Sir, Since your newspaper made the reckless decision to become a tabloid, I have noticed with horror the very poor standard of grammar by your columnists. There seems to be littl or no editorial supervision. Opinion:July 18 The headline reads " Is the greatest Russian Stalin or Nicholas ?" It should, of course, read " Is the greater Russian, Stalin or [ is it]Nicholas?" I should have thought that the average nine-year old would know better! This just one example of many. On a daily basis , I notice on average 100 "Illiteracies" in your newspaper. The Times used to be a flagship, particularly noted for both good usage and style. I now use your newspaper in key skills & basic skills classes to point out the infelicities of poor and often confusing grammar; whereas a few years ago I used it to illustrate good usage. I remain, John Holmes