Learning Grammar: The Key to Language Acquisition

Achieve language fluency by mastering and learning grammar. Discover the importance of comprehensible input, communication, and focused grammatical learning.

Learning Grammar: The Key to Language Acquisition

I suggest that you will acquire language best when you study in such a way that you 1) listen to large amounts of comprehensible input, 2) have opportunities to use the target language to communicate with others, and 3) support your learning with some grammatical learning (focused on making input comprehensible and developing awareness).

In days old, teachers and students spent countless hours talking about grammar. Often these students had a lot of knowledge about the language, but little ability to use it. In recent times, some teachers (mostly in the west) have claimed that grammar teaching is useless. Grammar will learned naturally through listening to comprehensible input and interacting with others. Often students taught in this way can communicate very well, but often do not speak accurately. What is the right way to study grammar?

I believe grammar study should focus on two areas: 1) making input comprehensible and 2) developing awareness to help the learner notice the grammar of the input.

First, a little knowledge of grammar can make input a lot more comprehensible. For example, when I studied Chinese, I had great difficulty with the passive voice. When I first heard it in a listening passage, I had no idea what the sentence meant. It was completely incomprehensible to me, and therefore simply noise. Now, if I listened to hours of input, I might have been able to eventually learn the passive voice. But that is too long and difficult. Instead, the textbook gave me a little information on passive voice sentences using “BA” and “BEI”. After reading the explanation, I could comprehend these sentences. A little knowledge of the grammar made the input comprehensible. I went on to learn the passive voice very well and much quicker than if I had not studied any grammar.

Second, when learners are concerned only with communicating their meaning, they often do not need to be grammatically accurate in order to accomplish their goals. For the passive voice, I needed to know the grammar in order to understand what was being said. But for other aspects of language, this is not the case. For example, in English, subject-verb agreement is completely unnecessary to comprehend the meaning of the sentence. Thus, because a student can subconsciously ignore the grammar, he may not learn to speak accurately. This phenomenon called “fossilization.” Fossilization is when a student, though he may speak fluently, continues to make the same mistakes over and over again even though he has heard the correct way to say them a thousand times.

Some scholars believe that when students learn about grammar, this knowledge can help them “notice” (pay attention to) not only the meaning of the input but also its grammatical form. Even though they might not yet speak the form correctly; if they are aware of the correct form, they can then “notice” it in the input. Eventually, after “noticing” a grammatical feature enough, they will use it correctly.

Although unable to test this idea of noticing directly, I wondered if there was a difference between successful and non-successful students in the amount of time they spent studying grammar.

Question: On an average DAY of study, how much time did you spend studying English GRAMMAR?	A: 0 hours	B: Less than 1 hour	C: 1 hour or more
Successful Learners;	24.24 %	66.67 %	9.09 %
Non-successful Learners;	36.36 %	30.30 %	33.33 %

Apparently, successful learners claim to spend more time each day listening to English than studying grammar. Therefore, a reasonable inference is that the majority of successful language learners in this study use grammar in a subordinate role; their primary focus is on communication, using English as a tool to receive and send messages.

Accordingly, if the goal is to improve your spoken English, you would do well not to let the memorization of grammatical rules and such activities dominate your English study. Rather, make listening and using the target language the focus of your study. I recommend studying grammar for the following reasons: 1) to make input comprehensible and 2) to develop awareness to help the learner notice the form of input and their own output. This may help you eventually internalize these grammatical rules rather than storing them up in your short-term memory where they will quickly forgotten after the test.

Remember, the advice for studying grammar here designed to help you improve the accuracy of your spoken English. You may need to study grammar in additional ways to prepare for certain exams or writing projects.

How to Learn English Grammar Effectively

Improving your English grammar is essential for effective communication. Here are some steps to help you enhance your grammar skills:

1. Understand the Basics

Before diving into complex grammar, ensure a strong grasp of the fundamentals:

• Parts of Speech: Familiarize yourself with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
• Sentence Structure: Learn the standard structure of English sentences – subject, verb, and object.
• Tenses: Understand the various tenses – present, past, and future; and their different forms like simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.

2. Use Grammar Books and Resources

Invest in reliable grammar books or online resources:

• Books: Consider “English Grammar in Use” by Raymond Murphy and “Practical English Usage” by Michael Swan.
• Websites: Utilize resources like Grammarly, Purdue OWL, and BBC Learning English.

3. Practice Regularly

Consistency is key to mastering grammar:

• Exercises and Worksheets: Practice with exercises from books or online resources.
• Writing: Write essays, journal entries, or even social media posts using correct grammar.
• Speaking: Practice speaking with native speakers or language exchange partners.

4. Read Extensively

Reading various English materials helps you see grammar in use. Pay attention to how sentences are constructed and note different grammatical rules.

5. Listen and Watch

Exposure to spoken English through podcasts, audiobooks, movies, and TV shows allows you to hear correct grammar usage. Try to imitate the sentence structures and grammar you hear.

6. Learn from Mistakes

Use feedback from teachers, friends, or grammar-checking tools to identify and correct your mistakes. Learning from errors is a crucial part of improving.

7. Join a Study Group or Class

Being part of a study group or taking a grammar class can provide motivation and diverse perspectives. Participate in discussions and share learning experiences.

8. Use Grammar Apps and Tools

Leverage technology to aid your grammar improvement:

• Grammarly: An AI tool that provides grammar, syntax, and style suggestions.
• Duolingo: Offers grammar lessons integrated into language learning.
• Quizlet: Allows for the creation and use of flashcards to study grammar rules.

9. Set Specific Goals

Set realistic and achievable goals focused on different grammar aspects. For example, work on mastering the use of past tenses over a set period.

10. Stay Patient and Persevere

Improvement takes time and persistent effort. Stay committed to practicing and don’t get discouraged by slow progress.

Tips for Grammar Study

• Study Grammar to Improve Comprehension: Understanding grammar helps you better comprehend written and spoken English.
• Use Grammar to Notice Features in Input: Being aware of grammar helps you recognize it in different contexts, aiding natural learning.
• Be Patient with Application: Over time, consistent practice will make the correct use of grammar feel more natural.

By following these steps and tips, you can steadily improve your English grammar and become more confident in using the language. Happy learning!