Grammar is for everyone - how dare you be ashamed to teach it to yourself
Hi! I’m @lighthearted.writer on Instagram!
Don’t ever be afraid to teach yourself grammar. I don’t care how old you are or what you’ve been taught before. You are entitled to teaching yourself whatever you need to in order to make yourself a better writer! If you’re just getting serious about writing, then perhaps you’ll need to give yourself a gentle reminder of a few things. This is perfectly understandable since you aren’t used to using it all the time. Maybe you write all the time but need to brush up some of your skills on what a dangling modifier is, or how to use punctuation properly...
Since grammar and sentence structure are some of the first things that agents and publishing houses look at, it’s important that writers know how to properly apply them. Don’t worry! There are plenty of grammar-helpful resources you can use:
Use NoRedInk.com. There are hundreds of topics for you to choose from on here! The site redirects you when you get something incorrect and tells you how to fix it. It even reminds you to practice certain topics over time. It’s free to create an account and use it for however long you want.
Try GrammarBytes.com. This site has a whole bunch of good stuff. There are videos, presentations, examples, and practice sheets for you to complete.
Read on EnglishGrammar101.com. There’s a lot of topics to read up on here.
Get EnglishClub.com. There are a handful of topics and quizzes that go along with them!
Use the Oxford English Grammar Course. If you try going to their website, then you can choose the beginner, intermediate, or advanced course. There are actually a bunch of topics and fill-ins to teach you from.
Install Grammarly. I know a lot of people are iffy with this extension, but I find it can be helpful to turn it on when you finish a chapter or scene so you can check for little errors. Be sure that you double-check the corrections Grammarly makes though! Sometimes it can be unreliable, which is why it’s low on this list...
Watch some Youtube! Isn’t that what we procrastinators want to do anyway?
Ask your English teachers for extra help. They really do want to help you. I promise. It’s what they’re there for.
Handle one topic at a time. Decide what aspect of grammar you struggle the most with right now. Is it using quotation marks properly? Alright, then focus on that for now. Don’t overwhelm yourself.
You have plenty of time before your story lands in the hands of an agent, a publishing house, or even a beta reader.