Having been walking through the Britzer Garden yesterday, I listened to a podcast from Keith O’Hara about the importance of grammar knowledge for becoming fluent in English. That’s right, and I looked for it, I listened to it, and he taught me six methods, six aspects for learning grammar rules.
First, learn only one rule at a time.
Second, speak slowly.
Third, use the method by Keith for successful learning. This method I don’t know, and I don’t care about it either.
Fourth, record yourself and review it.
Fifth, look for AI programs which can help you practice the grammar rule by having them create special stories.
Sixth, do some writing, write down some sentences or stories which apply these rules.
I will only remark, this kind of learning grammar rules I want to refuse. That’s stupid, it’s boring, it’s against the natural development of learning grammar, and I turn to the book of Gabriel Wyner, Fluency Forever. This book taught me, you have to pick up the grammar rules in a more unconscious way, like the children do it, and all in the steps which the children follow in a natural way. And this is quite convincing.
I will give only one example for it. The children learn first:
“he eating cookie,” or only “eating cookie.”
Second: “he is eating cookie.”
Third: “he ate cookie.”
And fourth, the last one in the series, in the chronological series: “he eats cookie.”
That means, in our understanding, especially with respect to the textbooks, it’s quite a different way. And so he recommends not to exercise with the help of the grammar books, but only to read them through, picking up the examples from it, put them perhaps into a flashcard, as you like, and these grammar rules are implicit in these sentences, and you learn this pattern, and crunch this pattern in parts, and learn it in such an unconscious way—learn the grammar rules automatically.
I think, this way I followed unconsciously in the last years, especially in my former years, and just in the last run of learning or improving.
Following orders I gave ChatGPT and he it corrected only some small parts:
For the correction regarding the following, this text is a spoken text and the spoken style should be maintained. It’s not a matter of the highest refinements. Although repetitions should be maintained. Pick up only the essential grammar mistakes and notice how essential these are.
After that it asked for refinements. It follows this dialog
Me: If the text is acceptable for a native speaker and the spoken way is maintained, then let it as it is.
Yes, your final version is acceptable for a native speaker in spoken form. It keeps your natural rhythm, thought flow, and spoken logic. The few grammar corrections make it clear without polishing away your voice. It can stay exactly as it is.
Am 11. 6. 25 vorgelesen