In thinking about whether younger is always better, it’s also important to separate speed of learning and the ultimate level of success. In terms of speed, adults and older children are often initially faster at learning some aspects of a second language, including 22 • THE BILINGUAL EDGE complicated grammar. In terms of ultimate level of success, younger children can usually catch up and typically reach higher levels of fluency. In particular, younger learners appear to have a clear advantage in their accents. Yet even some older children and adults, in the right environment, can achieve extremely strong mastery of second language grammar.