Most speakers of English are not native speakers. Unfortunately even minor grammatical mistakes can really stand out and reflect poorly on your content. It is unfortunate that sometimes how you say it is more important than what you are saying.
I did a lot of research on ways to learn grammar and writing on my own. I bought a lot of books, mostly not helpful. Most were designed exclusively for classroom use. The more popular trade publication titles were too shallow but entertaining. These are the best I found for learning on your own.
Oh yeah, there are some web sites with expensive courses. I have seen some of the courses and these books are much better.
1) The classic and complete set of grammar and writing texts. They can be used for self-study but are designed for class room use.
Grassroots with Readings ? The Writers Workbook by Susan Fawcett
Evergreen ? A Guide to Writing with Readings by Susan Fawcett
These texts are for native and non-native speakers that do not have the skills needed to start a college writing class. Grassroots is the first of the series. They have been around a long time and have been very popular so you shouldbe able to find a used older edition dirt cheap.
2) The following set of books take a different approach. You learn by rewriting the sentences and paragraphs of famous authors. They are designed for self-study and the books are called work texts.
Grammar for High School : A Sentence Composing Approach
Sentence Composing for High School
Paragraphs for High School
All by Don Killgallon. There are acouple for college too but I do not have them. There are not that many used ones around but they don't cost that much new.
3) This is my favorite set. It is based on a self-study method called programmed learning. It is learning without failure. The information is presented is very small interactive steps. It is a very easy to learn this way.
If you work through these you will have mastered American English grammar and word usage. Writing is covered in the back of each book and is not in the programmed learning format.
English 2200 with Writing Applications
English 2600 with Writing Applications
English 3200 with Writing Applications
They are written by Joseph C Blumenthal. They are very expensive both new and used. Perhaps they could be special ordered through a library and scanned. The number represents the number of frames (mini exercises) in the book. They should be done in the order listed above.
I am grammatically challenged. Now that I have admitted that I will not bother to proofread this.
I still don't like the idea of periods being in quotation marks when they are not part of the quotation.
To improve, I have worked through English 2200. I am amazed at all the mistakes I see everywhere. For example, express lines in grocery stores have signs that say ?10 Items Or Less?. That should be ?10 Items Or Fewer?. Actually those signs aren't "saying" anything, they are silent.
These are expensive but I think worth it. Once you have done them, you will have grammar and word usage down forever.
Also you can subscribe to Grammar Girls podcasts. They are good but aren't about grammar usually. They are about word choice and usage. She says Word Usage Girl doesn't sound as cool.
I hope I learned you something.
(big intentional mistake)
I did a lot of research on ways to learn grammar and writing on my own. I bought a lot of books, mostly not helpful. Most were designed exclusively for classroom use. The more popular trade publication titles were too shallow but entertaining. These are the best I found for learning on your own.
Oh yeah, there are some web sites with expensive courses. I have seen some of the courses and these books are much better.
1) The classic and complete set of grammar and writing texts. They can be used for self-study but are designed for class room use.
Grassroots with Readings ? The Writers Workbook by Susan Fawcett
Evergreen ? A Guide to Writing with Readings by Susan Fawcett
These texts are for native and non-native speakers that do not have the skills needed to start a college writing class. Grassroots is the first of the series. They have been around a long time and have been very popular so you shouldbe able to find a used older edition dirt cheap.
2) The following set of books take a different approach. You learn by rewriting the sentences and paragraphs of famous authors. They are designed for self-study and the books are called work texts.
Grammar for High School : A Sentence Composing Approach
Sentence Composing for High School
Paragraphs for High School
All by Don Killgallon. There are acouple for college too but I do not have them. There are not that many used ones around but they don't cost that much new.
3) This is my favorite set. It is based on a self-study method called programmed learning. It is learning without failure. The information is presented is very small interactive steps. It is a very easy to learn this way.
If you work through these you will have mastered American English grammar and word usage. Writing is covered in the back of each book and is not in the programmed learning format.
English 2200 with Writing Applications
English 2600 with Writing Applications
English 3200 with Writing Applications
They are written by Joseph C Blumenthal. They are very expensive both new and used. Perhaps they could be special ordered through a library and scanned. The number represents the number of frames (mini exercises) in the book. They should be done in the order listed above.
I am grammatically challenged. Now that I have admitted that I will not bother to proofread this.
I still don't like the idea of periods being in quotation marks when they are not part of the quotation.To improve, I have worked through English 2200. I am amazed at all the mistakes I see everywhere. For example, express lines in grocery stores have signs that say ?10 Items Or Less?. That should be ?10 Items Or Fewer?. Actually those signs aren't "saying" anything, they are silent.
These are expensive but I think worth it. Once you have done them, you will have grammar and word usage down forever.
Also you can subscribe to Grammar Girls podcasts. They are good but aren't about grammar usually. They are about word choice and usage. She says Word Usage Girl doesn't sound as cool.
I hope I learned you something.
(big intentional mistake
)
