How Foreign Students Can Improve Their English Grammar Skills

        International or foreign students who are planning to take up undergraduate courses in universities and colleges in the United States should first make concerted efforts in developing and improving their English grammar and writing skills before they actually study in a higher education level institution in the U.S. Even if those students are not native English speakers, it is essential that they should improve their grammar and writing skills in English because it would help them in overcoming some of the challenges they would face in their English verbal and written communications.

        If you are a foreigner planning to study at a higher education level institution in the U.S., it is important that you engage in some activities that would help you in improving your English grammar and writing skills. Improving grammar and writing skills in English is essential because it would help an international student in adjusting to the American university or college setting, in communicating with native English speakers at the campus, and in the various academic writing tasks that have to be written in English.

        There are several activities that a prospective international student could do in improving his skills for English grammar and writing. The activities include taking up a short-term course in English reading and writing that you could take before you study in the U.S., or during your university studies. When you are already studying in the U.S., you could take the short-term course in the university where you are studying or as online course offered by an online school.

        Another important activity is regular reading of written materials such as books, newspaper, and magazines since reading those materials would expose you to both the formal and informal styles of writing in English. Watching English language television shows and films would expose you to the common style of English that is used in everyday conversation.

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Study Tips to Learn English Grammar

        Learning the aspects of a language can be a difficult experience for most because of the sheer volume of words and rules that the learner has to familiarise with and eventually commit to memory. For individuals wanting to learn English, these aspects include English grammar, spelling and vocabulary. English grammar is particularly challenging to learn especially if the learner is has already been exposed to a different language system and is only learning English as a second language. However, below are several tips that will make it easier for a learner of English grammar:

• Set targets. Do not view the learning process as a huge task especially if there is a big assessment that you will need to take as proof that you have really learned. Instead, break it down into doable chunks by setting small targets such as learning a set number of new English words everyday. Another thing that you can do is observe which aspects of English grammar you are most often committing mistakes in and concentrate on correcting it within the week. Being able to reach the small targets you set makes you proud of your accomplishments and keeps your morale for studying higher than ever before.

• Try to find pleasure in the activities you are doing as you learn English grammar. Being motivated because you actually want to acquire the skill instead of other reasons like merely passing an aptitude test will ensure that you actually retain the knowledge even when the test is over. As such, you will have to incorporate learning English grammar in the daily activities you enjoy such as reading novels, stories, poems or even song lyrics. You may also read up about a subject that interests you—written in an English article. This will expose you to reliable reading sources that all demonstrate proper English grammar, spelling and usage.

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Why It Is Important to Study English Grammar

Knowing English grammar involves being able to form words into combinations that will produce sentences whose meaning can be understood by someone who knows how to speak English. Knowing grammar is basic to studying any language, because it allows the learner to understand the relationships between words and how they interact with each other to produce meaning. Below are reasons for which studying English grammar is important:

• To accept the challenge of expanding our knowledge and testing our ability to learn as human beings. People constantly show curiosity in the world they live in. One important aspect of life is using language, in which grammar is an important aspect. Grammar is no different from any other knowledge domain in this respect. Importance
• As human beings, language plays a paramount role in the way we show our emotions or convey instructions to one another. At the heart of understanding a language such as English is to understand and be knowledgeable about English grammar as well.
• To explore and enhance our creative abilities. One of the ways that we can express our creativity aside from creating things with out hands is to put down our thoughts on paper or on some other medium that can display and store textual information. Thus, we write songs, poems, stories, publish books and print novels using language to communicate our ideas to readers so that they may either adopt our perspective or at least be stimulated to think about the subject.
• To solve problems we face as humans. Whether it is to resolve a dispute between two warring factions, passing on knowledge from a learned person to a student, or to combat the harmful effects of human activities on the environment, we will always need language in our everyday lives to relate with other people and communities. Since English is the most popular language in the world, being knowledgeable in English, and by extension English grammar will give us the edge to better communicate with more people and find solutions to our common problems as humans.

