I'm in high school, How can I improve my grades in English grammar?

Question

A high school student wants to improve grades in English grammar.

Answer 1

Hi, English Grammar questioner! This is Anthony C. with an answer to your question.

I think firstly you have to consider whether you have asked the right question: is it feasible ("achievable") for you to rise from a C to an A during this semester? Maybe the answer is "yes." Maybe it is "no."

Let's consider the "yes."

Perhaps it is possible for you to achieve an A this semester. However, maybe--I cannot see your gradebook, so I cannot know for certain--maybe the only way for you to achieve an A this semester is for you to make near-perfect grades in your Language Arts class from here on out. If English grammar is a difficult subject for you, going from C grades to A+ grades will not be a quick transition for you.

Let's ask instead, "How can I steadily improve my grades in grammar?" Or, perhaps we could even ask, "How can I build confidence in grammar?"

There are a lot of "ways" to achieve this--tutoring is one helpful way. But I sincerely believe the best way to strengthen your grammar skills is to decide to develop a love for reading and writing. Mastering grammar is about learning to identify patterns in sentence structure. The most effective way to gain this skill is going to be to read more often, to read more carefully, and to try to imitate the patterns you see in your own writing.

Lastly, we know that for school it is often not enough merely to know how to do something--you have to also know the "why"--and the labels we call things by. A math genius may perform poorly in math class if he never shows is work. A brilliant writer may fail his Language Arts quiz if he does not know what a prepositional phrase is (even if he uses them well).

For things such as that--the moments when you need to begin labelling grammar constructions--it may be necessary to purchase a manual for English writing skills--or to hire a tutor.

I will suggest some manuals in the rest of this thread.

Answer 2

There are many options for improving grades in English grammar. I think it is helpful to think about what is causing your grade to be lower than you would like. Here is a list of potential causes and ways to go about addressing them:

1. You have a hard time understanding the subject. If you are struggling because you are confused, a good option would be to meet with your teacher for clarification, work with other students in your class, or work with a tutor.
2. You have a hard time getting the work done. This suggests an issue with managing workload and time management. Working on building a schedule for yourself and budgeting time could help address this.
3. You have a hard time remembering the language and rules associated with English grammar. Grammar involves a lot of terminology and rules! It can be challenging to remember all of the vocabulary. I like tools, like the schoolhouse rock videos, that are fun and catchy to help me remember. There are lots of sayings and catchy memory tools for grammar rules. If you google the grammar rule and the word "trick" some should come up.
4. You are getting low grades because of grammar mistakes in written work. This is a proofreading problem. Proofreading can be challenging to do for one's own work. I like to have a friend or teacher read my work before turning it in to help catch errors I don't see. This could also be a good opportunity to connect with a tutor.

I hope this helps! Your question is hard to answer without knowing more about your specific situation. If you would like to talk more about it, please reach out to me to set up a tutoring session!