How to improve your grammar?

Some grammar rules (and embarrassing mistakes!) transcend the uniqueness of different regions and style guides. This new International Grammar section by OnlineBookClub.org ultimately identifies those rules thus providing a simple, flexible rule-set, respecting the differences between regions and style guides. You can feel free to ask general questions about spelling and grammar. You can also provide example sentences for other members to proofread and inform you of any grammar mistakes.

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Yung Senpai
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Re: How to improve your grammar?

Post by Yung Senpai »

Just like anything in life is practice. Reading a lot also helps, but write some stuff yourself.

When you are writing, take a step back, and read it. Maybe even read it out loud. Does it sound good? does it look good? these tricks are also very useful once you get a decent hold in the language.
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Post by Arrigo_Lupori »

Writing, most definitely. Also, common sense. If something doesn't look or sound right to you, it probably isn't.
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Himalaya
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Post by Himalaya »

English language is not only for some ethnics or races, English is for everyone. To be good in English for Asian (like me :)), we have to learn it, especially English grammar. Here are some tips to make learning English easier:

1. Memorize 3 Fundamental Capitalization Rules
You may think that capitalizing nouns is a trivial (not important) grammar rule. However, poorly capitalized words are a quick giveaway that you haven’t quite mastered English writing. Proper capitalization helps your writing look professional, tidy and correct.

2. Be Careful When Using Your and You’re
This is probably the most common mistake on the internet today! Your and you’re sound absolutely the same, but they have very different meanings and uses.

3. There’s a Subtle Difference Between Must and Have To
Modal verbs in English serve to indicate likelihood, possibility, obligation and more. The most common examples of modal verbs include can, may, must, will and shall. Must is the one indicating an obligation or a necessity to do something.

I must wake up early to catch a morning train.
We must understand the difference between “there” and “their” to be better English speakers.
She must do her homework.
However, we could also say:

I have to wake up early to catch a morning train.
We have to understand the difference between “there” and “their” to be better English speakers.
She has to do her homework.
Both are grammatically correct. So is there a difference? Yes!

The difference between must and have to is subtle. Both refer to an obligation, but must indicates an opinion or suggestion. Have to is an expression of a more objective obligation coming from an outside force.

So saying that someone must do her homework is your opinion. Saying that she has to do her homework signals that it’s necessary because, for example, her teacher requires it.

Must and have to are used interchangeably in casual English. In more formal situations, you’ll stand apart by knowing the difference between them.

4. Always Check for Subject and Verb Agreement
One of the most basic grammar rules in English states that the subject of the sentence has to agree with its verb. In other words, the verb needs to take a form that matches the subject. To approach fluency in English, it’s crucial to understand subject-verb agreement.

The subject of a sentence can be either singular or plural, which will determine what form the verb takes. For example:

He likes pizza.
They like burgers.
These are simple sentences with one clause (subject plus verb).

But what happens when a sentence gets more complicated?

When there’s more than one subject connected by and, it’s a compound subject that requires a plural:

Jerry and Mia want to order pizza. (They want to order pizza.)
Mark and I are going for a walk. (We are going for a walk.).

Mix It Up with Active and Passive Voice
In many English sentences, the subject is the one performing the action described by the verb of the sentence. This is called “active voice.”

While the children played a game in the backyard, their dad prepared dinner.
Both clauses of this sentence contain active voice: children played (a game) and their dad prepared (dinner).

In other instances, the subject is being acted upon. Someone else is performing the action! This is “passive voice.”

While a game was played by the kids, dinner was prepared by their dad.
This sentence also has two clauses, and both of them are written in the passive voice: the game was played (by the kids) while dinner was prepared (by their dad).

While it’s recommended to use passive voice sparingly (not often), you should know how to recognize and use both active and passive voices.

A good mix of active and passive verbs will make your English, especially written English, varied and colorful. Don’t be afraid of combinations!

These are a few tips to learn English grammar easier.
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Musawer Exacter
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Post by Musawer Exacter »

Actually I want to help but mine is a bit weaker too. Anyhow, we will practice :hand:
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Musawer Exacter
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Post by Musawer Exacter »

Hey. Using grammar according is not a tough task.All you need is to learn any structure and also search for another structure which is the closest to the first one like the synonyms of vocabulary...
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mamalui
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Post by mamalui »

book_fiend wrote: 20 Jan 2016, 19:17 Native speakers of English tend to have atrocious grammar because we learned to speak English in primary school without ever learning the grammar rules that accompany the language. It is only those who learned English as a second language that tend to strive to be grammatically accurate. Kind of ironic, isn't it?
I somewhat agree with you on this one :D
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See_B00kReaDs
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Post by See_B00kReaDs »

Reading books will help a lot!
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God bless you! :D
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Mary WhiteFace
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Post by Mary WhiteFace »

BoyLazy wrote: 30 Sep 2017, 03:23 grammarcheck.net
That's a new one for me. Thank you 💕
clancy8
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Post by clancy8 »

Read more, observe and watch English TV shows.
Agnes Masobeng
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Post by Agnes Masobeng »

I've always heard people advice and say, "read more books or magazines or newspapers in English and speak English more than you usually would".
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Elphie
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Post by Elphie »

I'm not native english person either and I thought that by reading you can improve punctuation, syntax and everything related to grammar. Nonetheless I have found out that by reading you can only add more words to your vocabulary. To really improve grammar I think that people should take specific classes for grammar.
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hamida bibi
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Post by hamida bibi »

just read carefully and work hard
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Kansas City Teacher
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Post by Kansas City Teacher »

I wanted to reinterate what someone said while I was going through this thread....the best way to get better at grammar to make the mistakes and have someone correct them. If you make them writing reviews, the editors here will definitely explain it to you. Also, learning other languages has helped me learn English better.
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muamo
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Post by muamo »

I'm willing to be corrected as speaking proper grammar is usually scoffed at.
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Cautious
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Post by Cautious »

Hey Nur!

I like your attitude. You're positive about it, you know you can improve. That's the first step. As mentioned above, reading and writing is the best trial and error approach to refine your grammar.
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