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Differences Between British and American English Grammar

English is the most widely spoken language in the world, being the official language of many countries and territories. English has spread in popularity primarily because it is the language spoken in most of First World countries such as the US, UK and Australia. It is also recorded in history that the UK, at certain periods of history colonised other countries and territories. As a result, these countries and territories have adopted the culture and language of the colonizers. The US itself was a former colony of the UK. This started the different versions of English, with the two most popular varieties being American and British English. There are differences between the two in terms of English grammar, spelling and usage. Below are some of the differences between US English grammar and UK English grammar:

• Using the Present Perfect Tense. In British English, the present perfect tense denotes an action that has occurred in the recent past which has an effect on the present moment. In American English, the following is acceptable:

“I lost my wallet.”

        In British English however, the correct usage is to include “have” in between. Below is the complete acceptable sentence:

“I have lost my wallet”.

• Showing Possession. In both British English grammar and American English grammar, using the words “have” or “have got” to show possession is acceptable, the latter is more preferable in British English grammar with the former being the norm in American English grammar.

• Usage of the Verb “Get”. In American English grammar, the past participle of “get” is “gotten” while in British English grammar it is only “got” as in the following examples:

American English grammar - “He's gotten much better after drinking medicine.”

British English grammar - “He's got much better after drinking medicine”.

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The Benefits Of Learning English Grammar

There are people who oppose the importance of studying the grammar of native speakers of English because students are considered to be familiar with the conventions of that language. However, intensive knowledge of English grammar is in many public benefits. One of these tests is to have access to college. It's no secret that English grammar is one of the main groups in the entrance test. Some of the advantages of studying in-depth English grammar:

1. First, learn English grammar will be better able to understand how the word can be combined to create complex meanings and how these subtle effects can create literature. As a result, students will probably enjoy the best of literature and is more aware of this text.
2. Strong influence of students and readers receptive grammatical analysis.
3. The ability to understand the complexities of English grammar to improve writing of student characteristics and interpretation of the text.
4. In addition, solid writing, grammar also allows a better ability to speak. As a result, people who are able to express their words sound very reliable, mature and professional.

But young people, especially students who are preparing for higher education is certainly the most benefit from learning English grammar formally. Grammar is part of the university entrance exam. English and English literature, students also have knowledge of English grammar is very valuable. Much of the course for university students, writing, and an essential part of good writing is a strong grammar. Research has also shown that students with better English grammar, have a higher score for university entrance exams.

Also found that students already in college is still a need for further study of English grammar. There is a general perception in academic circles that most schools do not have enough emphasis on improving students' language skills and grammar. As a result, many colleges actively invest in the provision of courses to improve writing and more of the requirements for studies in English teaching.

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The Best Advice That I Followed To Improve My English Grammar

         I was 11 when my family and I left Mexico and emigrated to America, and English was the first culture shock I had, because although I learned some basic lessons in speech and writing in English in Mexico, I still could not be as good in oral and written English in relation to the natives. He would also enter elementary school a few months after our arrival, so my parents, me and my older sister enrolled in special classes for new immigrants to learn to write correct grammar and spelling in English, and speaking proper English.

        Besides English classes, I taught classes for new immigrants and subsequent experience, I studied and learned during my primary school and secondary teachers in my language class for immigrants and some of my teachers from my elementary and high school told me stuff about how I could continue to develop and improve my English grammar, writing and my skills in spoken English.

        Six years have passed since we arrived, and I can proudly say that my English grammar is considerably developed and improved since then, especially now that I entered the university during the months of confidence in my grammar and spelling.

        Important tips that language teachers have always said that the class immigrants to read an English book well written, magazines and newspapers. They told us to read literature, books that are commonly treated in schools and are popular in American culture, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The House on the Prairie and other popular children's books. Familiarize yourself with good English conversation, read magazines, and current events and magazines that specialize in well-written articles, which showed the correct grammar and spelling.

