Why Do We Need to Learn Grammar?

There are a lot of opinions on the Internet that it is not necessary to learn the grammar of a foreign language, arguing that we speak our native language even before studying the rules at school, which means that it should be the same with a foreign language. But this is a misconception. Everyone knows that children take all information on faith, while adults need logic. Why is this so? And the answer is very simple.

Many people do not live in the country, the language they are studying and they do not have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language environment, and in the classroom, there is an imitation of such an environment for only a few hours a week. As I mentioned earlier, an adult needs logic, that is, to justify why sentences are constructed this way and not otherwise, and this is where grammar helps.

Ways to Learn the Grammar of a Foreign Language?

Here are some tips I can give as an English teacher. Learn grammar from simple to complex. This principle can be seen in many grammar books, for example, in the textbook MyGrammarLab. The next principle is understanding, not memorization. That is, you do not need to cram the rules to understand and remember how this or that construction is used. Also, theory without practice is useless. Practice every day. Practice with teachers, do exercises, use grammatical constructions in oral speech.

Remember that if you are told that it is enough to know only the temporary Presents group, don’t be fooled by it. The fact is that even if in communicating with a foreigner you may be able to convey your thought using the simplest grammar, however, most likely, the native speaker will not try to use tenses familiar to you in a conversation, and this will lead to the risk that you will not understand what they tell you. And lastly, get rid of psychological clamps. Talk, talk, talk! This is the only way you can understand what you have learned and what you need to work on.