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Let's hear it for the structure,

the building blocks and road First Name

maps of language in my blog's

grammar ‫ה‬season. Exploring Last Name
language patterns gives you
depth, context, and answers. Email Address

Today I'm sharing a handful of

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a better language learner
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address with 3rd parties.
whole verb table.

Listen to our podcast - click here

How Can Grammar Be

Your Ally When

Motivation Goes

South?

Language learning follows the

curve of excitement that you
can find in many new projects.
First there is a real burst of
activity and motivation,
bumping you up to emotional
highs. This is where app
streaks get completed,
flashcards are interesting, and
you're out there telling the
world about your project. It is
the perfect time to buy
stationery.

After a little bit of time, your

notebook is half full and your
brain feels tired. Progress
becomes invisible. The first
burst of excitement gives way
to a recognition of the gaps
that you still have, and you find
yourself having to memorize
quite a lot in a short time. It
gets frustrating, demotivating,
it kinda sucks. This is where
you go online and read my blog
and I tell you that you're
awesome and you must! not!
stop!

The frustration point is where

discipline and organization
have to kick in.What you might
not realize is that this very
point of plateau is the perfect
time to start speaking to
people in your target language.
You might not be entirely ready
yet, but that's ok. Perfection
isn't required anyway.

If you have only been studying

stock phrases and vocabulary
so far, you will reach that point
of plateau with NOTHING.

But with just a small amount

of key grammar structures
like knowing how to say a
sentence in the present tense,
or how to ask a question, your
range of expression will
become immense. This is the
magic of using grammar as
your roadmap.

How Can You Learn

and Remember

Grammar Structures?

I know how bloody boring all

grammar can be if you study it
in the wrong way. In fact, I
know that even the word
"grammar" sounds like an
instant yawn.

But maybe you can find a way

of sneaking in a little bit of that
goodness without losing all will
to exist. Here are 5 steps that
work for me every time, and I
know that you'll feel so much
better once you get going with
them.

1. Observe and Record

Observing natural inputs is one

of your biggest allies for
developing the right feel for a
language. Learners from
anywhere can use the internet
to do this in millions of ways.
My own students do it by
listening to the news on their
drive to work, tuning in to
German podcasts, or watching
cool German TV shows like
Deutschland 83.

Classic ideas to get

you started:

Play Pattern Bingo by

making a note of any
sentence you spot in one
week that follows a rule
you've recently learnt.
If you're reading, work
with a colour-coding
system, for example the
traffic light system.
Constructions you know
are in green, the ones you
aren't sure about are in
 yellow, and the ones
where you're completely
lost are in red. And don't
worry. Everyone's got an
all-red page at some
point.

2. Cut the Negative

Talk

Negative self-talk in language

learning is nobody's friend. So
the more you dread the g-word
and the more you resist, the
harder it gets to make sense of
even the most basic structures.
Just like we're doing here in
grammar ‫ה‬season, it's helpful
to create an atmosphere of
positivity in your language
learning.

For a few ideas about how

exactly you might do this when
faced with a conjugation rule,
try Fluent's fabulous set of
language affirmations.

3. Force Yourself to

Speak or Write..

It doesn't matter where you

live, or if you can afford
lessons, or if you are an eskimo
living on the moon. As soon as
you observe a new pattern,
challenge yourself to use it
quickly and make it your own.
You should be writing or
speaking at least 3 sentences in
your target language every day.
In a guided scenario, you have
a tutor or a great course to
prompt what you are working
on. But it's just as good to take
the notes you made in point 1
of this list and start building
your own variations on set
pieces.

4. ...and Get Feedback

Yep, even though you're now

producing language you're not
even done yet. Whatever you
write, say or record has got to
go out to another human. Find
a person that you trust to make
you feel positive and support
you fully in the language
learning journey. They should
not be allowed to make you
feel bad for making mistakes.

My advice is always to make

that person someone who has
studied your target language
extensively, ideally a 1-to-1
tutor. The reason is that
whenever you make a mistake,
your curiosity perks up. You'll
want to know more, and good
teaching means explaining how
something works, and
prompting you gently so that
you can do it correctly and
adopt new patterns.

5. Leave Grammar

Books to Your Tutor

By now, you've probably learnt

that the most important killer
trick for learning grammar is to
leave the hard study to your
tutor. If they are good, and if
they are as fanatic about
language as possible, then they
may already have read the
book from cover to cover. The
key here is that the tutor is a
great resource for you, because
it creates a trusted
environment where someone
can explain to you why the
language behaves a certain
way.

Wield That Grammar

Force

I haven't seen a lot of Star

Wars. But as a pop culture
aware person, I do know one
thing: Star Wars films talk a lot
about the Force. Wikipedia tells
you:

The Force is a binding,

metaphysical, and
ubiquitous power.

The story of the force contains

a dark side, of course. You can't
just go and start wielding it all
willy-nilly or you'll end up like
that guy Darth Vader.

Now, I admit that knowing how

to name words and conjugate
verbs isn't exactly going to
power anyone's lightsabre. But
just like the Force, the key to
mastering grammar is in
learning how to use it for your
own purposes.

Some learners are curious and

want to know the exact rules of
language. Others just want to
get a feeling for how to do
things correctly.
Which one are you?

In Grammar, Must Read Tags

grammar, grammar language,
study tricks, techniques

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