GRAMMAR
How to learn English Grammar?
That really is the question, because few aspects of English make
new speakers of the language quite so much anguish. People who
are used to clear, precise grammatical rules find the challenges
English grammar can be both funny and, often, puzzling.
The fact that native English speakers themselves often have little grammatical knowledge does not
really help either; they are quite prepared to justify an unusual word order, a totally illogical verb
ending or the vagaries of spelling with a shrug of the shoulders and a 'Well, that's just the way it is' kind
of comment.
And yet millions of students such as yourself, coming to English as a second or even a third language,
have managed to learn English grammar successfully. So let's look at some ideas that can help point you
in the right direction.
Enjoy Learning
The worst way to learn anything is to just keep on relentlessly working your way through a text book,
hour after hour. Even the most motivated people struggle to maintain their enthusiasm. One of the key
things to remember about how to learn English grammar is to make sure you find some ways that let
you have FUN ! Yes, believe it or not, it is grammatically correct to use the words grammar and fun in
the same sentence.
Begin your studies of grammar with Reading and Listening
Of the four key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, the easiest in terms of picking up the
grammar, are those of reading and listening, when you are receiving information rather than trying to
give information to someone else. Of course, as in all languages, spoken grammar is not as strict with
the rules as written, which makes it more straightforward. Push yourself on to more formal English
grammar when you feel confident in yourself with the spoken word. Now, you will be learning about
various verb tenses, types of sentence, and technical aspects of language, which can be complicated.
Begin with simple aspects, though, and progress steadily and you will soon become familiar with it.
Read, Read, Read and then Read some more
Read anything that you can in English - whether it be a a comic book, a self-help book, a magazine or
the instructions on a packet. What you read does not matter - the very act of reading and looking at the
ways in which the sentences are structured, the tenses used and the words ordered will be the perfect
way to see how the language fits together. It's a good idea, too, to remember grammatical aspects that
look confusing to you, so that you can think about them and perhaps look them up in a text book later.