GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY STRATEGIES

What is grammar? Grammar is the set of rules which find the way to transform words in an understandable phrase in order to give them a sense. So, it determines the patterns in all the laguages.

Most of the people hate grammar because it is bored so, they ask them whether it is essential. Can I learn a language without studying grammar? It isn't essential to study grammar in order to learn a language but it enables you to achieve faster progress and use your time more efficiently. In this opinion essay, I'm going to give you some grammar and vocabulary strategies that will help you to take effective techniques to learn a foreign language.

Firts of all, for those who are university students or have an elevate English level, you should buy a good grammar book such as SWAN, M. (1996). Practical English Usage. Oxford University Press. Others, who have a professionaly level or a lower one should have a look in thosegrammar books which includes explanations and examples in order to have an answer in all your doubts or questions.

Secondly, you need a good dictionary to find the words you don't understand. It's important not to find every word but it's necessary to find the words you have seen more than three times. You can find monolingual and bilingual dictionaries. You can also use online dictionaries. For example: 

 http://www.wordreference.com

 http://www.macmillandictionary.com

Thirdly and maybe one of the best ways to learn grammar should be reading books. When you are reading, you are studying, incounciously, the structure of that language and your mind keep it up. Obviously, you have to understand the text so you have to be concentrate and choose a good book for you. It has to be at your level and it has to be interesting for you.

If we focus on vocabulary, its true that the teachers give the students the tools for acquiring their own rich vocabulary but students can also have their own strategies in order to learn vocabulary. Some students encounter the words in meaninful contexts. Others, repeat that word times and times in order to memorise it. 

However, if we don't have a good memory what can we do? You can practice your memory doing some exercises and you  will find some exercises that will help you to memorise some words. For example, you can memorise only the first letter of a list of words and make a word with all the letters. It will help you to remember each word.

Finally, there are more funny ways to study grammar and vocabulary in spite of having a good memory.  For example, you can find lots of games such as crosswords, puzzles and jokes. It is a way to learn and, at the same time, you past a good time. 

To conclude, you needn't have to follow all of these strategies, you can find your own strategies or both. Anyway, these advices are going to help you to learn grammar and vocabulary and this means you are going to be able to understand other speakers and you are going to be understood.