How to improve your grammar?

[nickia]

Hi guys my grammar is extremely weak because English is not my first language.

It's so frustrating that I can't even write a proper essay because of my weak grammar.

In all my essays, I usually get level 4s for contents and other non-grammatically related categories, however it's terrible when it comes to Writing Mechanics. For example in one of my philosophy essay, I got 95% for the first four categories and only a 80% for writing mechanics (punctuation, sentence structure, word choices,etc)

I like writing because I have so many thoughts in my head but I have to give it up because I'm too embarrassed of my techniques.

Some people say to read and write more, but how can that improve my grammar when I do not know the correct way and continue to write bluntly?

So guys is there any lesson or book (Grammar for dummies?) that can help me?

BTW I'm a grade 12 student and my grade 11 ENG mark was 80 mainly helped by the final exam essay (87.5% took me by surprise!) and numerous media projects (art works and other non-writing related stuffs)

[Siefer999]

read more books and articles.... plus stay off the forums and any instant messenging programs

[yuwing8]

Hi guys, my grammar is extremely weak because English is not my first language.


It's so frustrating that I can't even write a proper essay because of my weak grammar.

In all my essays, I usually get level 4s for contents and other non-grammatically related categories. However, it's terrible when it comes to Writing Mechanics. For example, in one of my philosophy essay[size=10]s[/size=10], I got 95% for the first four categories and only a 80% for writing mechanics (punctuation, sentence structure, word choices,etc).

I like writing because I have so many thoughts in my head but I have to give it up because I'm too embarrassed of my techniques.

Some people say to read and write more, but how can that improve my grammar when I do not know the correct way and continue to write bluntly?

So guys, is there any lesson or book (Grammar for dummies?) that can help me?

BTW, I'm a grade 12 student and my grade 11 ENG mark was 80 mainly helped by the final exam essay (87.5% took me by surprise!) and numerous media projects (art works and other non-writing related stuffs).

Hope this helps :p. Reading books help a lot. If you don't like reading, watch TV. I learn alot about verb tenses from TV.

Last suggestion, read what you wrote and if it sounds fishy, read it again out loud to see if there's a mistake.

Also, commas are put where you hear pauses in speech.

[OracerO]

Go to chapters and find help on writing. There are ton of books to help you. I suggest you look hard, because some books price range from 10$ to 60$. and to tell you the truth they all give the same tips.

Also, as everyone else suggested:
Reading novels, magazines, national geographic would help.

i dont know about watching TV, TV usually makes you not think. but it could work if you think and watch TV as well.

when reading the above suggested materials, think about how the writing is "hooking" you into the article/story. Think about how his transits to other ideas. think about his choice of words. analyze his writing flow. Then learn from these.

have fun!
and getting 80s in 12 eng is NOT bad.

[nickia]

Thanks guys, your advices are helpful, I will definitely take them into consideration. :)

[billdozer]

Hope this helps :p. Reading books help alot. If you don't like reading, watch TV. I learn alot about verb tenses from TV.

Last suggestion, read what you wrote and if it sounds fishy, read it again out loud to see if there's a mistake.

Also, commas are put where you hear pauses in speech.

A LOT

[sfu_lifer]

TV... as a learning tool? That's a poor suggestion.

English wasn't my first language but it is now.
1. Get more caucasian English Major friends :razz:
2. Don't let yourself slip into bad habits (i.e. instant messaging shortcuts, posting poor grammar in forum postings, etc).
3. Read the newspaper more often.
4. Practice writing. Then have someone proofread it every so often. Eventually you'll pick up on the correct pattern and be able to catch yourself as you put pen down on paper.
5. Finally, don't be so hard on yourself. People do understand that many of us immigrated from elsewhere and can't be expected to be perfect immediately.

[formalentity]

I have the same problem :/

[IronMac]

read more books and articles.... plus stay off the forums and any instant messenging programs

Yep! This is the way to go!

[1jVu]

just dont be embarassed, feel free to write whatever and be open to the corrections on paper.

[ji2o0k]

www.engrish.com

Excellent website for the learnings of English grammer....

hahah jk.

As others have mentioned, read books and newspapers. You will begin to pick up the nuances of the English language.

Also, converse more with native English speakers. Maybe recommend that when you are conversing with them and they detect your grammatical errors, ask them to correct it for you.

Hope that helps. Be patient, it will take time.

