Question - is grammar heavily taught in US/Canadian schools? It is taught over here but since it does not particularly matter for our exams it is pretty much forgotten about by the time we get to 3rd year onwards (I believe the US equivalent of 8th grade).
That is what I hate most about the UK exam system - things like correct grammar and numeracy are things you would most likely use every day for the rest of your life, however we spend 4 years discussing how the dark blue lampshade shows the deep depression of the central character since that is what our exams are based on.