Read children’s books. While children’s books may not be grammar textbooks, they are designed to teach the basics of language, including fundamental words and spelling, regular and irregular nouns and verbs, simple conjugation, and sentence structure. Children aren’t often explicitly taught the grammar and mechanics of their native tongues, but instead pick them up by reading and listening to other native speakers.^[3]

Read a variety of material. Improve your grasp of grammar by learning how other authors use language. Focus on reading different genres and styles of writing, such as classic literature, textbooks, science-fiction, science books, biographies, blogs, essays, and articles.^[4] Pay attention to how sentences are structured, word order, spelling, and creative variations the authors use.

• Try reading aloud so that you also get an idea of how the language sounds in conversation.
• Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy while reading.
• Read newspapers, listen to news radio, and watch televised news programs daily as well.

Pay attention to how other speakers talk. Listen to how other people construct sentences, where they place words in sentences, how they say common phrases, and the vocabulary they use. English has many rules and exceptions, so don’t be afraid to ask questions if you have any.

• Try parroting what other people say by repeating it in order to understand how sentences are formed and to expand your vocabulary.
• Be warned that some English speakers, even native ones, don’t have a grasp of proper grammar.

Play word and grammar games. There are many online games and applications you can download on your computer or phone that will test your grammar skills in a fun way.^[5] Since these games are educational, they’ll often provide explanations for wrong answers so you can learn from your mistakes.

• Libraries, bookstores, and online resources will also offer grammar lessons, practice exercises, and quizzes

Practice writing every day. Improve your grammar by writing and practicing any new rules or words you’ve learned. Keep a journal, write short stories, or even just email back and forth with friends or family. Concentrate on improving any problem areas you might have or mistakes you often repeat.

• Don’t rely solely on grammar checkers. For one, they can be wrong. Second, you won’t learn from your mistakes if you don’t correct work yourself. If you do employ a grammar check or proofreading services, take the time to look over what changes were made so that you can learn what you did wrong.

Learn the difference between confusing words. English has a lot of words that look, sound, and/or are spelled the same, even if they have very different meanings. These homographs (words that are spelled the same), homophones (words that are pronounced the same), heteronyms (words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently), and homonyms (words that are spelled and pronounced the same) cause a great deal of confusion, and result in common errors. Remembering these common errors will help you avoid frequently made mistakes.^[6] Common mistakes include:

• Confusing it’s (a contraction of it is) and its (a possessive pronoun).
• Mixing up they’re (a contraction of they are), their (a possessive pronoun), and there (an adverb indicating place).
• Using you’re (a contraction of you are) and your (a possessive pronoun) incorrectly.
• Confusing too (which means in addition), to (a preposition) and two (the cardinal number that comes after one).
• Not using then (meaning at that time) and than (used to compare) correctly.
• Improperly using lie (meaning to be in a horizontal position) and lay (which means to place something in a horizontal position).
• Confusing farther (used with physical distance) and further (used with figurative or metaphorical distance).

Use punctuation properly. Improper punctuation can mean that the meaning you’re trying to convey can be confused or lost. There are many punctuation-related errors that can occur in English, including:

• Run-on sentences, where there is no punctuation separating independent clauses in the same sentence. This can be remedied by either placing a semicolon or period between the independent clauses.
• Comma splices, where independent clauses in a sentence are joined with a comma but without a proper coordinating conjunction. Instead of using just a comma, use a comma followed by the word “and” or “but.”
• Using apostrophes to create plurals (they are used to create contractions or show possession, not create plurals).
• Improper use of quotation marks, which should only be used to indicate that you are directly quoting something someone said.

Use the active voice. In an active construction, the subject is the thing that performs the action; in a passive construction, the subject is acted upon by an outside force. While there’s nothing wrong with the passive voice, it’s less forceful and can make sentences unclear. Therefore, you should use the active voice more often, but it’s acceptable to use the passive voice from time to time, especially to emphasize something. For example, consider how these active and passive sentences place emphasis on different elements of the sentence:

• The active “I paid the bill” places the emphasis on what the subject did.
• The passive “The bill was paid by me” places the emphasis on who paid the bill.

Use reflexive pronouns properly. The reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, himself/herself/itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. These pronouns can be used reflexively or intensively. Reflexive pronouns are only used as the object in a sentence, and only when that object is the same as the subject. Intensive pronouns are used to add emphasis to a sentence and reinforces that the subject performed the action. To tell the difference, remember that if the pronoun can be removed from the sentence and it still makes sense, the pronoun is being used intensively. However, if the pronoun cannot be removed without altering the meaning of the sentence, it’s being used reflexively.

• Reflexive: “I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming.”
• Intensive: “She individually picked each gift herself.”
• Reflexive: “He asked himself how he’d feel in that situation.”
• Intensive: “I myself don’t know how I’d react.”

Take a class or see a tutor or teacher. One of the best ways to ensure you understand the basic grammatical elements of a language is by seeking the help of someone who’s qualified to teach you. Many community colleges offer language courses, or you can ask around at your local high school or college to see if any English students want to make some extra money tutoring you.

Read style guides and grammar books. Grammar and style guides come in two forms: descriptive guides that describe how people do speak, and prescriptive guides that tell people how they should speak. But language changes and evolves, and the rules of English aren’t always set in stone. There are many style guides that recommend different ways of approaching grammar, and it’s a good idea to read several of them. This will provide an idea of the different ways to approach spelling (such as American versus British), syntax, and style, give you a better idea of the fundamentals of grammar, and show you where the language is adaptable and where it’s inflexible. Some of the most widely used style guides are:

• The Chicago Manual of Style, which is often used for social science and historical journals.
• The Modern Language Association (MLA) style, which is often used in the humanities, in language studies, and in cultural studies.
• The Associated Press (AP) style, which is used by most news and media outlets.
• The American Psychological Association (APA) style, which is often used for natural and life sciences, academic journals, and social sciences.

Find online resources. Along with the resources available at libraries, the Internet is full of reliable grammar games, lessons, exercises, quizzes, and tips. Many universities will also offer resources about grammar, spelling, syntax, and common errors.

• Purdue OWL is an excellent resource that has lessons and different style guide recommendations.^[7]
• You can also subscribe to daily grammar emails and blogs from people like Grammar Girl.^[8]