How to Get Feedback on Your English Grammar and Improve Faster
English grammar may seem complex at first, but with practice and feedback it becomes simpler.
As soon as you acquire new grammar rules, immediately use them in everyday conversation. Use a thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms, which will expand your vocabulary even further. Also read books and articles that will improve your writing skills.
1. Ask for Feedback
As both students and professionals, having excellent English grammar skills can open doors to new career opportunities. Thus, it is vital to seek feedback on your writing from people who can provide necessary assistance in improving it.
When seeking feedback, be specific in what you expect. Saying, “proofread my paper” might elicit general comments but is much less useful than asking someone to check run-on sentences and subject-verb agreement. Additionally, seek input from those familiar with what the piece entails as they will provide valuable perspective and advice.
Relieve yourself of any judgments about those offering feedback, and assume they have good intentions – this will create a conducive atmosphere for productive dialogue.
Asking for feedback on your English grammar can be both an effective learning strategy and will make you a more skilled writer. Learning how to take constructive criticism as constructive criticism, in order to become a better writer, will prove invaluable throughout your career.
2. Read
English grammar isn’t solely about memorizing rules; it’s also about understanding when correct grammar is being applied correctly. Reading will help you better grasp how English works over time – whether that means picking up books or newspapers, studying graded readers, listening to podcasts or watching television programs.
Reading can help expand your vocabulary while strengthening both comprehension and listening abilities. Reading is also an effective way of being exposed to different styles of speech ranging from formal to informal conversations and can give insight into how native speakers use words in conversation.
If possible, choose articles and books that have undergone an editorial process so they are more likely to contain accurate grammar. A thesaurus can also help build your vocabulary further while showing you new words that could better suit the intended audience than sticking with traditional ways of saying things.
3. Listen
Learning grammar may seem like a difficult challenge for some students, but there are tools and strategies available that make mastering language easier. One such strategy is “noticing”, which involves watching how language is used in everyday communications settings before mimicking those patterns into your own usage of it.
Listening for stress and intonation is another helpful strategy. Listen carefully when your teacher repeats a phrase or sentence over and again, focusing on any words that become stressed – this will enable you to hear and retain important parts of each sentence.
Also, listening to English music and podcasts will give you an understanding of how English is actually spoken in everyday situations, which will help prevent you from repeating the same errors time after time. And don’t be intimidated to ask your teachers for feedback – they will likely gladly provide it as long as you specify that constructive criticism rather than explanation is what you seek!
4. Write
Errors in spoken language may often go undetected, while they stand out much more in written work. Therefore, writing is one of the best ways to practice English grammar and hone composition skills. When writing, try using familiar grammatical structures while researching any new rules you come across (many textbooks and online blogs like Mango offer language-specific grammar articles). As your composition improves you might also want to explore reading more advanced texts (such as newspapers and magazines) which feature complex vocabulary patterns as well as challenging grammar patterns.
Finally, have a native-speaker proofread your work to spot awkward phrasing or misplaced punctuation marks and get valuable feedback on how you’re progressing as a writer. If this option is unavailable to you, use an instant feedback writing tool like our free Write & Improve for instant feedback – its user-friendly design provides multiple tasks with immediate feedback while tracking improvement over time.
5. Watch
Regularly watching English films and TV shows with subtitles is not only great for building up vocabulary and listening skills, but can also aid your grammar development. By viewing specific grammar structures in context, they become easier to remember and use correctly – watching also helps identify any new patterns when they pop up in conversation or written dialogue.
One effective way of improving English grammar is through reading more, beyond just books and magazines. Articles on various subjects from global news sites or blogs could provide invaluable feedback; you could also watch movies with English subtitles or listen to world music as a means of experiencing its diversity of use.
If you find yourself making similar errors again and again, investing time in finding and using a grammar resource to identify and correct these mistakes is worth your while. Make sure that it offers examples and explanations of rules so you can apply them when necessary when making errors in writing or grammar.