It is important to learn English grammar if you want to communicate clearly and confidently, but it can be one of the most confusing parts of the English language.
Simply put, grammar is the way we arrange words, phrases, and clauses to form sentences. An English learner with poor grammar may be able to make themselves understood, but there are likely to be occasions where bad grammar leads to misunderstanding and confusion when trying to communicate.
Fortunately, whatever stage you are at with learning English, there are plenty of resources out there to help you master English grammar rules and become more fluent.
Here we will go through 7 steps for learning English grammar, including some free online resources and English grammar courses to help boost your knowledge.
How to learn English grammar step-by-step
There are many different methods for learning English grammar, but we recommend you follow these general steps to make the process more approachable:
1. Learn the different parts of speech
Individual words are the building blocks of sentences, and grammar is all about arranging them correctly. In order to do this, you need to know about the different parts of speech, or types of word, used in the English language.
This table shows the nine parts of speech in English, along with the purpose of each one and some examples:
| Part of speech | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Names a person, place, thing, or idea | girl, dog, city, book, happiness, imagination |
| Pronoun | Replaces a noun or noun phrase to avoid repetition | he, she, it, they, we |
| Adjective | Describes or modifies a noun or pronoun | beautiful, tall, happy, delicious, green |
| Verb | Expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being | eat, sleep, think, explore, listen |
| Adverb | Modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb, indicating manner, time, place, or degree | quickly, softly, yesterday, very |
| Determiner | Introduces and provides information about a noun | the, a, this, some |
| Conjunction | Connects words, phrases, or clauses | and, but, or, because |
| Preposition | Shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in the sentence | in, on, at, with, under |
| Interjection | Expresses strong emotions or sudden bursts of speech | wow, ah, ouch, hooray |
NB: Many sources mention only eight parts of speech in English, excluding determiners, and this reflects a more traditional way of grouping the units of language. However, contemporary grammar teaching differentiates between adjectives and determiners.
2. Expand your vocabulary
Trying to learn complex grammar rules when your vocabulary is still at a more basic level can be counterproductive. You’ll be able to apply your grammar knowledge more easily once you have a substantial foundation of words you can use to form sentences.
As a rough guide, you should be able to understand around half the words you hear before you worry too much about perfecting your grammar.
Reading written English and listening to spoken English are both good ways to build your vocabulary. Here are some interesting ways to gain exposure to new words:
Read news articles: There are several good ESL news websites that publish news articles in simplified language for different learning levels. Reading the news is a good way to learn English because the topics are always fresh and interesting and it doesn’t feel like you are studying.
Listen to podcasts: Add a few English learning podcasts to your regular feed and your English learning will become a natural part of your day. ESL podcasts usually cover a range of grammar topics as well as new vocabulary. The best ones are accompanied by transcripts and notes so you can refer back to what was covered and highlight any words you want to learn.
Get a self-study book: There are many good books for English learners that will help you learn phrasal verbs, idioms, expressions, and other useful vocabulary. Some combine grammar and vocabulary, such as Grammar Daily: 365 Quick Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl, so you can kill two birds with one stone (this is an English idiom meaning to achieve two things with one action).
Read teen fiction books: If you struggle to read adult fiction, try books written for children or teens instead. These tend to use slightly simpler language, and although the narrative may be less relatable for you, some series written for children and teens have become very popular among adults (think Harry Potter and Twilight).
For each new word you memorize, remember to consider which part of speech it is. You may be able to work this out based on its context, but you can also look it up in an ESL dictionary.
As you do this, you should also find yourself becoming more attuned to how words are arranged to form grammatically correct and complete sentences.
See also: How long does it take to learn English?
3. Learn about tenses and irregular verbs
English has 12 major verb tenses: the future, present, and past tenses, each with a simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous form. There are also conditional constructions to master. This page has a good summary of how these tenses are formed and what they are used for.
To confuse matters further, there are around 200 irregular verbs. These do not follow standard grammatical patterns and must be learned individually. This is just one reason why English is hard to learn!
However difficult you may find it, though, you cannot avoid learning these foundational grammar points if you want to speak better English.
4. Learn about sentence structure and clauses
Another grammar concept that you should master early on is sentence structure. There are certain rules about how words, phrases, and clauses can and cannot fit together in the English language.
At a basic level, every sentence must contain at least one independent clause, and every clause must contain a subject and a verb.
For example:
“My car is blue.” is a complete sentence. It contains the subject ‘car’ and the verb ‘is’.
“My blue car” is not a complete sentence, because there is no verb.
An independent clause may stand alone, whereas a dependent clause is not a full sentence.
Don’t worry if these terms are confusing. Further down we have a list of resources that you can explore to learn more about any unfamiliar grammar topics.
5. Sort out easily confused words
As you learn English grammar, you will come across certain groups of words that are particularly perplexing, often because they sound similar or have similar meanings. Perhaps it is of some consolation to know that native English speakers often mix these up as well.
Some of the most common culprits are:
You can browse more articles about easily confused words in English on our website.
6. Practice speaking or writing and ask for corrections
Knowing English grammar rules is a great start, but practical application is the best way to build confidence and fluency – and understand where you are making mistakes.
