<p>I’m homeschooled, and never really learnt grammar from a proper textbook. I already know the basics and have an “intuitive” sense of grammar from reading a lot, but I want to learn the proper rules. I’m trying to go through the grammar section of this book, but it seems to gloss over some points:</p>
<p>Grammar, like reading comprehension, is impossible to teach–you either can or can’t do it–therefore, I suggest that you brace yourself or hire a personal tutor to go over some of the basic rules with you. </p>
<p>By the way, why do you want to learn the rules: college, personal interests? What grade are you in (home school equivalent), because if you are not a senior, you could apply to your local high school and take English courses there; or whenever you decide to go to college go to a community college instead and take remedial English and basic Grammar courses to “catch up.”</p>
<p>you really don’t need too much formal education in grammar if you like to read and your grammar isn’t horrific. I always found grammar portions of English classes supremely dull, because i didn’t really need rules, i just knew what did and didn’t sound right.</p>
This is entirely untrue. I mean, that’s like saying… that when we learn a foreign language, they just say, “Sorry, you just don’t have what it takes to learn grammar. Sucks for you,” and then go along without bothering to teach it to us.
You definitely can learn to use proper grammar, and eventually every silly rule that you learn will become “intuitive” as well.
Are there any specific rules that you’re having trouble with? Otherwise your post is a bit too broad for me to really help…</p>
<p>Well, I’m having trouble memorizing all the different terms, rules, and exceptions to rules: such as the difference between this tense and that tense, etc.</p>
<p>Do people usually take English Grammar courses/classes at some point during high school, as well as English Literature courses/classes, at least if they’re going to apply to the top colleges?</p>
<p>I’m applying to college this autumn, btw, so (very roughly; I don’t really follow a US-style curriculum and study over the summer) I’m in junior year.</p>
<p>Middle school - basic grammar + simple literature
9th and 10th - grammar + literature
11th and 12th - little bit of grammar + lots of essay writing + lots of advanced literature</p>
<p>1.) Read lots of books.
2.) Write stories.
3.) Learn a foreign language.</p>
<h1>2 does wonders. Really. I never learned grammar formally either - just a few pages out of a textbook in 7th page about prepositions or something - but writing forces you to pay attention to what’s going on in a piece. Adverb here or no? Too redundant? When do I use hyphens vs dashes vs semicolons vs commas? So on and so forth.</h1>
<h1>3, meanwhile, forces you to learn/identify basic definitions, structures, and tenses. I actually second hilsa’s suggestion regarding Latin, as it’s a very grammar-heavy language from what little I know of it.</h1>
This is actually true. I was terrible with english grammar (like, I didn’t know when to use “who” and when to use “whom,” among other things) until I took Latin.</p>
This is definitely true. I learned more grammar in the past years by taking Latin than I have through any of my English courses in all my years of school.</p>
<p>Try Daily Grams/Easy Grammar. Lots of private schools use it. It is cheap, fast and moderately fun. Homeschooling families often start with Daily Grams in 3rd or 4th grade. </p>