The Importance Of Grammar Exercises

Can students learn correct grammar usage without completing curricula that include hours of tedious grammar exercises? According to experts and multiple studies conducted over the past half-century, the answer is a resounding yes. Infact, syllabi that require students to spend time reading and writing result in a more successful grammar education than structured grammar exercises. This is because students subjected to grammar programs, focused on exercises, are more likely to develop an aversion to writing. Time spent on grammar exercises would be better spent reading, writing, and practicing composition. The opinion that grammar should be taught through reading and writing is not a recent theory. In 1622 the schoolmaster and textbook writer Joseph Webbe wrote, “No man can run speedily to the mark of language that is shackled---with grammar precepts” (Wang 184). He upheld that grammar could be picked up through reading and writing, “By exercise of reading, writing, and speaking---all

The study showed that both traditional and alternative grammar curricula failed to provide students with a better understanding of applied grammar than free writing and reading. The study compared the success of three writing programs (traditional grammar, alternative grammar, and free writing and reading) by testing the students in essay writing, sentence structure, usage, spelling, reading comprehension, vocabulary, literature, and attitudes. The only test score that varied was attitude, which was significantly higher in the group that focused on reading and writing in place of grammar exercises (Elley). A positive attitude is an essential aspect of a successful student, without it, students lose the motivation to