Do you love grammar?
“Yes, but then being water boarded is my favorite water sport. Go figure.”
Grammar can be fun. Here are some guidelines to make it that way.
Never start a language by learning the grammar. When you reach a certain level of comfort with the flow of language itself, you can start to learn and organize the patterns of language that you have been noticing. Only then should you get yourself a good grammar book.
When I was little I knew I could count on my grandma to support me in about anything I wanted to do. Often I would have questions about things I didn’t understand, and my grandma would help me fill in the gaps in my experience and understanding. She was never critical and very patient. If I was going to do something that was bad for me, I could count on my grandma to gently talk me out of it.
Grammar is like your grandma. It is only there to guide you through the sentence.
That is the way you should thing of grammar. It is just there to help. Grammar lets you create cool sentences that others can understand by helping you to understand accepted ways of putting the words together.
The way to learn grammar is to wait until you have a feel for the language. Once you become familiar with the flow of a language, you will develop a feel for the rhythm, the sounds, and the way the words flow in a sentence. It will be almost like a sixth sense.
You should trust yourself and go with that feeling.
Grammar enters the picture at times, especially in the beginning, and from time to time later on, when you may not have a good feel for a particular sentence.
That is when grammar will be like a friend, like your grandma, there to help. You can consult your grammar book and then you will know how the sentence should be built. Use the rules of grammar to guide you about the words you choose.
You don’t always follow the suggestions of your grandma, and there are times you won’t follow the rules of grammar either, but they can be a big help – just like your grandma. If for no other reason, you should learn the rules of grammar so you can have fun breaking them.
Buy a good grammar book. Every language has a good one. Consult it as needed to answer a specific question. Maybe on a rainy day, you can spend 5 minutes (and ONLY 5 minutes) flipping through the pages and reading at random.
Learning grammar with help you improve and enjoy English more as well. Leverage your English grammar skills.
If you limit yourself to 5 minutes a day reviewing grammar, you will never get bored with it, and you will retain most of what you learn.
Love grammar like your grandma, and it will always be your friend.
How will you use this information to the fullest?