None! It does not exist. You never learn a language by studying grammar. Grammar books should only be used as a reference, just like a dictionary. You use a dictionary to look up the meaning of a word, that is to improve your vocabulary, and you should use a grammar book to help you to understand the pattern of a certain phrase or sentence.
It is completely and utterly pointless and boring to learn English by studying grammar. Just look at many Asian and South American countries where many schools still focus on grammar and you will see that despite years and years of learning English, the students still can’t speak fluent and confident English. It does not work.
Grammar is extremely important. I don’t want you to go ahead and think “that guy’s telling us not to study grammar just because he does pronunciation”! It’s not that you dipstick (if that’s what you’re thinking). Grammar IS crucial and I’m not opposing it, but I am opposing how it’s taught and learned. Most grammar books are divided into chapters, for example, Chapter 1 is about simple present, Chapter 2 is about present continuous etc. No matter how often you go over those chapters and actually understand the rules and explanations, you will never be able to produce accurate and fluent English as you are probably aiming to do.
Unfortunately, none of the grammar books I personally know of are written in a way so as to serve as a reference. They are all written as a textbook for teachers to use religiously in the classroom or for students to use as a self-study book.
Okay, so what’s the best way to study grammar?
Easy. The best and most effective way to improve your grammar is reading. Read, read and read. Don’t just read passively. What is passive reading? Passive reading is when you read the words and you don’t bother looking up the words in the dictionary or try to understand why a certain phrase is written as it is. Reading passively means you’re not trying to see the linguistic patterns the book has to offer. You always have to ask yourself “why did the author write it the way he did?” “What is the author trying to say by using this structure?”. Your job is to decode the message the author is trying to put across to the reader, and you’re only going to improve your grammar when you look at it as a code you’ve got to break to gain access to the author’s message. Grammar has to be a means to an end. You can’t just study grammar because you want to improve your English. You’ve got to study grammar to help you understand a certain message.
Get yourself a book you really like, something you’re really interested in, something that entertains you, stimulates you or challenges you, and sit down and read it. Don’t worry about how many pages you should read, it truly doesn’t matter, you can just read one page as long as you spend time analyzing the text on that page and make an effort to comprehend even the tiniest nuances in the author’s writing style.
I find reading film scripts particularly beneficial. Ask yourself what’s your favorite movie? Get on the net and buy it online. Enjoy it. It’s pretty much like going to the movies without the screen. Let your imagination do the work. It helps if you know the movie but it’s okay if you don’t. It’s a little harder but will be twice as beneficial at the end of the process. You will be surprised how solid your grammar will be after you’re done with the script.
Read my article on “What is a good movie for English Learning?”
Read my article on “What is ANOTHER good movie for English Learning?”
So, grammar is IMPERATIVE, but MUST NOT be studied separately or out of context. Learn the grammar you need to understand an event or story, not just to improve your English. Got it? Well I certainly hope so.
How do you guys study grammar? And what’s the best way to improve your grammar in your opinion? Any particular tricks you’d like to share with all of us here?
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