and a life sentence. Regrettably, children are apparently not being taught grammar or the writing of essays. Youngsters I know cannot spell and do not capitalise the correct letters. To people old enough to be their grandfather they send messages stating “Hi” (actually “hi”) and then string sentences together without a single full stop.

Epicurus would say that the language is the anchor of civilisation. If you cannot communicate in it you cannot thrive in it.