Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Learn the basics of English grammar
• Part 2 of 4: Practicing grammar
• Part 3 of 4: Avoiding common mistakes
• Part 4 of 4: Finding reliable sources
• Tips

Grammar is the system that brings structure to a language and each language has its own guidelines, including the English language. But grammar is not so much about rules as it is about conventions that govern how we speak and write, and it includes things like spelling, inflecting words for various reasons, and the way words must be arranged to form a sentence. While it is good to remember that languages ​​are living things that are constantly changing, it is also important to know that good grammar remains necessary in communication. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources out there to help those looking to improve their English grammar.

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Part 1 of 4: Learn the basics of English grammar

1. Know which parts (the English) language consists of. These are the word types that make up a language in Western languages: nouns (nouns), adjectives (adjectives), pronouns (pronouns), verbs (verbs), adverbs (adverbs), prepositions (prepositions), conjunctions, interjections (interjections) ) and sometimes articles (articles). In order to compose sentences correctly, you will have to understand which parts a language consists of and what function they have in a sentence.
   • Nouns are the elements that usually undergo an action in a sentence, such as a person, place, thing, idea, emotion, animal, or event. Nouns are eg. Sally, Paris, sand , philosophy , happiness, dog and birthday.
   • Adjectives modify nouns and describe aspects or characteristics of nouns. Adjectives include ed, funny, lazy, large and short.
   • Pronouns take the place of nouns. There are personal subject pronouns (such as I., she and they), personal object pronouns (such as us, you, it and them), personal possessive pronouns (possessive pronouns such as mine, yours, his, hers and theirs) and relative pronouns (such as who, which, that and whose).
   • Verbs represent an action or state of being and indicate what the noun does. verbs include run, sing, type, be and walk.
   • Adverbs modify verbs, adjections, conjunctions, prepositions and other adverbs. These are words like, quickly, well, sadly and slowly. These words often end in –ly.
   • Prepositions represent a relationship in time, space and direction. Examples of prepositions are to, in, on, about, or and across.
   • Conjunctions connect nouns, clauses, phrases / phrases and sentences. Coordinating conjunctions link independent clauses and these are for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so (remember this as FANBOYS). Subordinating conjunctions link dependent clauses and belong here because, if, since, while and although Bee.
   • Interjections are words that indicate emotions. Belong to this Oh, hey, ouch and wow. These are often followed by an exclamation mark.
   • Articles (articles) are used to change and define nouns. The is a definite article and a and an are the indefinite articles.
2. Recognize the person. Regarding grammatical persons, English has three person forms and each of these can be singular or plural. The personal forms are: first person singular or plural, second person singular or plural and third person singular or plural. The associated pronouns are:
   • First person singular: I.
   • Second person singular: you
   • Third person singular: Hey (masculine) / she (feminine) / it (neuter)
   • First person plural: we
   • Second person plural: you
   • Third person plural: they
3. Use the correct word order. English sentences are structured according to the order of subject (or subject) – verb – object (such as "Andrea ran to the door," not "Run to the door Andrea"). In general, articles stand for adjectives and adjectives stand for the nouns they change. Adjectives should always be placed as close to their nouns as possible. For instance:
   • Frank (topic) quickly (adverb) mailed (verb) the (article) lung (adjective) letter (object).
4. Conjugate verbs correctly. In theory, English only conjugates the present tense (“I like”) and the past tense (“I liked”), meaning that English verbs are only inflected (have different endings or forms) for those grammatical tenses.However, other verb forms, such as the future tense (“I will like”), are created using a frame of mind, words indicating a time (such as “tomorrow”) and auxiliary words / verbs. Using the verb "to go" as an example, some of the most common tenses in English are:
   • Present tense - Simple present (uninflected verb, or verb + s / es in the third person): I go, you go, he / she / it goes, we go, you go, they go.
   • Present time - Present continuous (aka progressive) (am / is / are + present participle): I am going, you are going, he / she / it is going, we / you / they are going.
   • Present perfect (has / have + past participle): I have gone, you have gone, he / she / it has gone, we / you / they have gone.
   • Past tense - Simple past (verb + –ed for regular verbs): I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they went (“to go” is an irregular verb).
   • Past tense - Past continuous (was / were + present participle): I was going, you were going, he / she / it was going, we / you / they were going.
   • Past Perfect - Past Perfect (had + past participle): I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they had gone.
   • Future tense - Simple future (will + uninflected verb): I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they will go.
   • Future tense - Future continuous (will be + present participle): I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they will be going.
   • Future perfect - Future Perfect (will have + past participle): I / you / he / she / it / we / you / they will have gone.
5. Make sure you have correct punctuation. Punctuation is an important part of the language as it indicates a beginning, end, and relationships. Each sentence starts with a capital letter and the first letter of all proper nouns (the names of people and places). The main punctuation marks in English - and their basic uses - are:
   • Commas separate thoughts, ideas, elements, and independent clauses.
   • Periods indicate the end of a sentence.
   • Semicolons join independent clauses into a single sentence, or separate individual elements in a list.
   • Colons introduce items in a list, explanation or definitions.
   • Question marks indicate that a question was asked.
   • Exclamation marks emphasize a sentence, requirement, or statement.
   • Apostrophes indicate possession or contraction.
   • Quotation marks indicate that you are quoting someone else's words directly.
   • Hyphens join individual words and numbers.
   • Dashes create a pause, interrupt a sentence, or add information in parentheses.
   • Parentheses add additional information, references, and quotes.

