Grammar
Advice
You can learn the grammar of a language in different ways:
1. Contact with native speakers, listening to the radio, watching television, reading magazines ... We all have an inborn mechanism for decoding and making sense of foreign languages; this is how we learned our mother tongue as a baby. By immersion in the foreign language and culture you should be able to pick up any language over a long period of time. When you acquire a language in this way, you learn the rules of the language (or grammar) just like native speakers do. You may not know the names of all the tenses, but you know how and when to use them.
2. Exercise practice. There are many types of excercises you can do to learn the grammar of a language. You can write out the exercises or repeat them orally (drills). The repetition of key structures helps you to remember them. There are also sentence completion, substitution and transformation exercises which allow you to manipulate the language and gain a greater understanding of how it works.
3. Studying a grammar designed for learners of the language. You need to find a book that meets your needs, with clear explanations of the rules and useful examples. This approach appeals to those who enjoy a logical and rational way of learning. In this way, you can learn how to form grammatically correct phrases, utterances and sentences, and when it is appropriate to use them. Unfortunately, the rules of formation and use are sometimes very complicated, and only really useful when you have the time to use them e.g. when writing.
4. Working out the grammar yourself. For those of you who like a challenge you can take a short phrase or text and try to work out the rules yourself. It is not as difficult as it seems, especially if you have a tutor to help you. You may also be surprised to find that some of the rules in your grammar book are only over-simplifications of the real rules. You can use a concordancer, a computer programme to help you analyse texts more easily. This approach is mainly recommended for students of linguistics and potential language teachers, to help them gain a deeper insight into syntactic complexity and the real rules of use.
Web of Grammars - lots of online grammars for many languages
LINKS (in alphabetical order)
Bowdoin - language programs, literature, culture, radio, newspapers and magazines, dictionaries, software, travel & geography, television, general links
Cantonese.sheik.co.uk - learn Cantonese Online: With Tests, Games, Grammar and online dictionaries
Chinasite.com- many links and information about China, the Chinese and the language: Mandarin, Cantonese and Minnan. Many resources: music, films, courses, fashion, food, games, grammar, holidays, magazines, materials, newspapers, radio, sports, study abroad and tv.
China Tour - China, travel, news and information, with a link to Survival Chinese: Chinese phrases for travelers, Chinese language learning for English speakers, etc
The Chinese Outpost - learn Chinese Online: Free Beginner's 'Introduction to Mandarin' Tutorial with information about China, Chinese courses, grammar and materials
CLAS: Chinese Learning Alternative Site - C L A S offers you supplementary learning material on Chinese language and original articles on what's happening today in Chinese language and Chinese culture
IGCS - Internet Guide For Chinese Studies
learn-chinese-online.net - learn Chinese with free on-line language courses, this is a Chinese course for foreigners from wiki books. There is grammar description, interpretation and a short text in every lesson. It is quite a good methode for beginners to study.
Learning Chinese Online - many links and directories to Chinese learning aids, courses, dictionaries, grammar and materials
Mandarin123 - includes your ultimate guide to learning Chinese with most useful resources online. All learning materials or activities on this site are marked with proper level (Basic, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced) for your convenience
Mandarin Book Online - one of the leading chinese-english websites, offering an outstsanding array of tools and services for chinese and english language and cultural studies
Real Chinese - a lively introduction to Mandarin Chinese in 10 short parts, with recordings, useful phrases, tips on pronunciation, grammar, cultural notes and a short test
Speak Mandarin Campaign Lessons in conversational and business Mandarin, using RealAudio (a Singapore government initiative).
Study Mandarin using VOA Intermediate level Mandarin Chinese lessons (Voice of America sound files-RealAudio format).