Many native speakers will refrain from offering correction for fear of sounding rude, so make a point of letting your friends, colleagues, and other acquaintances know that you appreciate their help with improving your English.
If you don’t have many chances to practice your English communication skills in day-to-day life, here are some ways you can practice and improve your grammar:
Grammarly writing correction: This free AI writing assistant is an excellent way to understand and fix the mistakes you make. It doesn’t just correct your grammar, but gives a short explanation of the reason for the correction.
Language exchanges: Using a language exchange app or website, you can connect with English speakers who want to learn your language. Through messaging and other communication, you help each other with vocabulary, fluency, grammar, and more.
Lessons with exercises and quizzes: There are plenty of places where you can learn grammar online for free with interactive tests, games, and activities. Here are some of the best:
- Oxford University Press: Grammar exercises sorted by level from beginner to advanced, including practice tests with answers.
- Grammar Bytes: Interactive tests on a wide range of grammar topics, with accompanying notes for those you need to brush up on.
- Daily Grammar: Hundreds of grammar lessons and quizzes, beginning with a series on parts of speech (although you may go through them in any order).
- British Council: Clear English grammar lessons grouped by level. Each subject has a series of tests to check your knowledge.
- Arnel’s Everyday English: For more visual learners, this YouTube channel has lots of clear and helpful video lessons, many with a grammar test at the end.
7. Get private lessons or take an English grammar course
Our final tip to learn English grammar properly is to take an online English course or get private lessons with a tutor. This kind of structured learning environment gives a framework to ensure you don’t miss anything and can help you progress at a faster pace.
Receiving personalized feedback is also a very good way to understand your mistakes and improve quickly. This could be from a teacher or from an English language app that uses AI to provide customized lessons and corrections.
The best English grammar courses and lessons
If you decide that lessons or a course will make it easier for you to learn English grammar online, here are some of our recommendations for you to check out. Some focus purely on grammar, whereas others offer comprehensive grammar teaching as part of a wider curriculum.
Grammar lessons on Alison
This platform has dozens of free English grammar courses, as well as thousands on other subjects.
Each lesson covers a specific topic and takes just a few hours to study, so this is a great place to start if you want to learn about a specific grammar point, such as continuous tenses or making comparisons.
Since these courses are completely free to access, be prepared to view plenty of ads as you progress through each module. You will also have the option to purchase a certificate of completion.
Gymglish
Gymglish provides online English lessons using AI technology that customizes each lesson to the areas you need to focus on. So, if you struggle with learning English grammar, your Gymglish lessons will pick up on this and adapt the content according to your needs.
We also recommend Gymglish for grammar lessons because the platform does a great job of explaining different rules and exceptions as you come across them.
Try Gymglish free for 1 month here!
English Grammar Pro on Udemy
Udemy has many great English courses, but one of the best for learning grammar is English Grammar Pro. This takes a comprehensive look at everything you need to become fluent, from the basics to more advanced topics. 126 lectures provide over 12 hours of teaching, accompanied by assignments and downloadable resources.
Courses on Udemy are accessible for a one-off fee, and you can check now for any special offers on grammar courses.
Preply
If you like the idea of private tutoring to help exactly where you need it, take a look at Preply. This platform matches you with English tutors all around the world, and you can search according to specialty, accent, and budget.
Whether you want to improve your grammar for an exam or you just want to become more confident with your speaking, having a private tutor is one of the best ways to accelerate your learning. There is also the option to join group classes on Preply.
Prices start from $10/lesson and you can get 50% off your first lesson today!
Learn English: Intermediate Grammar Specialization on Coursera
Coursera offers several English grammar courses online, but this one is good for anyone who has mastered the basics and is moving towards more complex topics.
Enrolment is free, and you can work through materials at your own pace. If you study for around six hours per week, the course will take five months to complete. During this time you can learn about tricky grammar points such as modal verbs, phrasal verbs, and adjective clauses.
There is also a paid version available, which gives access to premium features such as quizzes and peer feedback.
Conclusion: How to learn English grammar
Learning English grammar requires a combination of studying the rules and putting your knowledge into practice, ideally with a person or platform that can offer correction.
It’s also helpful to expose yourself to the language as much as possible. By reading and listening to English, you’ll learn how words link together to form sentences and express ideas.
There are many free resources online, but you may make more progress with a structured course or private lessons.
Remember that grammar is just one part of the language. You can discover how to learn other English key skills in our separate guide, or check out some more general tips for learning English.
FAQs
Why is it important to learn English grammar?
Learning English grammar is very important because it helps us communicate well and understand the language better. Grammar teaches us how to put words together in the right order so that we can express our thoughts clearly. It also helps us understand others better.
If you are using English for work, proper grammar will help you sound more professional in your business communication.
How can I practice grammar by myself?
It is helpful to practice speaking out loud with a teacher or friend who can correct you, but don’t worry if you don’t have this option. Interactive quizzes and free correction tools are good ways to practice your grammar skills by yourself.
How can I improve my grammar for free?
There are many good free online English grammar courses and other resources that you can study to improve your grammar without paying for lessons. Refer to the list above for some of our recommendations.
