If you have been trying to learn English grammar but have not been making any progress, don’t worry! We have compiled eight practical tips to help you improve your grammar.
Having a strong command of your grammatical skills can take your English skills to the next level. Grammar skills can be quite challenging to learn, but fortunately, you can improve your skills with practice.
In this article, we have discussed how to improve grammar with eight practical tips that will make you fluent in no time. All these tips come straight from English grammar experts worldwide. So let’s dive in!
How to Improve Grammar: In a Nutshell
If you are here to get a quick overview of all the tips, read the pointers below!
- Cultivate the habit of reading
- Read what you write out loud
- Use a Grammar Checker
- Study the Parts of Speech
- Take advantage of Technology
- Read up on Punctuation Rules
- Practice writing and keeping notes
- Invest in an English Grammar Class or personal tutor
How to Improve Grammar: 8 Practical Tips
Now that you have an idea about the practical tips, you may want to get into the details of each tip. Below, we will break down each tip in detail to give you a clear idea about how you can utilize it to improve your grammar in no time.
1. Cultivate the Habit of Reading
Cultivating the habit of reading won’t come as a surprise to anyone, but it is the most invaluable one. Make a habit of reading written English text. Read anything that you find engaging, textbooks, novels, magazines, or newspapers.
Additionally, it doesn’t matter if English is your first language or not. The more you get exposed to the language, the more familiar you will get with it. With regular reading, you will come to understand the nuances of grammar naturally.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a grasp of all the rules yet. Reading will help you develop an affinity for the written language. Furthermore, reading consistently every day will also help you understand the writing styles and grammar the author has decided to pick.
2. Read What You Write Out Loud
Reading your written work out loud is a beneficial practice for proofreading. So, the next time you have concluded a first draft, attempt to read it aloud. When you go through the material in your head, you will miss out on many errors. But when you read it aloud, you can detect if something sounds wrong.
3. Use a Grammar Checker
Using a grammar checker might feel like cheating when trying to improve your grammar. But hear us out. Firstly, a grammar checker will make your writing look proficient, even when you’re just learning the ropes. Secondly, you can keep track of your repeated grammatical mistakes. Read the explanation behind your mistakes and learn how you can correct them.
Some of the prominent grammar checking tools in the market play a vital role in helping your grammar. Since they point out your mistakes, you can learn why they are wrong and how you can improve them. It can also significantly help you eliminate mistakes. Some of these tools include Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Quillbot, and more.
4. Study the Parts of Speech
The main parts of speech in the English language are nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, determiners, adverbs, prepositions, conjunction, interjections, and articles.
A thorough study of the nine parts of a speech will help you understand the role of each part and its importance. Moreover, it will eventually help you in using them accurately in a sentence. You can look up the internet and find reliable videos that help you study and learn parts of speech.
5. Take Advantage of Technology
In this age of e-learning, there are a plethora of resources within your grasp. Be sure to use it to your advantage. There are many mobile applications and online English grammar programs that you can learn from. You can also turn to video tutorials or audiobooks if that suits your learning style better than reading books.
To make learning even more fun, several games put your grammar skills to the test. You can either play alone or invite your friends to compete with you. Doing so will make learning exciting and help you improve your grammar swiftly.
6. Read Up on Punctuation Rules
Improper punctuation is one of the most common grammar mistakes. You will need to understand punctuation marks like periods, commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, apostrophes, etc. Understanding correct punctuation will help you write and understand more complex sentences.
7. Practice Writing and Keep Notes
Practicing writing will aid you in improving your grammar skills faster. You can try maintaining a daily journal or writing something that interests you, like short stories.
But just practicing writing won’t get you far. Note down every time you make a mistake and keep track of them. Keeping notes of your mistakes will showcase your weaker areas. So you will know which areas need work to avoid repeating mistakes.
8. Invest in an English Grammar Class or Personal Tutor
If you want to see significant improvement in a short period, consider investing in a class or an English tutor. Enrolling in a class or getting a tutor would give you access to personalized feedback. This will help you recognize your weaker areas and work on them. This will also give more structure to your studies and keep you motivated.
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Final Thoughts
It’s not easy to become eloquent in a new language. The journey is filled with many learning curves and is never-ending. Even native speakers make common grammar mistakes, so don’t get disheartened and continue learning.
What is your favorite tip to improve grammar? Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments below!
FAQS
The English language has some odd rules when it comes to speaking the language. But the grammar aspect of the language is fairly easy. You need to stay motivated and work on your weaker areas, and you will see the improvement in no time.
Several grammar mistakes are common among both natives and learners. Using the passive rather than the active voice, mixing up “there,” “their,” instead of “they’re,” using “it’s” in place of “its” and vice versa are some of the recurrent ones.
A grammar checker is the most effective method to check your grammar mistakes. Though online grammar checkers are not foolproof, they will help you with basic grammar errors.
Anuj is a renowned linguist and grammarian with over 3 years of experience in teaching and researching the English language. He holds a PhD in English Language and Linguistics from Delhi University, and is the author of several highly acclaimed books on grammar and usage.