Part 2 of 4: Practicing grammar

1. Read children's books. While children's books are not grammar textbooks per se, they are intended to help children learn the basics of language, including core words and spelling, regular and irregular verbs and nouns, simple conjugations and sentence structure. Children are often not explicitly taught grammar and the workings of their native language, but they usually pick it up by reading and listening to other native speakers. EXPERT TIP

   Read different types of material. Improve your grammar by learning how other authors use the language. Focus on different genres and writing styles, such as classic literature, textbooks, science fiction, science books, biographies, blogs, essays and articles. Pay attention to the sentence construction, word order, spelling, and creative variations that the writers use.

   • Read aloud to get a better idea of ​​what the language sounds like in conversation.
   • Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy as you read.
   • Also read the newspapers, listen to the news on the radio and watch news programs on TV every day.
2. Pay attention to the way others speak. Hear how other speakers construct their sentences, where they put words in the sentences, how they use common phrases, and what their vocabulary is. English has many rules and exceptions, so don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any.
   • Imitate people by repeating what they say to understand how sentences are formed and to expand your vocabulary.
   • Be warned that some English speakers, even native speakers, have no idea what correct grammar is.
3. Play word and grammar games. There are many online games and programs that you can download to your computer or phone for a fun way to test grammar skills. Since these are educational games, they often provide explanations for answers that are wrong so you can learn from your mistakes.
   • Libraries, bookstores, and online resources often also offer grammar lessons, exercises, and quizzes.
4. Practice writing every day. Improve your grammar by writing and practicing new rules and words that you have learned. Keep a journal, write short stories, or simply email friends and family. Focus on improving problem areas you may have or mistakes you make often.
   • Don't rely solely on grammar checking. First of all, they could be wrong. Second, you don't learn from your mistakes if you don't correct your own work. If you do seek help from a grammar checker or proofreading service, take the time to review the changes so you can learn from the mistakes you made.