[Alvito]

I suggest you proof read your work. Your grammar isnt that bad, I think you just need to spend more time proof reading your essays. It would be good to get someone else to read it and see if it makes sense to them.

Keep in mind, teachers in english classes rarely give 90%+ marks. There is no perfect essay. Getting anywhere in the 80's is good for english.

[gei]

Read read and read.

But don't feel bad. It's a big accomplishment to be fluent in more than one language. Most people in North America (particularly the states) can barely speak english alone.

[bionicbadger]

stay off the forums and any instant messenging programs

And on line games, and cell phone text chat....



Also read the newspaper, magazines, and textbooks.

[Lone_Prodigy]

I have to say that newspapers do contain errors... I remember a copy of 24 Hours that had 3 spelling mistakes in it.

Reading helps. Stay away from Shakespeare, comics, and action-packed novels (sci-fi, fantasy.)

I remember as a kid I always made an effort to read Newbery Medal/Honour novels. Those are recognized for their quality so you can't go wrong with those.

[ahyue2]

As many have suggested, read more books and even magazines will help with your grammar.

Try to absorb on how authors right as well as their grammars.

For online chats, try to use proper English as much as possible if it is not too inconvenient.

Don't feel bad, I remember my grade school and high school teachers telling me that an average immigrant will take at least 7 years to properly learn the language. However, I don't know where the statistics came from.

Good luck!

[leadingsimon]

I found that some of my intellectual friends have always had excellent grammar.
One of the many reasons would be comic books. I know comics books usually contain long and complicated words that aren't justifiable in real life, but you'll find tons of useful adjectives and verbs to use in conversations.
I know books were mentioned earlier but if you're like me, you'd prefer something more appealing with a various amount of pretty pictures.

[poedua]

As many have suggested, read more books and even magazines will help with your grammar.



Try to absorb on how authors right as well as their grammars.



For online chats, try to use proper English as much as possible if it is not too inconvenient. Don't feel bad, I remember my grade school and high school teachers telling me that an average immigrant will take at least 7 years to properly learn the language. However, I don't know where the statistics came from.

Good luck!

How they ....." right " ????

You may want to turn up that " absorb " rate of yours ..... just a notch.:rolleyes:

Good luck!

[king_george]

http://www.amazon.ca/Elements-Style-William-Jr-Strunk/dp/product-description/0205313426

Best. Grammar. Book. Ever. Strunk and White's The Elements of Style

Plus it's cheap too...a true RFD bargain. :lol:

I used this book all through high school to learn to write. It is truly a marvel of simplicity and clarity, although a bit old-fashioned.

[dasaylay]

Try Hooked on Fonicks


though it won't help much on spelling

[poedua]

Try Hooked on Fonicks


though it won't help much on spelling

" Fonicks " - too funny !

[Madchester]

Reading helps. Stay away from Shakespeare, comics, and action-packed novels (sci-fi, fantasy.)



Considering the man invented hundreds of words and phrases in the modern English language, I'd suggest reading his material. Start off with the comedies, then move into the tragedies and histories.

I'd suggest also reading newspapers like the New York Times or The Times (of London). They actually have many feature length articles without watering down the content like most local newspapers. They have excellent 5-10 page essays and commentaries on a variety of topics (politics, travel, dining, automobiles, sports, etc.) so you'll definitely find something you enjoy reading.

Back in Grade 10, my English teacher told us to read the Globe instead of the Toronto Star, since the former contained better usage of the English language. Now that I'm a bit older, I find the Globe's writing to be rather sloppy and I'm reading more news from the sources mentioned above.

[Bordrr]

http://www.amazon.ca/Elements-Style-William-Jr-Strunk/dp/product-description/0205313426

Best. Grammar. Book. Ever. Strunk and White's The Elements of Style

Plus it's cheap too...a true RFD bargain. :lol:

I used this book all through high school to learn to write. It is truly a marvel of simplicity and clarity, although a bit old-fashioned.

I agree with this recommendation; I also recommend "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss - its a light read and short as well - I think both these books will def. help you out. good luck.

[Becks]

I think it's ******** to read Shakespeare to try to improve your English. It's not modern English and no one wears a codpiece nowadays.

[ynchu]

I have one book recommendation for you.

"The Elements of Style"

It changed my life, and it will change yours.

[Izzoshady]

Spend a lot of time in a public library. Start with children books and keep moving up. You will grasp different styles and you will begin to spot common things in books.

