Some Quick Steps to Learn English Grammar
Grammar can be pesky and annoying. It is not easy to learn because there are so many rules that simply do not make sense. For example, the pronunciations of ‘cat’ as ‘Kat’ and ‘price’ as ‘prize’, does not make sense. Grammar can be defined as a set of notions about the correct use of a language. English Grammar is extensive. The words can be distinguished into nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions. A little introduction into the basics of Grammar is important so that you understand how things work.
Nouns:
In the simplest form, a noun is used to identify a name, place, animal or thing. It is also the largest English word class. Noun phrases are sentences that function as nouns. For example: The Eiffel Tower is in Paris.
Pronouns:
Pronouns function in place of nouns and noun phrases. These include personal pronouns, interrogative pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, and relative pronouns. For example, I, you, we, she, he, they are all pronouns. For example: They stabbed him in the back.
Verbs:
Verbs describe actions. For example: She is singing. It is used for a word that describe any action being performed.
Adjective:
An adjective describes an attribute of a word or phrase. For example: She is singing beautifully.
Adverb:
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. For example: Sea biscuit was the fastest runner at the Derby.
Conjunctions:
A conjunction is a word that is used to connect two sentences. It creates a logical relation between two phrases. For example, and, or, but, nor, as well as, neither, for, so etc. are called conjunctions.
Preposition:
A preposition is a word that shows the relation of a noun or pronoun to other words in the sentence. For example: The book is in the shelf. Speaking English is different from speaking correct English. For someone who has been speaking in English his or her entire life, Grammar comes naturally. I know a lot of people who can speak English and get their point across, but their Grammar is not that great. There are a few steps you can take to practice your Grammar skills.
Understand the parts of speech:
Learn all the parts of speech. Essentially, every word in a sentence can be categorized into a word class. When you are reading a book or the newspaper, try figuring out which words are the nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, conjunctions, and prepositions.
Look for structures:
Observe how people use their words and how books are written. There are certain structures that stay the same.
Identify mistakes:
There are a lot of mistakes in the way English is spoken and written, even by native English speakers. However, when learning a new language, some words may be difficult for your native speakers. This differs from language to language. For example, Russians have trouble understanding the difference between the use of ‘a’ and ‘the’.
Exercises:
Perform grammatical exercises. You could do this on the Internet or you could buy a children’s English schoolbook. Complete at least one exercise in a day. This is how children learn Grammar. There is no other way to do it.
Hire a tutor:
It would be advisable for you go hire a tutor to guide you. Only a tutor can tell you that you are wrong and correct your mistakes. Colleagues and friend might not correct you for fear of embarrassing you or hurting your feelings.
Do not translate!
Translating English to your native language or vise-versa will inevitably create mistakes. Let your native language be and concentrate only on English. Translating generally, spoils the Grammar of the sentence. Listen When you are listening, you are hearing correct Grammar. You could either listen to
yourself while reading aloud or you could watch T.V.
Note: Steps to Start Improving instantly;
- Pick an English book or newspaper to read,
- Keep a pen and paper with you. Preferably a small notebook specifically for components of Grammar,
- While reading, go one paragraph at a time and note down the nouns, verbs, adjective and adverbs that you come across,
- Try making your own sentences using these words,
- Repeat the same process for the next paragraph
