When is the Derek Zoolander School For Adults Who Never Learned Grammar Good opening?

February 10, 2009 2:20 PM

Looking for online grammar exercises, games, etc. that would enable me to do a few exercises here and there throughout the day.

My spoken and written grammar has gotten worse and worse over the past few years.

I never learned any particular grammar rules, pretty much got by in school with what 'felt' right. Worked at the time, but now that I'm having trouble I have no concrete rules to fall back on. It's frustrating to say the least.

Obviously I can read theory on my own and there are some great online resources, but I'd like some kind of online quiz sort of thing to test myself for a few minutes here and there during the day- the time will add up I think, and immediate feedback would work best.

Suggested alternatives to this idea are welcome.

posted by variella to Education (9 answers total)

It's not a game per se, but you could do worse than to bookmark Strunk's The Elements of Style.
posted by jquinby at 2:25 PM on February 10, 2009

I recommend freerice.com, which now lets you choose from subjects (Grammar included). You stay sharp, hungry people get fed. Win-win!
posted by bookwo3107 at 2:28 PM on February 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

Direct link to grammar game, fwiw.
posted by bookwo3107 at 2:29 PM on February 10, 2009

Best answer: I love these grammar quizzes.
posted by smich at 2:30 PM on February 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks jquinby but I have a VERY dog-eared copy on my desk already.
posted by variella at 2:46 PM on February 10, 2009

I receive these emails.
posted by jgirl at 3:12 PM on February 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

I would suggest finding a university linguistics unit online that deals with the grammar of the english language. I took such a unit as part of my linguistics studies. We used the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language as our reference text. Don't be put off by the fact that it is 1300+ pages long - it is designed as a reference book, meaning you can easily jump around in the text.

I would suggest this book above the various 'Style' books as it is not nearly so prescriptive as those books tend to be. It is based on modern linguistic research and will show you the structure of, and the sense behind, the overarching framework of the language. Completing the exercise sheets and assignments that you hopefully find from a unit online, with this text as a reference, will make you into a champion of grammar.

_{As a first exercise you could begin with parsing the last sentence of the previous paragraph. :P}
posted by Sitegeist at 5:39 PM on February 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

Addendum: I have just discovered that the two authors of the Grammar I referred to in my previous post have written a shorter text that 'boils down' the content of the larger work. It is A Student's Introduction to English Grammar. This book includes exercises at the end of each chapter.
posted by Sitegeist at 5:48 PM on February 10, 2009

Not a website, but if you're in the mood for something fun and user-friendly, definitely check out the book _The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: A Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager and the Doomed. As you can guess from the title, it's witty and clever, but it also does a really great job covering the basics. (And if you happen to be of the goth persuasion, so much the better.)
posted by cymru_j at 5:58 PM on February 10, 2009