This book grew out of a series of supplements to a Spanish grammar text. Its purpose is to help you learn Spanish more easily.
Many students have had trouble with foreign languages because they have not looked carefully enough, or critically enough, at their own. Struggles with your own language took place at such an early age that you have forgotten the times when it seemed difficult. Now it seems perfectly natural to you, and it is hard to adapt to different ways of expressing ideas.
The material in this book has been classified and arranged to show you English and your new language “side by side.” You may be surprised at how many grammatical elements are similar in the two languages.
Information that is the same for both English and Spanish is usually not repeated on facing pages. If you find that a section is omitted under the Spanish, look to your left and find it on the English page. The English meaning of a Spanish example is usually on the left-hand page, too.
Why grammar?
People can speak, read, or write their native language, at least to a reasonable degree, without studying formal grammar (the rules governing how we say, change, and arrange words to express our ideas). Just by being around other speakers, we hear millions of examples, and the patterns we hear become a part of us. Even babies start with correct basic patterns (subject-verb-object), even though words may be missing or incorrect: “Me wants cookie!”
Knowledge of grammar helps a great deal, though, in testing new and more complex words or patterns and in analyzing one’s writing to discover where a sentence went wrong or how it could be more effective. Sometimes, “It sounds right (or wrong)” won’t help.
All of the explanations in this book reflect standard English or Spanish. You may sometimes think, “I don’t say that!” The important word here is “say.” We often ignore some rules in conversation, or even in informal writing such as friendly letters. When you are writing an important paper or giving a speech, however, you may want to use the standard form in order to make the best possible impression. You will also find that knowing grammar will help you in your study of language.
In learning a foreign language, grammar is necessary because it tells you how to choose the right word—or the right form of a word that you are using for the first time. It is not the way that you acquired your native language as a child, but it is an efficient way for adults who want to express more complex ideas and do not want to make any more mistakes than absolutely necessary.
Grammar saves you time and prevents many mistakes by guiding you in your choices.