Part 3 of 4: Avoiding common mistakes

1. Learn the differences between confusing words. There are many words in English that look, sound, or are spelled the same, even though they have a different meaning. These homographs (words that are spelled the same way), homophones (words that are pronounced the same), heteronyms (words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently) and homonyms (words that are spelled and pronounced the same) cause a lot of confusion and lead to common errors . Common mistakes are:
   • Confusing it's (a contraction of it is) with its (a possessive pronoun).
   • Confusing they're (a contraction of they are), their (a possessive pronoun) and there (an adverb indicating a place).
   • Incorrect use of you're (a contraction of jij bent) and your (a possessive pronoun).
   • Confusing too (an addition), to (an article) and two (the number).
   • Incorrect use of then (a timing) and than (a comparison).
   • Incorrect use of lie (lying down) and lay (put something down).
   • Confusing farther (a literal distance) and further (a figurative or metaphorical distance).
2. Use punctuation properly. Using punctuation incorrectly can mean that what you're trying to convey isn't clear or gets lost in your language errors. There are many punctuation-related errors that can occur in English, including:
   • Continuous sentences, where there is no punctuation to separate main and subordinate clauses.
   • Comma division, where independent clauses in a sentence are joined with a comma, but without an appropriate conjunction.
   • Using apostrophes to indicate plurals (which are used to indicate contractions or to indicate possession, not plurals).
   • Incorrect use of quotation marks, which should only be used to indicate that you are quoting what someone says or has said.
3. Use the active voice. In an active form, the subject is the thing that performs the action. In a passive form, the subject undergoes an act or action from the outside. While there is nothing wrong with the passive voice, it is less convincing and makes sentences unclear. That is why it is important to use the active voice more often, but it is acceptable to use the passive voice from time to time, especially to emphasize something. For example, in these active and passive sentences, notice the emphasis placed on the different parts of the sentence:
   • The active “I paid the bill” emphasizes what the subject did.
   • The passive “I paid the bill” emphasizes who paid the bill.
4. Use reflexive pronouns correctly. The reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, himself / herself / itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. These pronouns can be used reflexively or as an intensive pronoun. Reflexive pronouns are used only when the object in a sentence and only when the object is the same as the subject. Intensive pronouns are used to emphasize a sentence and emphasize that the action is being performed by the subject. To see the difference, remember that if the pronoun can be removed from the sentence and that sentence is still correct, then the pronoun is emphasized. However, if this is not the case and the sentence does change in meaning, then it is used recurring.
   • Recurring: "I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming."
   • Emphasizing: "She individually picked each gift herself."
   • Recurring: "He asked himself how he'd feel in that situation."
   • Emphasizing: "I myself don't know how I'd react."

Part 4 of 4: Finding reliable sources

1. Take a class or a private tutor. One of the best ways to make sure you understand the grammatical elements of a language is to enlist the help of someone qualified to teach you. You can follow language courses everywhere, or ask in your circle of acquaintances or online if there is someone (student, native speaker) who has enough knowledge of the English language to help you and who wants to earn some extra money.
2. Read style guides and grammar books. Books on grammar and style come in two forms: descriptive guides that show people how actually speaking a language and prescribing guides that show you how should to speak. But language changes and evolves and the rules of the English language are not set in stone. There are many style guides that recommend different approaches to grammar, and it's a good idea to read several of these. This gives you an idea of ​​the different spellings (such as American versus British), syntax and style, it gives you a better idea of ​​the fundamentals of grammar and shows where the language is adaptable and which things are less flexible. Some of the most used style guides are:
   • The Chicago Manual of Style, often used for social sciences and historical journals.
   • The Modern Language Association (MLA) style, which is often used for the humanities, language studies and cultural studies.
   • The Associated Press (AP) style, mostly used in the news and media outlets.
   • The American Psychological Association (APA) style, commonly used for natural sciences, academic journals, and social sciences.
3. Find online resources. Along with the resources available in libraries, the Internet is overloaded with good grammar games, lessons, exercises, quizzes, and tips. Many universities also offer resources on grammar, spelling, syntax and common mistakes.
   • Purdue OWL is an excellent resource with lessons and various style guide recommendations.
   • You can also sign up for daily grammar emails and blogs from someone like Grammar Girl.

Tips

• Don't worry about every mistake you make or set the bar too high. Learning a language perfectly takes time and you will need to be sure that you have mastered the basics of the language before you can master it.
• If you know someone with excellent grammar knowledge, ask for guidance and lessons.