The Effects of Grammar

An English teacher at a university spent a lot of time marking
grammatical errors in her students' written work. She wasn't sure how
much impact she was having until one overly busy day when she sat at her
desk rubbing her temples.

A student asked, "What's the matter, Mrs. Sheridan?"

"Tense," she replied, describing her emotional state.

After a slight pause the student tried again, "What was the matter? What
has been the matter? What might have been the matter... ?"