Spanish Grammar Guide

Introduction

Description

The purpose of the SpanishChecker Grammar Guide is to provide students with key points to keep in mind when they are writing. The guide contains explanations of the main grammatical categories, grammatical rules, exceptions and grammatical errors to avoid. Our objective is not to provide a "laundry list" of every imaginable detail of Spanish grammar. Rather, it is to identify the key points students need to learn in order to avoid making errors in written assignments. In brief, the guide is a valuable resource to help students self-edit their compositions.

The grammatical rules of standard written languages are not always predictable and, well, are sometimes confusing and illogical! It is therefore normal that, when progressing through the process of learning how to write in Spanish, errors will be made. By reviewing the guide and doing the exercises, students will hone their writing skills and be able to avoid errors that are commonly found in written Spanish.

The rules discussed in this guide are based on the conventions of written standard Spanish and are adhered to in all parts of the Spanish speaking world. The errors targeted are those made by second language learners, particularly by speakers of English. SpanishChecker has been helping students for many years now and we have become very familiar with the challenges that students face when mastering the rules of written Spanish.

What sets this guide apart from other descriptive grammars and sites is that we present information from the perspective of the student writer. As such, our explanations are easy to understand and target common errors to avoid. Our explanations are thorough, but we prioritize information concerning frequent structures. It makes little sense to give students 20 points in random order. To perfect their writing, they need to be aware of the structures they will actually use.

This guide can be used for independent study, or as a course text for a course on Spanish grammar.

Each entry has a section called Questions about ... The purpose of this is to present common errors in order for students to reflect on the reasons why a given structure is unacceptable. By familiarizing oneself with the correct and incorrect way of expressing something, students will become better self-editors and avoid common errors in future writing assignments. When writing, students will no doubt ask themselves questions about which of two possibilities is the correct one. The Questions about ... section guides them through this process.

Each section also contains extensive interactive exercises to help students apply and verify the information provided in the explanations.

Note finally that the SpanishChecker Grammar Guide is integrated with SpanishChecker's grammar checker. As such, when students make an error in their composition, they will be able to directly link to the relevant section in the guide for a full explanation of the concept or error.

 

Dr. Terry Nadasdi, Professor of Linguistics.

Dr. Stéfan Sinclair, Professor of Humanities Computing.


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