How To Learn English Grammar

Ditulis oleh : Echa

Tanggal : 2014-02-04


Grammar is a set of rules that regulates the usage of a certain language. English grammar is considered to be one of the most difficult skills to master in English language. Learners mostly feel reluctant to study grammar since they think that it is very difficult to memorize all the rules and tenses in English grammar. What makes it more “scary” for English learners is because English has different types of words depending on the tense it is applied. To improve grammar is indeed a difficult task and it takes much time and efforts. But, to simplify the efforts to learn English grammar, here are some useful tips I have summarized from www.englishleap.com which will help you:

1.        Understand the building blocks of grammar

As a first step, it is important to know the different building blocks of grammar like nouns, pronouns, articles, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. In short, the explanation of the building blocks of grammar are:

a.       Noun

A noun is a word used as the name of a person, place or thing.

Examples: King, Mohan, Sarita, Mumbai, Table

b.      Pronoun

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun.

Examples: He, She, It, They

c.       Articles
The words ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ are called articles. They are used before nouns.

d.      Verbs

A verb is a word that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of being.
Examples: He talks to Sameer, She sings a song

e.       Adjectives

An adjective is a word used to describe a noun.

Examples : Beautiful house, Tall man

f.       Adverbs

An adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of a verb, adjective or another adverb.
Examples: He runs fast,They fought bravely.

g.    Prepositions
A preposition is a word which shows the relation between the noun or pronoun and other words in the sentence.

Examples: The boy is in the room, The book is on the table.

h.    Conjunctions 
A conjunction is a word which joins to sentences to complete their meaning.
Examples : They reached the station but it was too late.

                    He put on his shoes because he was going for a run.

i.      Interjections

An interjection is a word which expresses sudden feeling or emotion.
Examples : Hello!, Alas!, Hurray!, Oh!

2.        Pay attention to sentence structures

When you read an article or watch a movie, it is important to pay attention to how sentences are constructed. This practice helps ingrain different sentence structures and will help your spoken and written English.

3.        Practice when you can

This tip can never be overemphasized. As an English learner, it is extremely important for you to talk in English at any given opportunity. If you do not have partners to practise with, then try to speak in front of the mirror.

4.        Grammar exercises will help you

Try doing different grammar exercises and find out your weaknesses. These exercises are freely available on the internet. It is only after you are able to correctly assess your weaknesses that you will be able to rectify them.

5.        Find a mentor

Many learners have improved their grammar working with a mentor. A mentor could even be a friend who has a strong command over English grammar. You must speak only in English with your mentor and ask the mentor to point out your mistakes. This real time feedback is very beneficial in improving grammar.

6.        Join a course

Many students find that an English improvement course is the quickest way to improve English grammar. If joining a classroom program is difficult, then an online course is a great option.

Other steps that can be done to improve English grammar are finding grammar exercises that contain dialogues, interrogative and statement (or narrative) sentences on everyday topics, thematic texts and narrative stories which are especially effective for mastering grammatical structures. Grammar practice should also include exercises in listening comprehension and speaking, not just in reading and writing. Grammar exercises must help learners not only form correct sentences, but also use them correctly in context in real life situations. Contrastive and contextualised exercises give practice in form, meaning and use (Shelby, 2014:1).

In conclusion, the most important thing to master English is firstly, understanding the basic concepts of the grammar. Secondly, learning the grammar in an interactive and communicative way, by implementing it in real-life situations, it will make it easier to be learned and applied. Finally, exercise, exercise, and exercise. It’s true that it takes a lot of time and efforts to master the skill, but if the target is reached, it will really worth the effort. 

References:

Anonymous, 2014.  Learn English grammar. Available at: http:www. englishleap.com/grammar. Downloaded on January 23rd, 2014.

Shelby, Mike. 2014. Some tips on learning English: How to Learn English Grammar. Available at: http: www. omniglot. com/ language/articles/learningenglishtips. Downloaded on January 23rd, 2014

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