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Grammar instruction for adults?


SewingMom2many
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I've been out of school for longer than I care to admit :)

I have forgotten many of the grammar rules and quite honestly, didn't care very much about grammar and sentence structure when I was in school.

Now I care very much and I'd like my writing to improve. I can study along with my kids but I'd like to go at a much quicker pace. Can you recommend anything I could use to improve my writing skills?

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I've been out of school for longer than I care to admit :)

I have forgotten many of the grammar rules and quite honestly, didn't care very much about grammar and sentence structure when I was in school.

Now I care very much and I'd like my writing to improve. I can study along with my kids but I'd like to go at a much quicker pace. Can you recommend anything I could use to improve my writing skills?

 

For grammar I use R&S. I'd recommend starting at Book 7, but if that's too tough, drop back to 6 or 5. You could try doing the chapter reviews, pausing to refer back to a topic you don't understand. R&S has lots of exercises that will drill grammar concepts into your brain. You can also buy a Handbook to refer to when writing after you are done studying. I find I need to do the exercises. I can read about concepts and understand them for the moment, but unless I do the drill, the concepts will not sink in to my mind and become part of my thinking. And I want them to become part of my thinking.

 

For writing, I learned how to outline by using the instructions in the 2009 WTM book. If I were to study something on my own, I'd use the WTM rhetoric stage rhetoric study recommendations/methods. I might, however, start out with SWB's new WWS program, since my kids are using it. There is a lot of interesting detail in it that I certainly never learned in school.

Edited by Colleen in NS
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Not sure if this applies since I don't know what level of grammar you need to currently teach...but here is my thought.

I felt the same way and ended up ordering a higher level of FLL to teach myself with. It's explained so simply that I find this easier than trying to go through a college textbook. I know there are other great books I've seen suggested too. I don't have a lot of time to study for myself so this way I keep just ahead of what I'm teaching.

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I'd start with checking out from the library:

The Transitive Vampire

and

Eats Shoots and Leaves

and

Words and Rules (Stephen Pinker)

 

It won't help with writing much, but they're all informative and interesting books about grammar (and approach it differently).

 

To work on sentence structure, you might like the Killgallon's Sentence Composing for College (or any of the series...). For organization of writing, you might want to pick up an old edition of a freshman writing text and look through it... check at a thrift store or amazon. I've taught with "Composing with confidence" and "Writing Academic English" series (technically for ESL) and they've been fine. I'm sure others would do the job too. A book like "They say/I say" is also pretty useful for giving tips for good essay construction.

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I would use Analytical Grammar. It covers everything and doubles as a reference book for later.

 

 

:iagree: The further I get in Latin, the more I realize that I need to learn grammar. I never learned any of that in school. I really want to learn how to diagram sentences. I am planning on doing this program myself and I am also planning on using it with my kids in a long time from now!

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:iagree: The further I get in Latin, the more I realize that I need to learn grammar. I never learned any of that in school. I really want to learn how to diagram sentences. I am planning on doing this program myself and I am also planning on using it with my kids in a long time from now!

I bought it for my oldest, but I'm learning just as much :D

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