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1、Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more.-author-dateMy-English-studyMy English studyMy English Study-Analyzing on the English Grammar learningIntroduction For Chinese English learners, one of their headaches is the English grammar, espec

2、ially for those students in their middle school and high school, due to the fact that in any examine paper, English grammar testing is pervasive, such as the college entrance examination.Hence, the ability to master English grammar is the top priority for learners. This paper is divided into four pa

3、rts: an overview of grammar definitions and significance, analyzing the similarities and differences of Chinese grammar and English grammar, analyzing the difficulties in learning English grammar, and also providing methods for better commanding English grammar.1. The definition and significance of

4、grammar1.1 The definition of grammar Grammar is defined by Penny Ur as “the way language manipulates and combines words (or bits of words) in order to form longer units of meaning.”This definition is quite close to the common understanding of what grammar is. The main difference is that it tells us

5、how the rules of language actually work they arrange and shape words. Nevertheless, knowing what these rules do is not a very motivating factor alone. Crystal says, “Grammar is the structural foundation of our ability to express ourselves. The more we are aware of how it works, the more we can monit

6、or the meaning and effectiveness of the way we and others use language. It can help foster precision, detect ambiguity, and exploit the richness of expression available in English. Additionally, it can help everyone, not only teachers of English, but teachers of anything for all teaching grammar is

7、ultimately a matter of getting to grips with meaning.” As it can be seen from the above definitions, grammar is not an unimportant set of rules that can be ignored without consequences. It is a very complex phenomenon and even though learners may find it a difficult thing to master, the time devoted

8、 to that is certainly not wasted. 1.2 The significance of grammar Language as a discipline, have its inherent laws, which is often called grammar. If we are not able to understand the science comprehensively and follow the rules of the inner parts to comb and conclude, therefore we are less likely t

9、o grasp the essence of the discipline .We can imagine: Its impossible for a stranger to well know a city, if just to tell him some names of streets, not to show him the map of the city, nor introduce him geography of the situation, because his understanding of the city is fragmented and incomplete.

10、Although he lives in this city for a long time, he is still rather strange to the whole city. Hence, to grasp a language, its a must to flexibly use words, phrases and sentence. In all, grammar is the law that language combination must follow. It is difficult to learn a language well if not masterin

11、g grammar.2. The similarities and differences of Chinese grammar and English grammar2.1The similarities of Chinese grammar and English grammar In most cases，Chinese grammar and English grammar correspond to each other. The Chinese has SVO, verbs, nouns, adjectives, the same as English. For example,

12、the Chinese sentence 孩子们喜欢漂亮的花朵translated into English is children like beautiful flowers. in this sentence, the subject of Chinese and English are 孩子 and children, the predicate is 喜欢 and like, and the object is 美丽的花朵 and beautiful flowers. 2.2 differences of Chinese grammar and English grammar 2.2

13、.1 Difference in parts of speech For example , there are nouns of locality in Chinese words, such as 里、内、外、上、下、前、后、左、右、中and a few of them represent the prepositions in English, such as in, on, behind, and some represent adjectives, such as inner, outer, outside, middle. Therefore, Its not correct to

14、 regard the Chinese location words just as prepositions or adjectives. 2.2.2 Difference in sentence elements The Chinese sentence has six components, namely, subject, predicate, object, complement, attributive, and adverbial sentence, while English sentence has another complement. For example, Chine

15、se sentence他在这儿逗留了三个小时”, can be translated into English which is that “He stayed here three hours” . It is not correct to regard 三个小时（three hours） as a adverbial ,but a complement. 2.2.3 Difference in sentence patterns Generally speaking, English sentence has a complete grammar structure, though the

16、re still are some non-subject-predicate sentences, such as Wonderful! However , this phenomenon is much common in Chinese. Above all, there exist subject-predicate sentences in Chinese, like”他脸色苍白”、“这个人鼻梁很高”、 “这里的树,杨树居多” ,which means that its predicate structure is a predicate phrase , in English ho

17、wever, this structure cannot be expressed. The above examples illustrate the similarities and differences of Chinese and English grammar. Meanwhile, It is the differences that , more often than that, lead to learners grammar mistakes. Hence, to master the similarities and differences comprehensively

18、 helps English grammars learning.3. The difficulties in learning English grammar The expert thinks that grammar learning is an important part of language learning. However, meanwhile, there exist numerous difficulties for learners to master it. 1) part of speech of the word and its summed usage The

19、words part of speech determines its own location, composition in the sentence to act as and it can be modified by which words or phrases. The part of speech is the first step of English grammar learning.2) learning of the sentence sentence element is the specification used in various parts of speech

20、, which determines the subject, predicate, object, attributive, adverbial, complement, predicative and appositive ,by which words, phrases, or sentences to act as and the location in the sentence is the essential basis of our reading, writing and intercommunication and has an irreplaceable role in E

21、nglish learning. 3) the tense and voice There is an English experts have said sentence element, tense and voice unified in sentence in English which shows its importance. Sentence is divided into simple sentences, the compound and complex sentences, and the compound is composed of coordinating conju

22、nction and simple sentence together. While subordinate Clause is made up of subordinate conjunctions and simple sentence. It is not difficult to see that simple sentence learning is the basis of sentence learning.4. The methods of learning English grammar4.1 The previous methods of learning English

23、grammar There are some milestones which chart the journey in the development of learning English methodology through recent history in which a language item is grammar learned in various approaches which have their own positive and negative aspects. Yet, it is necessary to have a review of all the a

