Teaching English as a dead language

doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7294.1131/a

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Colin Douglas, doctor and novelist

Edinburgh

Many years ago I learned English. I don't mean mother's-knee English—although I'm told that I learned that quite quickly, and grew a vocabulary from the Sunday broadsheets at an age that I'd rather keep to myself—I mean learning proper English.

I was taught for five years by a man who took it all very seriously. He had even written a book. He would plan the week's work on a Monday. (“Monday, my book. Tuesday, Keats. Wednesday, …