CHAPTER 10
The Second Rule: Grammar Study Kills
Your English Speaking
The second rule of the method is the most shocking for most learners.
After years of studying English in schools, most people believe that grammar
study is the key to English speaking. In fact, many learners simply cannot
imagine learning English without studying grammar rules. They have strong
beliefs deeply programmed by the hidden curriculum.
That is why the second rule is such a huge change. The second rule of the
Effortless English™ method is: Do NOT study grammar! Now I know this
might be a tough idea for you to accept. Let’s face it: for as long as you’ve
been studying English, you have been told that you must learn grammar rules
– in middle school, in high school, in university, in language schools,
everywhere in the world it’s grammar, grammar, grammar, grammar.
So my first question is: How did this strategy work for you? Was it
successful? If you are reading this book, you’ve likely studied English for
years and you focused a lot on grammar rules. But can you speak English
easily, quickly and automatically right now? Did all of this grammar study
produce the result you want?
If the answer is no, you are normal. Because despite what you learned in
school, the truth is that grammar study actually hurts your English speaking.
The problem with studying grammar is that instead of speaking English you
focus on analyzing it. You become like the soccer player who is studying
physics in order to improve. You learn a lot of information but your skill
never seems to get much better.
In other words, you think about English instead of doing it. You think
about the past tense, the present tense, the future, the present perfect, the past
