What is the Grammar Loop?

Many students start out learning English and pay a considerable amount of attention to the grammatical rules as one would expect. However, many continue to learn, oblivious to the loop they are creating. With time, this becomes an infinite loop of learning with no sign of significant improvement in their ability to speak the English language. Why?

They have unintentionally created a loop of knowledge without application also known as a “grammar loop.”

How to avoid creating a grammar loop?

Just like any art that one learns and tries to perfect, the true measure of knowledge is seen in the change it produces. The first step to avoiding the grammar loop is to ask yourself these two fundamental questions:

·   Am I getting better with time?

·   Is the change significant?

If the answer is no, then you may be stuck in a grammar loop, learning all the grammatical rules but barely taking the time to practice the rules in real-life scenarios. And that is the second step, practice.

One can only know how good they are if and when they put into practice what they have been learning. If knowledge is power, then applied knowledge is going to be your secret weapon. Follow the LACE principle to make sure you don’t “trip” and fall into the grammar loop;

L — learn the grammatical rules as best as you can.

A — apply on a daily basis all you are learning.

C — consistency is key to seeing improvement.

E — express yourself using all that you have learned.

The LACE principle helps shift one’s focus from acquisition of knowledge to application of already acquired knowledge.