--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then suddenly, he was struck by a…" description: "\"Then suddenly, he was struck by a powerful but simple little truth, and it was this: that English grammar is governed by rules that are almost mathemat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/roald-dahl-899_english-grammar_then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerfu_911842.jpg" --- # Then suddenly, he was struck by a powerful but simple… ![“Then suddenly, he was struck by a powerful but simple little truth, and it was this: that English grammar is governed by rules that are almost mathematical in their strictness!” quote by Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/roald-dahl-899_english-grammar_then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerfu_911842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/roald-dahl-899_english-grammar_then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerfu_911842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/roald-dahl-899_english-grammar_then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerfu_911842.jpg) > “Then suddenly, he was struck by a powerful but simple little truth, and it was this: that English grammar is governed by rules that are almost mathematical in their strictness!” [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. English grammar follows precise, almost mathematical rules, making it predictable and logical. **In simple terms:** Grammar is highly structured. Key Takeaway Study and apply rules systematically. Themes language structure logic education Mood analytical thoughtful Type educational informative When to use this quote - writing essays - learning a new language - editing - teaching grammar Key Concepts grammar theory mathematical precision Questions to Reflect On - How can creativity coexist with strict grammar? - When do rules hinder expression? A Different Perspective Complex language nuances may not fit strict rules. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [English grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-grammar/) [Grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grammar/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Do not be surprised when those who ignore the rules of grammar also ignore the law. After all, the law is just so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/do-not-be-surprised-when-those-who-ignore-the-rules-of-grammar-also/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Only in grammar can you be more than perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/only-in-grammar-can-you-be-more-than-perfect/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [“the rules of English grammar are largely an artificial construct with little or no bearing on the language as it is spoke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-rules-of-english-grammar-are-largely-an-artificial-construct-with/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [Making English grammar conform to Latin rules is like asking people to play baseball using the rules of football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/making-english-grammar-conform-to-latin-rules-is-like-asking-people/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/english-grammar-is-so-complex-and-confusing-for-the-one-very-simple/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Word lessons, in particular the wouldst couldst shouldst have loved kind, were kept up, with much warlike thrashing, until I had committed the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/word-lessons-in-particular-the-wouldst-couldst-shouldst-have-loved/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [ I believe it is imperative to see modern English grammar as a rich and diverse linguistic system deposited on our \[England's\] shores 1,500 years… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burchfield/i-believe-it-is-imperative-to-see-modern-english-grammar-as-a-rich/) [Robert Burchfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burchfield/) > [“Not until 1761 did any grammarian settle on the eight that became the canonical parts of speech in English. He was the same man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-a-garner/not-until-1761-did-any-grammarian-settle-on-the-eight-that-became-the/) Bryan A. Garner > [For most of us the rules of English grammar are at best a dimly remembered thing. But even for those who make the rules,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/for-most-of-us-the-rules-of-english-grammar-are-at-best-a-dimly/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“The Elements of Style does not deserve the enormous esteem in which it is held by American college graduates. Its advice ranges from limp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-pullum/the-elements-of-style-does-not-deserve-the-enormous-esteem-in-which/) Geoffrey Pullum > [“I don't know anything but the simplest rules of English grammar, and I seldom consciously apply them. Nevertheless, I instinctively write correctly and, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issac-asimov/i-don-t-know-anything-but-the-simplest-rules-of-english-grammar-and-i/) Issac Asimov > [“I remember one English teacher in the eighth grade, Florence Schrack, whose husband also taught at the high school. I thought what she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-remember-one-english-teacher-in-the-eighth-grade-florence-schrack/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“I believe that no great lyric poet ever speaks in the so-called “proper” language of his or her time. Emily Dickinson didn’t write in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilya-kaminsky/i-believe-that-no-great-lyric-poet-ever-speaks-in-the-so-called/) [Ilya Kaminsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilya-kaminsky/) > [“English grammar and composition is difficult even for the English, but worse and worse for a Welsh boy. He speaks, reads, writes, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-llewellyn/english-grammar-and-composition-is-difficult-even-for-the-english-but/) [Richard Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-llewellyn/) > [“The chief characteristic of English grammar is the way words are arranged within sentences, and the technical term for this process is syntax. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/the-chief-characteristic-of-english-grammar-is-the-way-words-are/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) ## More by Roald Dahl > [Nowadays you can go anywhere in the world in a few hours, and nothing is fabulous any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/nowadays-you-can-go-anywhere-in-the-world-in-a-few-hours-and-nothing/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [When I walked to school in the mornings I would start out alone but would pick up four other boys along the way. