Flashcards for Grammar

Flashcards (Why use flashcards?) are certainly excellent tools for learning vocabulary, but they can be applied to other parts of a language as well. One of the toughest things to get a hold on can be the grammar, or the abstract words and methods of joining together the nouns and verbs to make meaningful units. Instead of memorizing grammar charts and lists of abstract words, try the following method to learn and retain new grammar that you encounter:

Gapped Sentence Cards

• Use gapped examples of sentences that contain a particular grammatical word or construction to make new flashcards. These are also called ‘cloze’ cards.
• For example: 

You are learning English and want to remember that you say “I am…”, not “I is/are…”. So the front of your card would be something like “I __ a teacher”, and the back would be “I am a teacher”.

• This way, you can practice real sentences you encounter and learn the grammar in context, instead of memorizing charts or isolated forms of words.

Supplementary Methods

• You can also combine this method with pictures or other hints:

• You could also put “to be” in parentheses so you recall the verb, but still have to remember the specific form. The front of the card would look like “I __ a teacher (to be)”. The more associations you can make with a word, the easier it will be to remember.