How to achieve perfect grammar

[Godhead]

I can convey my ideas reasonably well through writing, but I am aware that I still make plenty of mistakes. I would love to get to a point where I make 0 mistakes, but since language is such a vast and complex field, I'm not sure how to approach this.

Is there any software to improve your grammar skills? Should I just start copying random texts word for word?

I'd like to improve in both English and German. 

Would love to hear your input! 

[LastThursday]

It helps to read a lot of different material. But also just write a lot. Find complex ideas to write about, just trying to get them down will improve your English grammar, the same for German. Being able to write and communicate properly is incredibly important in everyday life.

Edited June 8, 2021 by LastThursday

[Preety_India]

Oh God, I've been searching for this forever. 

I make lots of punctuation and grammatical errors. 

I really need a software that is free or cheap that can simply take all my paragraphs and churn them out in perfect  grammar!! 

Especially since I want to become a writer, this kind of thing will come handy. 

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Preety_India

[tatsumaru]

Make sure to analyze as you are writing and after you are writing and make sure you are conscious while analyzing. When you are conscious new stuff tends to sink in and update your algorithms, when you are just doing it mechanically nothing changes. Read your sentence, does it sound clear? 'Ah here's why it doesn't. I tend to use too many 'its' and 'thats'. I should be conscious of my using of 'its' and 'thats' and use the actual words instead. Now it's way more clearer'. or 'Hmm my sentences are too long I should be using shorter and clearer sentences or else it becomes to painful to follow my thought.' This sort of reasoning can help you upgrade grammar, style and vocabulary. It's like a word meditation where you obsess over every word.

1 minute ago, Preety_India said:

Oh God, I've been searching for this forever. 

I make lots of punctuation and grammatical errors. 

I really need a software that is free or cheap that can simply take all my paragraphs and churn them out in perfect  grammar!! 

Especially since I want to become a writer, this kind of thing will come handy. 

 

Have you tried Grammarly?

Edited June 8, 2021 by tatsumaru

[Preety_India]

@tatsumaru it's expensive for me. 

Too expensive. 

 

[Godhead]

4 hours ago, Preety_India said:

it's expensive for me. 

Too expensive. 

The free version already goes a long way.

[kinesin]

@Godhead  Just write more, and do it attentively.  When you write something out, read it back to yourself - generally if the grammar or formatting is bad it'll feel stilted or awkward in some way.  In my experience good grammar is a byproduct of properly ordered thinking, so if you want to improve it, focus on organising your thoughts.

I just had a quick look over your comments though and I have to say, your grammar is fine.  Do you see problems with it?  Why do you believe you need to be able to achieve 'perfect' grammar?

[Mason Riggle]

13 minutes ago, kinesin said:

@Godhead  Why do you believe you need to be able to achieve 'perfect' grammar?

Just venturing a guess here.. but I think you said the answer, in reverse. 

Just as good grammar is a byproduct of properly ordered thinking, properly ordered thinking is a byproduct of our language. 

A minor warning here- sometimes what society considers to be 'proper grammar' can limit how you think. There are some thoughts you can't think because you lack the vocabulary to think them, for example.


Also, using proper grammar can reduce the chance of there being confusion when communicating.  When both parties are aware of the grammar rules, and apply them, communication is more precise and meaningful.  Just imagine trying to write a computer program, but not following the coding 'grammar'..  chances are the computer will not know how to interpret the language you are telling it because it follows strict grammar rules to understand exactly what you mean. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Mason Riggle

[Godhead]

1 hour ago, kinesin said:

I just had a quick look over your comments though and I have to say, your grammar is fine.  Do you see problems with it?  Why do you believe you need to be able to achieve 'perfect' grammar?

Writing well seems to be one of those fundamentals that will carry you through your whole life. My hope is that if I master it now, I won't have to worry about it in the future. 

I also publish content online and want to be 100% sure I don't publish things with bad grammar. Also, academics. 

1 hour ago, kinesin said:

Do you see problems with it?

Sentence structure, punctuation, where to set the comma.. There are many things I know I could improve on.

Edited June 8, 2021 by Godhead