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-i-walked-to-school-in-the-mornings-i-would-start-out-alone-but/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“There's no earthly way of knowing Which direction we are going There's no knowing where we're rowing Or which way the river's flowing Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/there-s-no-earthly-way-of-knowing-which-direction-we-are-going-there/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“One of the vital things for a writer who’s writing a book, which is a lengthy project and is going to take about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/one-of-the-vital-things-for-a-writer-who-s-writing-a-book-which-is-a/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“When Bruce Bogtrotter had eaten his way through half of the entire enormous cake, he paused for just a couple of seconds and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-bruce-bogtrotter-had-eaten-his-way-through-half-of-the-entire/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Bunkum and tummyrot! You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that. Would Columbus have discovered America if he'd said 'What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/bunkum-and-tummyrot-you-ll-never-get-anywhere-if-you-go-about-what/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [If the Good Lord intended for us to walk, he wouldn't have invented rollar skates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/if-the-good-lord-intended-for-us-to-walk-he-wouldn-t-have-invented/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was a special moment in the middle of the night when every child and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whispered-to-her-was-a-special/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/those-who-don-t-believe-in-magic-will-never-find-it/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [But there was one other thing that the grown-ups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/but-there-was-one-other-thing-that-the-grown-ups-also-knew-and-it-was/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [When writing about oneself, one must strive to be truthful. Truth is more important than modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-writing-about-oneself-one-must-strive-to-be-truthful-truth-is/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“the world is a scary place for such a small child”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-world-is-a-scary-place-for-such-a-small-child/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [And above all, watch with glittering eyes the world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/and-above-all-watch-with-glittering-eyes-the-world-around-you-because/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“We must hurry!’ said Mr. Wonka. ‘We have so much time and so little to do! No! Wait! Strike that! Reverse it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/we-must-hurry-said-mr-wonka-we-have-so-much-time-and-so-little-to-do/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) [Explore all 318 Roald Dahl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) ## More English grammar quotes > [Do not be surprised when those who ignore the rules of grammar also ignore the law. After all, the law is just so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/do-not-be-surprised-when-those-who-ignore-the-rules-of-grammar-also/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“Not until 1761 did any grammarian settle on the eight that became the canonical parts of speech in English. He was the same man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-a-garner/not-until-1761-did-any-grammarian-settle-on-the-eight-that-became-the/) Bryan A. Garner > [“English grammar and composition is difficult even for the English, but worse and worse for a Welsh boy. He speaks, reads, writes, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-llewellyn/english-grammar-and-composition-is-difficult-even-for-the-english-but/) [Richard Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-llewellyn/) > [ I believe it is imperative to see modern English grammar as a rich and diverse linguistic system deposited on our \[England's\] shores 1,500 years… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burchfield/i-believe-it-is-imperative-to-see-modern-english-grammar-as-a-rich/) [Robert Burchfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burchfield/) > [Word lessons, in particular the wouldst couldst shouldst have loved kind, were kept up, with much warlike thrashing, until I had committed the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/word-lessons-in-particular-the-wouldst-couldst-shouldst-have-loved/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/english-grammar-is-so-complex-and-confusing-for-the-one-very-simple/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Making English grammar conform to Latin rules is like asking people to play baseball using the rules of football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/making-english-grammar-conform-to-latin-rules-is-like-asking-people/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“I believe that no great lyric poet ever speaks in the so-called “proper” language of his or her time. Emily Dickinson didn’t write in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilya-kaminsky/i-believe-that-no-great-lyric-poet-ever-speaks-in-the-so-called/) [Ilya Kaminsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilya-kaminsky/) > [“the rules of English grammar are largely an artificial construct with little or no bearing on the language as it is spoke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-rules-of-english-grammar-are-largely-an-artificial-construct-with/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [Only in grammar can you be more than perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/only-in-grammar-can-you-be-more-than-perfect/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [For most of us the rules of English grammar are at best a dimly remembered thing. But even for those who make the rules,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/for-most-of-us-the-rules-of-english-grammar-are-at-best-a-dimly/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“I remember one English teacher in the eighth grade, Florence Schrack, whose husband also taught at the high school. I thought what she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-remember-one-english-teacher-in-the-eighth-grade-florence-schrack/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The Elements of Style does not deserve the enormous esteem in which it is held by American college graduates. Its advice ranges from limp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-pullum/the-elements-of-style-does-not-deserve-the-enormous-esteem-in-which/) Geoffrey Pullum > [“I don't know anything but the simplest rules of English grammar, and I seldom consciously apply them. Nevertheless, I instinctively write correctly and, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issac-asimov/i-don-t-know-anything-but-the-simplest-rules-of-english-grammar-and-i/) Issac Asimov > [“The chief characteristic of English grammar is the way words are arranged within sentences, and the technical term for this process is syntax. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/the-chief-characteristic-of-english-grammar-is-the-way-words-are/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) [Browse all 18 English grammar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-grammar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Then suddenly, he was struck by a powerful but simple little truth, and it was this: that English grammar is governed by rules that are almost mathematical in their strictness!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roald Dahl" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerful-but-simple-little-truth-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "English grammar" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerful-but-simple-little-truth-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/roald-dahl-899_english-grammar_then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerfu_911842.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/roald-dahl-899_english-grammar_then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerfu_911842.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/roald-dahl-899_english-grammar_then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerfu_911842.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Then suddenly, he was struck by a powerful but simple little truth, and it was this: that English grammar is…” — Roald Dahl", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Roald Dahl", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Then suddenly, he was struck by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerful-but-simple-little-truth-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/then-suddenly-he-was-struck-by-a-powerful-but-simple-little-truth-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```