Did structural grammar become popular fifty years before transformational grammar?

This statement is not quite accurate. While structural grammar did predate transformational grammar, it wasn't by a full fifty years.

Here's a breakdown:

* Structural Grammar: This approach, primarily associated with Leonard Bloomfield and his followers, gained prominence in the early 20th century.

* Transformational Grammar: Developed by Noam Chomsky in the 1950s, it emerged as a significant challenge to structuralism.

So, while structural grammar was dominant for several decades before transformational grammar emerged, the difference is less than fifty years.