Student grammar mistakes can range from run-on sentences, wrong use of parts of speech and issues with punctuation. Drawing from her own teaching experiences, Michelle Navarre Cleary wrote a piece in The Atlantic on the best way to teach grammar. According to Navarre Cleary, grammar is best learned through writing, not before writing. Practice is essential.
Common Grammar Mistakes
Logical Mistakes
One of the most common grammar slip-ups is overgeneralizing rules, especially by new English learners or preschoolers. There are various exceptions to the rules, and it can take some time to get the hang of it.
Well, the best way to deal with logical mistakes is through gentle grammar correction and active listening.
Changing Tenses Midway
Students may have trouble tracking the tenses they began with, especially when writing or narrating a story.
You can fix this by repeating back the sentences and asking them to catch the mistake. If they still don’t get it, rephrase the sentence using the correct tense.
Confusing Words
Some words are outright confusing especially if they sound the same. The child can tend to overthink the word usage.
Make the child understand the context or teach them to associate the word with another, maybe a rhyming word. For example, ‘then’ and ‘when’ are almost similar, and they refer to time. These associations can be helpful when trying to distinguish between ‘then’ and ‘than’.
Correctness of the Writing
Problems understanding some writing conventions can be remedied through reading.
A significant amount of exposure to excellent writing will create a reading culture among children. Provide your children with real articles and books and encourage them to read frequently. It is a good idea to avoid the scripted reading programs as they may not have a meaningful context.
