The Grammar Villain

If you’re learning a new language, then you need to know that six villains are out to get you.

Yes, these evil characters will stop at nothing in their quest to prevent you ever becoming fluent in your new language.

But, who are they and how do they lure you into their seductive traps? And, most importantly, how do you stop them dead in their tracks?

Let’s dive into Villain number one and vanquish him forever. After all, your language learning success depends on it.

Wondering who the other evil characters are? Check them out:

1. The App Villain
2. The Hoarding Villain
3. The Comparison Villain
4. The Inconsistency Villain
5. The Fear Villain

Who Is The Grammar Villain?

Legend has it that the Grammar villain is as old as language itself. You’re familiar with him, I’m sure. I receive countless exasperated emails and comments from students who are deep in his clutches.

This rascal wants nothing more than to mire you down in pointless panic, and he knows just how to do it.

How Does He work?

The Grammar Villain creates havoc by convincing you that you need to learn every last rule, tense and conjugation before you open your mouth to talk.

He’s caused more misery than any other villain, and he works by feeding on your insecurities.

“You haven’t mastered that rule,” he murmurs. “Is that the right conjugation for that verb? Shouldn’t you be using the subjunctive there? Stop reading – you haven’t finished your grammar drills.”

This villain is the one who stops you even trying to speak the language by whispering in parts you nailed. So, your confidence falls off a cliff, and the grammar villain rubs his hands in glee. Once more, he’s achieved his goal of stopping you from mastering your new language.

Why Does He Get Away With It?

The Grammar Villain knows that grammar in any language follows Parkinson’s infamous law. You know it well: “The size of the task will expand to fill the time available.”

In other words, there will always be more grammar to learn, and you’re never going to master every last point.

This is what makes the grammar villain so effective because he can always remind you of the rules you haven’t quite learned yet.

He’ll convince you how important it is to get every word right. If you let him in, you’ll hear his whiny voice every time you open your mouth.

“How dare you speak this language when you haven’t mastered the present perfect yet? People will laugh. They’ll think you’re stupid. No-one will understand.”

Oh, the misery this villain can cause.

How Can You Defeat The Grammar Villain?

The grammar villain loves traditional language classes. They make his job so easy because your average language textbook is organised around grammar points.

You learn one piece of grammar, then the next.

Chapter after chapter, the rules continue — no wonder you think that grammar is the be-all and end-all of language.

So, you need to free yourself from the Grammar Villain’s spell because, in all honesty, there’s a better way to learn.

What you need is a method which doesn’t constantly bombard you with grammar. An input-based approach where you get to learn grammar naturally by meeting it time and again in context.

This is what the StoryLearning method is based on — spending your valuable learning time reading, listening and absorbing the language. Rather than focusing on studying the so-called rules of grammar, instead, you concentrate on reading — and look out for the grammar stuff along the way.

If you do this enough, you gradually get to see how grammar works naturally. That’s the way native speakers learn the grammar of their language.

Children don’t learn grammar from rules… most of them hate those classes in school. Instead, kids learn their language naturally by listening to stories and joining in conversations over and over again.

Vanquish The Villain And Enjoy Your Learning

When you stop worrying so much about grammar rules, the Grammar villain loses all his power.

Suddenly, he can’t hoodwink you into spending all your time learning grammar rules, because you know there’s a better way.

You know that studying grammar doesn’t matter as much as he wants you to think it does. You can communicate perfectly well with very little grammar — and you know you’ll get better as time goes by. After all, learning a language involves so much more than just knowing the rules.

So, free yourself from the shackles of the grammar villain and keep your eyes firmly focused on the big picture. Spend your time reading stories, immersing yourself in the language, and the grammar villain will be banished back to where he belongs.

And if all else fails…

And you want to avail yourself of the ultimate villain-busting weapon…

So you can learn your new language quickly, speak with confidence, and live your best life…

Then you should embrace the magic of the StoryLearning method.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.