Basic English Grammar

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Basic English Grammar

by Rose
(Madrid, Spain)

I would like to know what basic English grammar points I should teach my daughter first. She is 7 years old and has some knowledge of English but she hasn't had formal English classes and I though I should start introducing English at home.

I lived in the states for 5 years so my English is ok (although it is a bit rusty) and I don't want her to struggle with English like I did.

Should I teacher her the basic English grammar points in a particular order or can I just pick and choose?

I was thinking of starting with the "present simple" and then the "past simple", but I wanted to know if there is an "official" order that works best.

What do you think Ola?

Thanks in advance,
Rose

Comments for
Basic English Grammar

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Nov 01, 2010

Learn English
by: eversuccessful

When you want to learn or teach basic English grammar teach the numerals first, as this builds confidence.

You will find little ones saying "I can speak English" and then make sure to talk to them as adults. Always remember it takes 4 or 5 years before you start to learn the hard stuff

Cheers,
Peter

Oct 31, 2010

Good question...
by: Ola Zur

Hi Rose,

First of all, I just want to emphasize that before going into grammar, your daughter should have some good vocabulary to build upon. The correct sequence is learning some vocabulary, and only then advancing into grammar. So this is very important.

Now, once you start with grammar there are indeed some subjects that are more basic than others. So your question is quite crucial.

Tenses are important, but there are some subjects that are even more basic.
For example:
- When to use "a", "an" and "the".
- How to form the plural.
- The use of "-er", "more", "-est" and "most".
And so forth.

You can use the subjects on About.com's list. They have prepared a list of the most important points for beginning level English learners. This is a good list and then you can take it from there :-)

Ola Zur is the editor of www.really-learn-english.com, an illustrated guide to English.

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