Tips for Teaching Grammar to ESL Students

10 Great Tips for ESL Students

Needless to say, for ESL students it can be difficult to learn all the grammar rules to write correctly. In this short article, we are going to provide you with some hints from famous tutors to improve your grammar skills and become more confident in writing. With these simple but effective things, it's easy to improve yourself and even to create your own style in writing.

1. Ask the right questions when writing

When your thoughts are messed up, you write messed up things. That's why it's always important to think about what you want to say or write. Try to ask questions like “Why?”, “Who?”, “When?”, “Where?”, “What?”, etc. It's the first step to make clear thoughts and build the right sentences without grammar errors.

2. Be organized

When you have tons of thoughts and ideas, it's simple to make a mess. You should try to gather ideas in your head and structure them properly. We suggest grouping all data by separate sections. You can create spider-charts using colorful bins and stickers. It's a great chance to create a good "map" for the idea you plan to write about.

3. Good titles are important

When you're writing something, it's important to make a successful title for the work. Readers must understand from the title what your text is about. Pay attention to making a successful title that will attract people to read your article.

4. Always make a detailed plan

When you don't have a detailed plan, don't even try to write anything! First of all, you should define the goal of your article and thank who will be your audience. Think about what information will be interesting for these people and how you can provide them with it. We suggest creating a clear outline and write your article in accordance with it. The detailed plan will never let you confuse things or include any unnecessary information. Never start writing anything without a clear understanding of the goal.

5. Make good research

When the topic is chosen, make detailed research to understand the subject better. Analyze and collect the data during research and create visual tables, graphs, and charts that will help you to receive maximum information on the topic. While collecting and analyzing all received data, make some visual things that would be helpful, like graphs, tables, charts, etc. Please remember about using only trustworthy sources.



6. Don't afraid to make drafts

Don't expect to be perfect - even famous people create drafts. Even the most professional writers change and modify their drafts before they create something. Don't afraid to make drafts, rewrite them and make experiments to create a successful article.

7. Organize your writing

Your entire paper should be well-organized and logical. Put every new idea in a new paragraph. Don't make long paragraphs because people prefer to read clear and short thoughts. Create logical connections between all the paragraphs to make the article solid. Organizing your text is hard work but without it, you will not create a successful paper.

8. Sentences must be short and clear

Big and awkward sentences can make your writing messed up and hard to get for readers. Try to make short and clear sentences and make sure they are well-connected to others. Don't include any information that brings no sense. Remember that readers don't like too long sentences because they can lose a point.

9. Read before writing

Do you want to learn how to create professional texts without grammar errors? Try to read something every day. You can find and read many essays and articles created by experts and learn how they build their documents. It is a great way to notice various ideas for style as well as improve your own ability to write.

10. Revise papers thoroughly

When you finished the writing, proofread it thoroughly. A good idea is to use some help from the grammar checker online to find misspelled words and errors. Don't forget to re-read your article to find any punctuation errors. Remember that grammar checkers are not always effective, for example, they won't show a mistake if your confused letters in the work (for example, in words "form" and "from"). After you have created an article, take some time for the rest and start proofreading it later. This is the best way to stay well-concentrated and attentive.
We hope these hints were helpful. Try to use them when you'll be writing next time. Needless to say, for ESL students it may be very hard to learn grammar. You should learn how to set your own goals in learning. Don't expect too many things from yourself at one time. You have to be very patient and work hard when you want to improve your grammar skills.