2 JUNE 1984, Page 19

Sir: If Alastair Forbes thinks that Alexander Chancellor, in his

role of TV critic, 'really must brush up his English Sight reading', may I suggest that he himself could well brush up his grasp of English Syntax. Indeed, after reading — for the third time — his first two paragraphs (Letters, 19 May), I have concluded that it Would be better for us all if he started at the beginning again, with Fowler in one hand and a red pencil in the other. This is by no means the first time I have noticed Mr Forbes's difficulty in expressing an opinion or describing an incident in a style that could be understood by a literate reader, anandI suppose it is too much to hope that it Will be the last. Gillian Statham 34 Rose Road Harborne, ' Birmingham