Abstract Zellig S. Harris's original idea of transformations has been transformed (changed) several times in Chomsky's work. In this paper I shall explicate all these transformations (changes). I shall argue that, though their motivations are highly understandable, these transformations (changes) are not necessary for understanding the workings of natural languages. In other words, I shall argue that Harris's transformational grammar is quite adequate. I shall also argue that the idea of ‘discovery procedures’, seen from a novel point view which I shall provide, can indeed lead to important discoveries about the secrets of human language and the human mind.