24、pproaches in order that we can understand more clearly about the development and the history of grammar learning and each approachs aspects as well. 4.1.1 The Grammar -Translation Method The Grammar Translation Method is one of the most traditional methods, dating back to the late nineteenth and ear

25、ly twentieth centuries, which offered little beyond an insight into the grammatical rules attending them process of translating from the second to the native language. Prator and Celce-Murcia feature the position of grammar in a lesson of the Grammar Translation Method as follows: Long elaborate exp

26、lanations of the intricacies of grammar are given. Grammar provides the rules for putting words together, and learning often focuses on the form and inflection of words. Little attention is paid to the content of texts, which are treated as exercises in grammatical analysis. We can conclude that in

27、the method, grammar stays an important position. However, its contribution to language learning has been limited, since it has shifted the focus from the real language to a dissected body of nouns, adjectives, and prepositions, failing to generate the communications in grammar lessons.4.1.2 The Dire

28、ct Method As with the Grammar Translation Method, the Direct Method, sometimes called the Natural Method is not new. The Direct Method, answers to the dissatisfaction with the older Grammar Translation Method, students learn grammar and vocabulary through direct translations and thus focus on the wr

29、itten language. Its principles have been applied by the language learners for many years. Since the Grammartranslation Method is not effective in preparing learners to use the languages, the Direct Method became popular.The principles of the Direct Method were as follows: Classroom instruction was c

30、onducted in the target language There was an inductive approach to grammar Only learning everyday vocabulary Learning concrete vocabulary through pictures and objects, while abstract vocabulary was learning by association of ideas The Direct Method enjoyed great popularity at the end of the nineteen

31、th century and the beginning of the twentieth, but it was difficult to use, mainly because of the constraints of budget, time, and classroom size. Yet, after a period of decline, this method has been revived, leading to the emergence of another method, the Audio-lingual Method.4.1.3. The Audio-lingu

32、al Method The Audio-lingual Method, like the Direct Method, is also an oral-based approach. However, the method drills learners in the use of grammatical sentence patterns. It was also based on linguistic and psychological theory and one of its main premises was the scientific descriptive analysis o

33、f a wide assortment of languages. The method fell short of promoting communicative ability as it paid undue attention to memorization and drilling, while downgrading the role of context and world knowledge in language learning in general and in grammar in particular. After all, it was discovered tha

34、t language was not acquired through a process of habit formation and errors were not necessarily bad or pernicious. Due to weaknesses in performance, and more importantly because of Noam Chomskys theoretical attack on language learning as a set of habits, Audio-Lingual Method is rarely the primary m

35、ethod of learning today. 4.1.4 Communicative language learning (CLL) Communicative language Learning (CLL), also referred to as “communicative approach, is an approach that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. The learning of grammar can be managed e

36、ither deductively or inductively but focuses on meanings and functions of forms in situated context and the roles of the interlocutors. The overt presentation and discussion of grammatical rules are less paid attention to. In Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), the learners spend less time on the

37、 structures of the language and more time using the language. It is frequent that communication activities such as games and puzzles which are often carried out in pairs or group are encouraged in learning with no much correction or intervention during the activity.From all the above we can see that

38、 through the history of grammar learning, the ways learners have gone about the learning of foreign languages have seen enormous changes over the past centuries. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses.4.2 The innovative methods of learning English grammar4.2.1 The application of technology

39、 in learning Grammar Nowadays, the integration of technology into the foreign language teaching becomes popular. As more and more technological advances with their resources become available, Luu Trong Tuan states, “As we enter the 21st century, everyday language use is so tied to technology that le

40、arning language through technology has become a fact of life with important implications for all applied linguists, particularly for those concerned with facets of second language acquisition.” However, a lot of students may be fear of making mistakes and it keeps them away from participating classr

41、oom activities. Instructional technology including computers and other media can help dealing with this problem. Computer-based practice may motivate students to do the practice they need. Computers dont get patient or give disgusted look when students give wrong answers, also unlike feedback from a

42、n instructor or tutor, the feedback from computers can remain unbiased, accurate and non-judgmental. In short, the use of technology is fast developing in language learning. Educational software is creatively developed to help learning of English. However, it is best to remember that computer is not

43、 a substitution for teachers, but rather it is an enabler to help students have more opportunities to experience various innovative methods in grammar learning.4.2.2 using games in grammar learningAccording to Wright, Betteridge and Buckby “Language learning is a hard work. Effort is required at eve

44、ry moment and be maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work.”Games are effective as they create motivation, lower students stress, and give language learners the opportunity for real communication. 1) Games motivate learners Games

45、 are highly motivating since they are amusing, interesting and at the same time challenging. The activities in a game get all the students to move around, activate their mental capacities and stimulate neural, thus motivating learners in learning and retention. At that time, students who are shy als

46、o attend the activities with fun, forgetting their shyness and feeling of fear. Further, games add interest to what students might not find interesting. Sustaining interest can mean sustaining effort. 2) Games promote learners interaction Interaction comprises the nature of classroom pedagogy and cl

47、assroom behavior. Pair or group work is one of the main ways to promote interaction. Many games can be played in pairs or in small groups, thereby providing a venue for students to develop their skills in working with others such as the skill of disagreeing politely and the skill of asking for help.

48、 Naturally when playing games, students are trying to win or to beat other teams for themselves or on the behalf of their team. They are so competitive while playing since they want to have a turn to play, to score points and to win. In the class, learners will definitely participate in the activities. Therefore, in groups or in pairs, they are more willing to ask questions, communicate and discuss with their partners and think creatively about h