This might be re-worded as ‘why teach about the use of language?’ If any reader or writer is to have a reflective and properly critical view of texts, then knowledge of language and how it is organised to make meaning is essential. This book is about language and how it works. It is also about meaning. Each case study or vignette begins with reading - even if it is just a fragment or a piece of film - to help see how language in different forms is used to express ideas. There are then examples showing how a particular grammatical element can be taught in context with suggestions for improving writing through exploration of that aspect of language. Most importantly, the examples aren’t about adding lots of adjectives, verbs or adverbs to writing. They are about achieving the effect that the writer wants. For example, in Tennyson’s poignant and moving poem ‘The Lady of Shallot’ when the poet wants to paint a picture of Lancelot, a dashing young knight, he uses ornate language: