The thought of learning English grammar can make even the most advanced English language learners run away in fear.  Learning English grammar is considered to be boring, tedious, and really difficult - but it doesn’t need to be.

In this blog, we will show you how you can learn English grammar quickly and painlessly.  If you can use English grammar correctly, you will sound like a native English speaker.  In fact, you will be able to teach native English speakers a thing or two with a well-rounded understanding of English.

Why Is It Important to Learn English Grammar 

We use grammar to communicate efficiently and effectively in English.  English grammar is our tool to be able to communicate clearly when speaking and writing in English.  

Communication is a two-way street.  The speaker needs the listener to understand them.  The grammar that we use either communicates our message in a smooth and easy to understand way or leaves a lot of holes that the listener needs to fill to understand us.  Grammar is important because if we know how to use it correctly then we can always guarantee that our meaning is communicated well.  The listener won’t need to decode anything we say because the meaning is crystal clear.   Therefore, communication will be successful. 

What Are The Parts of English Grammar 

English grammar ranges from parts of speech to sentence structures.  When we learn English grammar, we learn parts of speech (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc), tenses, modal verbs, conditional sentences, word order, punctuation, determiners and connectors.  We learn how to order words correctly and which form of the word we must use in specific positions in sentences.  English grammar is the building block that we can use to construct sentences so that our words carry the meaning we intend for them to carry.

6 Best Step by Step Techniques for Beginners to Learn English Grammar 

The first rule to learning English grammar is not to start learning English by learning English grammar.  The problem with starting with grammar is the fact that you won’t have the language to apply the grammar rules to.  Instead, start by following our step by step techniques for beginners to learn English grammar.  Let’s try to re-shape your opinion of English grammar by making it interesting, accessible and less daunting.  Focus on learning grammar as naturally as possible in the beginning and then start learning the rules - and not the other way around. 

Listen To English And Learn Vocabulary

The first step to learning English grammar is to learn English vocabulary and listen to native English speakers.  Listening to native English speakers by learning English with movies, podcasts or in real-world environments will help give you some context of the English language.  You will hear English being used authentically and naturally which will get your brain firing and working hard to decode the new language.  

Find A Native English Speaking Partner

You don’t want to spend too long only learning English vocabulary and listening to English on your own.  You want to start producing language as quickly as possible.  You can produce language in two ways - by speaking English or by writing in English.  The problem with learning English on our own is that we learn a new language and then apply the rules of our mother-tongue language to the new language.  For example, we may use prepositions incorrectly in English because it is the preposition we use with a specific word in our first language.

You need to find a native English speaking partner or an English speaking pen pal as quickly as possible.  You will learn to mimic the English speaking partner and they will be able to correct your mistakes early in your language-learning process.  This will ensure that mistakes and misunderstandings don’t turn into habits.

Question Everything

Once you learn structures and tenses, pick them apart to understand them.  English grammar is a lot like math formulae.  You can take the formula, change some things and keep other things the same to produce language with a specific meaning.

For example: 

The present perfect tense = subject + have/has + past participle.

You have to use either ‘have’ or ‘has’ (which depends on the subject) but the subject and the past participle can change according to your sentences and your meaning.

If the sentence structure doesn’t follow these rules, then it is not the present perfect tense.

The present perfect tense is a great example of a tense that English speakers use in countless different contexts and it has multiple meanings.  Therefore, if you hear a native English speaker using this structure in a way that you’re unfamiliar with then ask them why and how they used this structure.  The more involved you are in your language learning process, the easier it will be to understand English grammar.

Speak And Write As Much As Possible

You won’t progress much if you don’t speak English as often as possible.  And yes, this means you will make countless mistakes - but that’s a good thing.  You need to practice using the English grammar you learn to master it.  

The only way to turn your passive language knowledge into active language knowledge is to try to use the language yourself.  You can either speak in English or learn how to write in English.  If you don’t turn your passive knowledge into active knowledge then you will be able to understand everyone you listen to and everything you read but you won’t be able to speak and write well in English.  

Speak with a native English speaking partner and write in a journal every day to practice the new grammar you learn.  Writing will improve your speaking skills and vice versa.  It will be difficult at first but trust the process.  You will see huge progress once you start practicing.  

Learn Where To Break The Rules

Grammatically correct English is often overlooked by native English speakers.  This doesn’t mean that native speakers are lazy or that they don’t know the correct rules.  It simply reflects the fact that English in use is different from the English that we learn at school.  It’s important to learn the rules but also be aware of the times the rules are broken or when the meaning of what the speaker is saying means more than the grammatical correctness of what they are saying.

For example:

You’ll definitely be taught that ‘water’ is an uncountable noun and cannot, under no circumstances, take an -s and be made plural.  And then you’ll hear a native English speaker say: “I’ll have two waters please,” and everything you’ve learnt will fall apart around you.  However, in this context, the ‘bottles’ or ‘glasses’ is already understood by both people in the conversation so it becomes redundant and time-consuming to say ‘two bottles or water please’ or ‘two glasses of water.’

Don’t be afraid to break some rules every once and a while - but don’t take this logic into an exam situation.  If you’re taking an English test, stick with the correct grammar rules and structures.  

Be Patient

It will take a lot of time and a lot of trial and error before you can perfect your English grammar skills.  There is no shortcut and there is nothing that can make it easier.  The only thing you can do to learn English grammar in a pain-free way is to find a process that you enjoy.  It will be frustrating and you will need time and patience but you will get there.  

What is English Everyday

English-Everyday is an English course with live lessons for English learners who want to improve their English with native speakers, professional teachers, and students from around the world. 

You have live lessons where you can join every day. You can review all record lessons. There is a calendar of scheduled lessons so you can see when lessons are and at what time you can join.

In English-Everyday program, you have support and also you have student chat where you can speak with other students from all around the world. You can look at our feedback page so that you can know from which countries our students are. Before you join our program, we strongly recommend you sign up for our free seminar with Kris Amerikos, where you can learn:

• What goals you need to have to get better results 
• How to become fluent in English very quickly
• What you need to do to have perfect pronunciation
• The 3 biggest mistakes you need to avoid
• Which free resources will help you learn English
• The best resource to use to improve your speaking

How to Learn English Grammar Online and At Home 

There are an infinite amount of resources for English language learners.  There is no reason you can’t learn English grammar online and at home.  In this day and age, learning English grammar online and from the comfort of your own home has never been easier.

Watch YouTube Videos

You can access countless English teachers through YouTube from the comfort of your own home.  And the added benefit of finding your teachers online is that you can choose the best teacher for you.  Find an English teacher who teaches the language in the way that you want to learn it.  If you like the teacher and enjoy their teaching methodology then you will want to learn and that’s half of the work done already. 

Find An English Speaking Partner

The internet is also full of English speakers who will be happy to speak with you.  You can find English teachers or trade your language with English partners who want to learn your language.  No matter who you find, make sure that their English language skills are either native or near-native level.  This will ensure that you don’t pick up the errors of another English learner.  

It’s never too soon to start speaking English with an English-speaking partner.  The sooner you speak with someone in English, the sooner you will be able to effectively use the English language and understand English grammar.