All that the early research seems to show, therefore, is that it is possible to teach grammar in such a way that children learn nothing; but this is hardly surprising - the same is surely true of any subject. However the early research should act as a warning to any who might argue that any kind of grammar teaching is better than none. It is also interesting to remember that grammar was one of the few subjects that teachers taught purely on the basis of what they themselves learned at school, without any kind of 'boost' at university; a subject with such weak intellectual underpinnings is doomed to eventual extinction, so it is imperative to ensure that the same mistake is not repeated.