My English is quite good, but my grammar needs improvement. What should I do?
If your English is already quite good, you probably don’t need to study all of English grammar again. A better approach is to find the grammar mistakes you make repeatedly and work on those.
Think of the following as a grammar first aid kit: a short checklist of areas to review after you have written something:
- verb tenses
- articles (a, an, the)
- prepositions
- subject–verb agreement
- word order
- complex sentences
Start by looking at something you have written recently. Read it carefully and check each of these areas. For example, ask yourself:
- Have I used the correct verb tense?
- Do I need a, an or the, or no article?
- Are my prepositions correct?
- Does the subject agree with the verb?
- Is the word order natural and clear?
- Are my complex sentences accurate and easy to understand?
Keep a simple record of your mistakes. For example, if you frequently make mistakes with articles, spend some time reviewing and practising articles rather than moving randomly from one grammar topic to another.
Most importantly, don’t just read grammar rules. After studying a grammar point, use it. Write several sentences of your own, use the structure in a short paragraph, and check whether you can use it accurately.
If you are preparing for IELTS, accuracy is important, but you also need to show a range of grammatical structures. Start with accurate, well-controlled sentences, then gradually work on using more complex structures.
Try this: Take a piece of your recent writing and use the grammar first aid kit to check it. Identify the three grammar mistakes you make most often. These are a good starting point for your grammar study.