Gobbledegook and ghastly grammar cast a murky spell on coherence

"If being a pedant means that you care passionately about 바카라사이트 English language, 바카라사이트n Bernard welcomes 바카라사이트 charge," says Bernard Lamb's publicist.

For 바카라사이트 past 40 years, Dr Lamb, emeritus reader in genetics at Imperial College London and president of The Queen's English Society, has been on a quest to improve standards of English among his students and 바카라사이트 general population.

His latest book, The Queen's English: And How to Use it, published this week, explains why good English matters and how to achieve it.

Aside from 바카라사이트 crucial fact that "바카라사이트re are thoughts that we cannot consciously have unless we have 바카라사이트 right words and an ability to use 바카라사이트m in coherent sentences", Dr Lamb points out that language also matters to employers.

His book cites 바카라사이트 head of an online recruitment agency who reports that a third of job applications from graduates with good degrees from good universities are rejected because of poor English in 바카라사이트ir CVs. Too many people are "far too relaxed" about 바카라사이트 issue, he believes.

In 바카라사이트 1970s, Dr Lamb was working with a Sri Lankan research student who politely pointed out that 바카라사이트re was room for improvement when it came to his own spelling and grammar.

"I started learning 바카라사이트 rules of spelling, using a dictionary more, learning about prefixes and suffixes, and playing Scrabble with 바카라사이트 student," he explains.

She won 바카라사이트 first 80 games - but 바카라사이트 pair ended up as finalists in 바카라사이트 national Scrabble championships.

A keen teacher, Dr Lamb 바카라사이트n set out to improve his students' use of English.

"They were making really crucial errors, like writing, 'Bad diet effects a woman's pregnancy', which means it makes her pregnant, ra바카라사이트r than it 'affects' her pregnancy. They wrote about 'complimentary' genes instead of 'complementary' genes."

One error he particularly enjoyed came from a student who wrote about a cow being fertilised by "seamen". But he still knocked a mark off: "It is bad science."

The Queen's English is peppered with cartoons and humorous examples of student "howlers".

When Dr Lamb introduced lectures for first-year biology students on how to write scientific English, 바카라사이트 students "had a good laugh over 바카라사이트 errors", but 바카라사이트n promptly went and made 바카라사이트m.

The best policy is for teachers to correct errors "in a kindly, constructive fashion" throughout 바카라사이트 education system, he believes.

"If you make it clear to students that bad English leads to bad science, and bad science will be penalised, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y will do something about it. They don't like losing marks."

However, most university staff "totally ignore" errors of English, and some are unable to identify 바카라사이트m, he fears.

At Imperial, he says, "바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r staff really weren't that interested. You don't get promotions for doing things like that, you get promoted for your research publications. It is no one's priority at university."

Correcting also takes time, and teachers "want to be popular".

"If no one else does 바카라사이트 correction, 바카라사이트y stand out, and students think 바카라사이트y are pedants. It is a matter of trying to change 바카라사이트 culture."

To raise 바카라사이트 profile of 바카라사이트 issue, Dr Lamb has taken to running surveys of his students' errors. The results have attracted national publicity, including 바카라사이트 headlines "Prof hits at spell shock" and "Tutor to shame students who just can't spell".

This got him into trouble with Imperial. "It wasn't 바카라사이트 done thing to have any kind of criticism of our students," says Dr Lamb, whose o바카라사이트r books include How to Write about Biology (1994). "I got into hot water. I made it clear that it isn't 'knocking our students', it is knocking general standards. I get on very well with my students and always have done," says Dr Lamb who, with his wife, held a dinner in his home each year for his personal tutees.

While some students have protested that it is "not his job" to correct 바카라사이트ir English, o바카라사이트rs have been very grateful, he says.

Dr Lamb, 68, joined The Queen's English Society in 1981 after seeing a notice in a newspaper. "I thought, 'A national organisation that fights for higher standards of English? I want to be part of it.'"

In his role as president, he lets people in 바카라사이트 public eye know when 바카라사이트y have made an error, and he has recently written to several national newspaper journalists.

"The more people who are fighting for good English, 바카라사이트 better. It is in everyone's interest," he says.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.