[Talamasca]

Read some books and magazines. Aim for classier stuff like literary works and more serious magazines (think Macleans, not Maxim). And watch educational TV programs or movies featuring educated characters. And stay off message boards like this one! :D

[KennethToronto]

Reading helps. Stay away from Shakespeare, comics, and action-packed novels (sci-fi, fantasy.)


What's wrong with sci-fi? Some of the best modern prose fiction is sci fi. Our own Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake is sci-fi yet would qualify as meaningful literature. The same goes for many of the dystopian classics read in high school - everything from Lowry's "The Giver" to Orwell's 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Burgess' Clockwork Orange etc etc. Then there's also the kings of classic science fiction - Heinlein, Asimov, and Clarke. I won't bother listing the number of classic and influential novels they've contributed...nor will I bother going much more into Verne's contributions (arguably the father of the genre) or Shelley's or Zamyatin's.

In short, don't dismiss an entire incredibly valuable genre just because it's obvious you know little of it. Same with Shakespeare and fantasy but that's for someone else.

And to the OP - don't bother with the book snobs or those who suggest you read "intelligent" literature. Read what you enjoy and have interest in - your tastes will evolve just like anything else. My favourite authors in middle school were Grisham, Crichton, and Clancy...but I've explored a lot of different genres and authors since and it's been an amazing experience - developing a love for reading is likely one of the most rewarding things you can do in your life.

[reflux0]

The best advice that you can get is to broaden your reading horizons.

Last year I got a subscription to the Atlantic (a magazine), and the quality of writing really blew me away. I suggest good magazines, or the NYT because they tend to have lots of interesting stories that could appeal to you, while keeping the articles to a readable length.

You'll pick up elements of style of that you find impactful because you'll have experienced them firsthand.

I think that George Orwell's essay, Politics and the English language should be required reading for all high school writers that equate good writing with bs prose:
http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit

[konfusion666]

What's wrong with sci-fi? Some of the best modern prose fiction is sci fi. Our own Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake is sci-fi yet would qualify as meaningful literature. The same goes for many of the dystopian classics read in high school - everything from Lowry's "The Giver" to Orwell's 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Burgess' Clockwork Orange etc etc. Then there's also the kings of classic science fiction - Heinlein, Asimov, and Clarke. I won't bother listing the number of classic and influential novels they've contributed...nor will I bother going much more into Verne's contributions (arguably the father of the genre) or Shelley's or Zamyatin's.

In short, don't dismiss an entire incredibly valuable genre just because it's obvious you know little of it. Same with Shakespeare and fantasy but that's for someone else.

And to the OP - don't bother with the book snobs or those who suggest you read "intelligent" literature. Read what you enjoy and have interest in - your tastes will evolve just like anything else. My favourite authors in middle school were Grisham, Crichton, and Clancy...but I've explored a lot of different genres and authors since and it's been an amazing experience - developing a love for reading is likely one of the most rewarding things you can do in your life.

I tend to agree. The vast majority of published adult fiction is well-written and would serve as an excellent way for one to improve their grammatical skills. Poorly-written novels tend to not get published!

When I was in high school, there was no "SMS" or instant messaging, and I read a lot of novels. Now, I read less, and spend too much time on IM or SMS so I feel my writing ability has gone down a few notches.

[UrbanPoet]

when you proof read, read it out loud.

[poedua]

I think it's ******** to read Shakespeare to try to improve your English. It's not modern English and no one wears a codpiece nowadays.

I find it ironic you would advise anyone else on how " to improve your English " given that term you used to express yourself in your post. :rolleyes:

[poedua]

Read some books and magazines. Aim for classier stuff like literary works and more serious magazines (think Macleans, not Maxim). And watch educational TV programs or movies featuring educated characters. And stay off message boards like this one! :D

Reading is active and involves ( among other things ) " seeing " sentence structure ...whereas watching TV is passive ( not a good idea )

[Impossibles]

My GF said this book was great (she's a teacher).

http://www.eatsshootsandleaves.com/

I think the best way is not by just reading, you have to learn how the english language works.

I remember in high school having to go through entire articles and identify each word as a noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, modifier, etc etc. I think that is why my grammar is quite good to this day.

I'd also recommend english high school night classes. NOT ESL classes. Also, the more english you speak, the better you will get. Try not to speak in your first language unless you need to.

