How to learn grammar

General hints

• Keep in mind that you don’t faultless grammar to buy a hotdog. In a formal setting, you’re expected to master grammatical rules – but don’t overestimate the importance of grammar.
• Ten percent of the rules spare you – as soon as you can safely apply them - 90% of the trouble. Learn the most fundamental rules first, and leave the rest for later.
• The remaining ten percent consist of exceptions that need to be learned separately.
• Accept difference. Many students want to see their own language reflected in the foreign language they are currently learning – if you’re not a linguist, you shouldn’t think too much about reasons for languages to differ from one another.
• Grammar needs context. It’s a great opportunity to learn and practice the future tense if you talk about your plans for the next year.
• It’s easier to study grammar if you know the technical terms (parts of speech...).
• Once you have learned a rule, use it as much as you can.
• Don’t concentrate on your grammatical mistakes. Think of the opportunities new skills can create!
• Whenever you have to learn new vocabulary, learn complete sentences rather than individual words. This can help you with word order.
• Use your native language to spot similarities and differences. Focus on constructions that are different.
• Reading is also important, maybe even more than listening. Listening to native speakers of English and mimicking them can also train you to understand tricky sentences, but keep in mind spoken English is different from written English. Audiobooks are a nice compromise.
• Even more than reading, writing helps you to improve your grammar. Activate your grammar checker.
• There are various grammar trainers available online, use them!
• Evaluate your grammar skills by analyzing tests! If you don’t understand the corrections applied to your text, go and ask your teacher.
• Learn grammar rules by using simple examples.
• Make grammar posters or your personal grammar booklet and put them on your bedroom wall.
• It may help you to visualize grammatical structures using colors.
• Sometimes, mnemonics can also take you a step further: “If with will – makes us ill.”
• For more advanced students, reading books on grammar (not grammar books) can also be effective. There are quite a few books that present grammar in a fun way.

Grammatical problems of EFL / ESL learners

• Plural problems, countable and uncountable nouns: His hair is blonde (not: his hairs). – The police are investigating (not: is). – This is good advice / a good piece of advice (not: a good advice). – The news is good today (not: are). – The three ladies talked to their husbands (not: husband).
• Definite and indefinite articles: _ Love is a four-letter word. – The love that he felt for his dog ... – A university and an apple. – Also see: article.
• Prepositions: at midnight (not: in) – in the sky (not: at) – by bus (not: with the) ...
• Formation and application of tenses: He’s playing our game (not: He playing ...) – He knows it well (not: He is knowing ...) – He haslived here for two years (not: lived) – I will be able to come (not: I will can ...)
• Gerunds and infinitives: He stopped singingHe stopped to sing. – She preferred staying in bed (not: to stay).
• Conditional sentences: I will tell him if I see him (not: ... if I will see him.) – If you had told me earlier I would have come at six (not: If you would ...).
• Word order with phrasal verbs: You shouldn’t have done him in (not: done in him).
• Placement of modifiers: He showed the keys on the table his mother (not: Heshowed the keys to his mother on the table).
• Dangling participles: As he was born in Germany, the opera was only Beethoven’s second choice (not: Born in Germany, ...).
• Adverbs and adjectives: He behaved in a silly way (not: ... sillily). – He sounded angry (not: ... angrily).
• Split infinitives: He was told not to answer her call (not: ... not answer her call).
• Place before time: He arrived in Houston last week (not: last week in Houston).
• Me and I: Everybody arrived in time, except for Tom and me (not: ... I).
• Relative pronouns: Which > things, that > both, who > people: I met Suzi, the girl who had invited me over, it was a strange moment which made me smile.
• Anybody and somebody: I got a call by someone who thought there wasn’t anybody at home.
• What and that: This is the place that I love best (not: what).
• Comparison: I became a happier person after I had learned to eat more slowly.
• Dangling pronouns: When the dog approached him, Kevin became very agitated (not: When the dog approached Kevin, he became very agitated.)