Unless you are a fan of rules and formulas, grammar rules are about as interesting as watching paint dry. Boring, right?
And not just boring! Grammar can be hard to actually USE in practical ways.
3 Secrets to Less Grammar Pain
- Make the rule practical. The worst way to learn grammar is to only use it in your course book’s activities. As quickly as you can, try to apply the verb tense or grammar rule you are learning about to what you do in your day to day activities. Why? You’ll help yourself understand and own the new rule. If you keep it in your course book only, the grammar rule will only be theory.
- Don’t Memorize. Use it. It’s tempting to try and spend your time memorizing grammar rules. Instead, focus on using the new rules you are learning as quickly as possible. (Similar to the first secret.) If you train yourself to use new grammar rules or verb tenses 7 times during the day and on a regular basis, you won’t need to memorize it. You’ll own it. Owning it is more effective than memorizing.
- Seek Feedback. I hate math. But I remember one thing really well from one of my 7th grade math teachers. She always told me to show my work. When you show your work, you create powerful learning opportunities for yourself. So as you try to apply the first two secrets I just shared with you, be sure to bring examples of your work to your English teacher if you have one. If you have a good teacher, the very act of bringing your work to them for review should make their day! If you don’t have an English teacher, try to find someone more experienced than you in English, and ask for help. (Make sure they are a safe person first though. Safe? Yes, make sure they are friendly and won’t use any mistakes you make against you. )
How have you made learning Grammar less painful? Leave a comment! I would love to hear from you.