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The Advantages Of Learning English Grammar

There are people who oppose the importance of studying the grammar of native speakers of English because students are considered to be familiar with the conventions of this language. However, intensive knowledge of English grammar is in many public benefits. One of these is to take university entrance exams. It is no secret that English grammar is a part of all the major sets of university entrance examination. Here are some of the advantages of studying English grammar in depth:

1. First students learn English grammar is better able to understand how the combination of words can create complex meanings and how these subtle effects can create literature. As a result, students will probably enjoy the best literature and will be more aware of this text.
2. Strong influences students grammatical analysis and receptive readers.
3. The ability to understand the complexities of English grammar to improve writing of students' characteristics and interpretation of the text.
4. In addition, solid writing, grammar also allows a better ability to speak. As a result, people who are able to express the words sound very reliable, mature and professional.

But young people, especially students who are preparing for higher education are certainly the most benefit from learning English grammar formally. The grammar is a part of university entrance exams. English and English literature, students also have the knowledge of English grammar is very valuable. A large part of the courses for university students, in writing, and an essential part of good writing is a strong grammar. The research also showed that students with better English grammar, have a higher score for university entrance exams.

Also found that students who are already in college is still a need for further testing of English grammar. There is a general perception in academic circles that most schools do not have enough emphasis on improving students' language skills and grammar. As a result, many colleges actively investing to provide courses to improve writing and more of the requirements for studies in English education.

Readmore...

Advantages of Learning English Grammar

There are people who argue against the significance of studying grammar for native English speakers given that students are deemed to be familiar with the conventions of this language. However, an intensive knowledge of English grammar has many general benefits. One of these is in taking entrance examinations for university. It is no secret that English grammar is a part of each major college entrance examination set. Below are some of the advantages of studying English grammar in depth:

• Students learning English grammar are better able to understand how the combination of words can create intricate meanings and how these can create subtle literary effects. As a result, students will likely appreciate literature better and they will pay more attention to the text.

• Sound knowledge of grammar influences students to be analytical and receptive readers.

• Being able to comprehend English grammar's intricacies enhances students' writing and text interpretation capabilities.

• In addition to writing, a sound knowledge of grammar also allows for better skills at speaking. As a result, people who are able to articulate their words well sound more trustworthy, mature and professional.

But young people, especially students preparing for higher learning are bound to benefit the most from studying English grammar formally. Grammar is one of the components of university entrance exams. English and English literature students will also find that knowledge of English grammar is very valuable. Much of the coursework of university students is in written form, and a crucial element of good writing is a sound knowledge of grammar. It has also been proven by research that students with better English grammar skills have a higher score on college entrance exams.

However, has also been found that students who are already in college still require further English grammar studies. There is a general perception in the academic community that most colleges are not focusing satisfactorily on improving their students' language and grammar skills. As a result, many higher learning institutions are actively taking steps to offer more writing courses and increase English studies requirements for degree programmes.

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The Best Tips That I Followed in Improving My English Grammar

I was 11 years old when my family and I left Mexico and immigrated to the United States, and the English language was the first culture shock that I got because even if I learned some basic lessons in English speaking and writing in Mexico, I still could not be as good in verbal and written English compared to the native speakers. It was also going to enter elementary school just a few months after we arrived so that my parents, me and my older sister enrolled in special classes for new immigrants in learning to write correct English grammar and spelling and in speaking proper English.

Aside from the English lessons I learned the class for new immigrants and the subsequent lessons I studied and learned during my elementary and high school years, the teachers in my immigrant language class and some of my teachers in my elementary school and high school told me some tips on how I could further develop and improve my English grammar writing skills and my verbal English skills.

It has been six years since we arrived and I could proudly say that my English grammar skills have greatly developed and improved since then especially now that I would be entering college in a few months with confidence in my grammar and spelling skills.

The major tips that the language teachers at the immigrant class always told us is to read well-written English books, magazines and newspapers. They told us to read literary books that are commonly discussed in schools and are popular in American culture such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Little House on the Prairie, and other popular children's books. To familiarize ourselves with proper conversational English, we read newspapers for current events and news and magazines that specialize in well-written articles that showed proper grammar and spelling.

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