Many people often take their grammar knowledge for granted, under the impression that it would be hard to improve upon. However, let’s face it: even if you’re a native speaker there are always ways to further perfect your understanding of language and elevate your writing skills. While it’s not necessarily easy, it’s far from being as hard as it might seem at first, and the benefits of gaining a better grasp of the ways and means by which language works (and how it is structured) cannot be stated enough: this affects not only how you write, but also determines your capacity to understand others and leave a positive impression on them. Whether you’re learning a new language or someone who’s looking to take their existing knowledge of grammar and further elevate it, here are 4 ways to improve your grammar skills.
1. Free Online Learning Platforms
If you’re looking for a free way to up your grammar game, you can’t go wrong with turning to the Internet. There are plenty of websites where you can take online courses that will teach you language skills for free. That said, you should still be picky about which platforms you turn to, specifically, you need to consider exactly what you might need help with, and who the website is catering to.
As the writers-turned-teachers at https://grammarhow.com/ showcase in their articles, proper grammar is important for far more than just getting good test scores – it can help you improve your speaking and writing skills as well, which can subsequently improve your chances of getting a good job. If this is the reason you want to improve your grammar, then it’s a good idea to look for platforms that cater to this kind of grammar learning. However, if you do want to prepare for a test, then you might want to look for a platform that focuses on giving you practice exams or questions in order to help you prepare.
2. Read
When you combine learning with an activity you enjoy, you’re more likely to retain the relevant information. That’s one of the reasons why reading can help improve your grammar and learn vocabulary at the same time: it’s a lot easier to take in new information when you’re taking part in an activity that appeals to you. Besides that, it can help you understand sentence structures better, while also improving your general understanding of any given subject matter. Whether you choose to read a novel or a newspaper before bed will depend on what you’re interested in – but figuring out where to start might be the hardest part.
If you’re at an advanced level, choosing a classic book can give you a new perspective on how sentences are constructed and how the language has evolved over time. If you’re still in the process of learning, then it might be a good idea to start with YA books, so that you have an easier time understanding what needs to be learned in order for your writing to improve.
3. Grammar Reference Books
If you want to take up a more formal study of grammar, or if you’re concerned about your writing skills, you might want to consider using some sort of reference book. While many people might be wary of grammar books because they are often considered boring or difficult to understand, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of books out there that can help you familiarize yourself with the English language and its uses far beyond what you can learn in school.
These books are worth reading (and owning) even if your goal isn’t to get perfect scores on tests. Oftentimes reference books meant for teaching are a good choice since they are not only focused on breaking down words and sentences to give you a better understanding of how they are constructed, while also explaining some of the more complex rules that might be harder to grasp at first, but they also point out common learner mistakes so that you can avoid repeating them in the future. While it is possible to buy reference books that target certain areas, such as punctuation or composition, there are many books out there that cover all types of grammar
4. Practice Makes Perfect
While reading is an important part of learning how to write with proper grammar, you can’t expect that your grammar will improve by simply reading up on the matter. You need to actually put what you’ve learned into practice in order for it to be beneficial for improving your own skills. Therefore, one of the best ways to develop your knowledge and understanding of grammar is to write as much as possible – not only does writing help you learn without you even realizing it, but it will also give you the opportunity to proofread your work and find any mistakes that might still be present. In addition, there are plenty of online tests, quizzes, and exams that are designed to help you understand your progress as you learn.
Keep in mind that learning grammar doesn’t have to be boring or complicated – rather than looking for a single solution, it’s better to combine methods so that each one can support the other. By using online platforms, reading, using different types of reference books, and practicing what you’ve learned, you can learn a lot about the language and develop your skills in a relatively short amount of time by targeting what needs to be improved.