[Nikita]

First I'd recommend taking just one writing course at a college or univeristy, I took creative writing in University and many of the prinicples I learned stay with me to this day.

Second I agree with those who recommended Strunk and White's "Element of Style". It was mandatory curriculum in my writing course, but I used it all through unveristy and law school (who also recommended it). Seems to be the world standard for English Grammar, I know I've benifitted greatly from it and still refer to it occassionally.

[ahyue2]

How they ....." right " ????

You may want to turn up that " absorb " rate of yours ..... just a notch.:rolleyes:

Good luck!

Okay, I apologize. I was typing fast at work and used "right" instead of "write".

Nickia, I think all you need to do is ask poedua about your work. He has been correcting grammar in this thread. :lol:

[Becks]

I went thru hell in university when it came to essays. I always thought I was decent at English because I was born in Canada and my English class marks were good in highschool (plus I'm an excellent speller). However, I never really read books and it is still hard for me to do because it hurts my eyes and I have trouble concentrating (my mind wanders off). When I went through English 100, I got slammed. It made me very self-conscious about my writing afterwards. I was often criticized for having colloquialisms and awkward structure. I then decided to try reading a lot of classic English literature to improve my English. It isn't really helping that much. That is, I think it's a slow process. It's just hard to absorb, now that I am an adult. I think the earlier you start to read books, the better. Also, I notice that if I have a question about something, I don't really have a live person to ask. Most people I know aren't that excellent at English either. I feel like I'm playing catch up, and it is really frustrating!

[veejam]

Yeah I was born in canada and my grammar sucks. Probably because I went through high school without reading any books except for the Anne Frank play which was really good. The main reason was because I was always on the internet and on instant messaging programs. Sparknotes.com was my best friend...but I really regret it now and I wish I can go back because my papers are pretty terrible.

[MS_Project]

There are several ways to improve your English grammar:


Read books
Take an English course and write essays
Analyze stories and write a summary
Write weekly journals about yourself
Read newspaper articles and summarize in your own words
Write more using pencil on paper and don't rely on Microsoft Word

[caliente]

Also, the more english you speak, the better you will get. Try not to speak in your first language unless you need to.

+1. I'm assuming your family is in a similar position to you, but who are your friends? Do they have a better handle on the English language? Since you know this is your weakness, you need to put more effort into proofreading your papers. Perhaps you could get a friend to help you with this?

I sometimes get a chance to read admissions essays and conduct corresponding interviews. Trust me, it is easier to "write" a nearly flawless paper, than it is to give a perfectly polished interview. I use "write" because I know applicants often get "help" when writing their admissions essays.

Read your past papers and try to make a list of your most common mistakes. Make a conscious effort to look for those mistakes when you proofread.

Some points that may or may not be helpful to you. These are some of the biggest things that jump out at me when I'm reading a paper:

- 'alot' is not a word
- their vs. there vs. they're
- it's vs. its
- then vs. than
- it is always hers, never her's
- use words like 'however' and 'although' to vary sentence structure (cheatingly)
- do not overuse 'therefore'; it should only be used when you want to draw attention to an important statement or idea.
- use cannot instead of can't, do not instead of don't (and so on), when writing a formal paper
- I do not usually notice comma placement unless it is obviously out of place or lacking.

[Talamasca]

Reading is active and involves ( among other things ) " seeing " sentence structure ...whereas watching TV is passive ( not a good idea )

But you can pick up a lot from hearing how other people speak. If they speak correctly, you'll learn through osmosis (so to speak).

Think of it this way -- people tend to speak the same as their peers. Those young punks at the mall all sound the same (and dress the same, but that's for another thread). So if you hang out with people like that, you'll pick up the same mannerisms and poor language skills. But if you associate with people who can actually speak grammatically proper English, it'll do wonders for yourself as well.

So for TV purposes, don't learn English from watching WWE. Try the news!

[Trooper8111]

Read, read, read, write, read, read, read, write. Practice your skills by taking creative writing courses.

[helium]

I agree with this recommendation; I also recommend "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss - its a light read and short as well - I think both these books will def. help you out. good luck.

I was going to recommend "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" as well but you beat me to it XD!

In any case, I definitely recommend the book too. It's genius.

[sfu_lifer]

I used to like reading the New Yorker for laughs at the local library (seems a ton of pretentious snobs like that rag). But they do have some excellent writers. I think practicing writing essays also helps and as much as possible, find somebody to proofread what you've written.