Learning grammar for B1/PET or B2/FCE can seem like such a huge task that it’s difficult to know where to begin!
We hope that our books and blog posts can help.
Why do I need to learn grammar?
You could probably make yourself understood in most languages with a few items of vocabulary and very little grammar. However, without grammar you won’t be able to progress beyond very basic communication.
Grammar is the mechanism we use to link words and express lots of different concepts. In English, for example, we use tenses to give important information about when things happen and the order in which they happen. If you can’t use at least the most common tenses correctly, you will not be able to express these quite basic ideas, and the people you are trying to communicate with will find it difficult to understand you.
Other grammatical issues may not affect comprehension so much. However, if you get them wrong, your English will sound strange, for instance using the wrong word order in questions or with adverbs of frequency.
Finally (and rather obviously!), you need accurate grammar in order to get good grades in exams!
What is the best way to improve my grammar?
It is a good idea to do extra practice, but you need to make sure it comes from a reliable source. There is a lot of inaccurate material on the internet, which could make your grammar worse rather than better!
A book such as our B1 Grammar: 30 days to review and practise grammar for B1/PET or B2 Grammar: 30 days to review and practise grammar for B2/PET can help you to improve your grammar quickly and effectively. We are experienced teachers and writers, so you can trust our lessons.
Make sure that any materials you use are suitable for your level of English too. A book that is too advanced is likely to confuse you more than help you!
You can find some useful information on this site. Go to ‘More’ or ‘Even more’ in the top menu to find basic explanations for a range of grammar topics.
How do I know which topics to practise?
Exam boards have lists of the grammar topics they expect students to know for particular exams. Our books cover all the main topics for PET and FCE.
If you have a teacher, try looking at corrections on your work and ask yourself how often you are likely to need this grammar point again. The more useful it is likely to be, the more it is worth spending time to make sure you can use it correctly.
What’s the best way to use Woodford & Walter grammar books?
With our books, you can work through all the topics. That will give you a secure knowledge of all the topics you need in just one month.
Alternatively, you could just pick out topics where you know you need extra help. After all, there’s no point spending time on topics you already know well!
If you’re not sure how good you are at a particular grammar point, try a couple of the exercises to check and then go back to the explanation if you need to.
Each grammar point has six exercises. You could do them all at once if you think that’s the best way to give yourself confidence, or you could do 3 or 4 of them when you look at the topic for the first time and then come back to the remaining exercises another day, to check that you remember what you have learned.
Why is it important to learn grammar points in natural contexts?
All Woodford & Walter books (not just the grammar books) are full of natural-sounding examples. We believe it is much easier to learn language in common contexts.
It is easy to think of grammar as an abstract idea, but seeing it exemplified in real-life contexts makes it much more meaningful. For instance, you may be told that we often use the second conditional for unlikely or impossible circumstances, but that fact is so much clearer when it comes with an example sentence, such as If I had more money, I’d hire a cleaner. (See our page: Conditionals: the basics)
Similarly, when we learn about modal verbs, we need to see examples of their use to really understand them. (See our page: Modal verbs: the basics)
What are the most common grammar mistakes?
Everyone makes different mistakes, but some mistakes are extremely common. In our books, we highlight issues that we know lots of our students struggle with, so you should take particular care to make sure you understand them.
Examples from B1 grammar include: putting adverbs of frequency in the wrong position in a sentence, putting too much in front of an adjective, using both more/most and -er/-est for comparatives and superlatives.
Examples from B2 grammar include: using a that clause after despite, using however as a conjunction, using didn’t instead of hadn’t in negative forms of the past perfect.
How long will it take me to improve my grammar?
We understand that everyone is busy, and also that there are more fun things to do in a day than learning grammar!
Our books offer one short lesson every day for a month so you can make a lot of progress in a short amount of time. You can get the paperback, or an e-book, which you can use on your laptop, tablet or phone. This means that you can study on the train, at home, in your lunch break – anywhere, any time!
With our grammar books, you will be able to see a real improvement in around 20 minutes a day. And of course, it doesn’t matter if you miss a day – nobody will know if it takes you five weeks instead of four! And if you need a last-minute boost for an exam that’s coming up in a few days, there’s nothing to stop you doing a few lessons at a time. Whatever way you choose to study, you should see fast improvement.
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