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Essay writing and grammar
Getting grammar right is a lot like getting punctuation right. Grammar is rarely taught in British schools any more, so many British students are not always completely confident about their grammar. Students who are not native English speakers also feel concerned that their grammar is not up to scratch. As with punctuation, there are three simple rules to remember with grammar:
- Keep it simple
- Don’t worry, you’re not the only person who doesn’t know this
- Look it up or ask for help
Keep it simple
You might remember learning grammar in school – and the bewildering array of different tenses. If you’re an overseas student, you might remember endless lessons about the present continuous and the past continuous, and you might still not quite be able to remember the difference between them.
The good news is, don’t worry about it! Stick with what you know. Complicated does not always equal good. If you’re only comfortable writing in the simple present and past, stick with the simple present and past. A well-constructed, simply-written essay will look a lot better than an essay where you’ve tried to use impressive grammatical constructions but got them wrong.
In fact, even really complicated ideas can be expressed simply. Many people argue that complicated ideas should be expressed simply. Not everyone can read complicated English.
Don’t worry, you’re not the only person who doesn’t know this
It’s not just that there are other people in your class who don’t know how to use complicated grammar. It’s not just that there are other people in your university who don’t know how to use complicated grammar. There are people all over the world who don’t know how to use complicated grammar – millions and millions of them.
When you leave university and get a job, there won’t be any prize for writing really long sentences. Employers look for graduates who can communicate clearly, and who can make other people understand what they want.
So don’t worry if everyone else in your tutorial group writes record-breaking sentences. Don’t worry if every critical piece and journal article you read seems to be full of mind-bending verbal constructions. Imagine the person reading your essay is just the average person in the street. You need to communicate your ideas clearly and concisely. You need to make your reader understand what you’re trying to say. So write simply, and only use the English you know.
Look it up or ask for help
There are lots of ways you can improve your written English grammar. Here are a few ideas:
Find out if your university provides a course
Many universities provide courses to help students improve their English spelling, punctuation and grammar. Often these courses are free. Ask around. Ask your tutor, the admissions department, look at the university website. If you find one but you’re not sure whether you can join it, ask. There’s no harm in asking questions. If you can afford it, you might consider paying for private help, using one-on-one tuition or an essay writing company.
Use printed or online guidance
There are lots of books on grammar. Really, really complicated ones and very simple ones. Pick the right one for you. Go to your university bookshop, find a staff member and explain what you need. Don’t be ashamed, or afraid to ask. If you think your grammar is bad, and you need a really simple guide to English grammar, just ask for one. Or have a look online. But be careful when you’re using internet guidance – some of it is not very high quality. If you’re uncertain, you’re probably better off finding a book you like and sticking to it.
Keep on learning
You’re at university to learn. Sometimes when we learn, we spend so much time looking forward that we forget to look back to see how far we’ve come.
If you struggle with English grammar, spelling or punctuation, keep a notebook and note down all the things you learn. If you get an essay back and your tutor’s marked something down for bad grammar, read the comment and try to understand what you did wrong. If you still don’t understand, ask your tutor to explain. But here’s the important bit – when you do understand, make a note. You’re more likely to remember for next time, and if you don’t remember, you’ll be able to look it up. Buy a notebook specially for grammar, spelling and punctuation and always keep it with you.
Keep that up, and in a week, your grammar is guaranteed to improve. In a month it will get even better. In a year, you’ll be amazed how much progress you’ve made. Don’t forget – you’re at university to learn. If you understood everything from the word go, there wouldn’t be much point going to university, would there?
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Other study area articles
- Essay Conclusion
- Essay Format
- Essay Introduction
- Essay Writing And Grammar
- How To Form Your Essay Title
- How To Reference Your Essay
- How To Use Punctuation In An Essay
- How To Write An Essay
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