SYNTAX IS IN YOUR MIND: How to Conquer SYNTAX in a Blink

Syntax may be a horror course that you, English Department's students, face during your study here in this fascinating English Department of any-awesome-university. Syntax is a course that equips students with grammatical concepts and terminology. Later on, students will be given topics such as parts of speech, parts of a sentence, major English phrase types, and parts of internal syntax, clause as complement, subject, and noun phrases. Ayeee! Sounds terrifying, right? Indeed, syntax was like a howling terror for me when I took this course. Well, you don’t have to freak out anymore, since I'm about to reveal a guideline to get an A in syntax…

1.       Be a Good Listener

Of course, you have to listen to every explanation by the lecturer. Open your ears widely, retrieve the data, transfer it to your left brain, be ready to be process it, and whooooooaa! Get the point!  

2.       Make Graffiti  on Your Handbook

Graffiti? Nope, this is not graffiti or word painting on a wall medium that you usually see on the street. Instead, this graffiti means, you should take notes about some points that you may have difficulties to understand. Draw the notes with colorful pen and artistic shapes so that they can be a magnet for you to keep on struggling with your study.

3.       Exercise Your Brain!

The golden key in mastering syntax course is that you should do all the exercises in the handbook. There are some ways to do the exercises:

a.       Do it yourself.

b.      Do it with your friends.

c.       Do it with your lecturer.

d.      Do it with your imaginary friends.

e.      Do it with your imaginary lecturer, hehehe…

Repeat what you have done in the exercises a couple of times, since generally, the test may be taken from the exercises in the handbook. 

4.       Speak Up!

There is a popular saying in Bahasa Indonesia, “Malu bertanya, sesat di jalan”. The same thing will happen to you if you keep your questions timidly in your mind. No-No! Think twice, it later will be a hex for you, guys. If you have questions, you should ask the lecturer to give a clearer explanation about the things that you don’t understand. By doing this, you can also help your friends to get more enlightenment.

5.       Contact Person: Syntax Lecturer

Still have unsolved questions? Then I suggest you to go to the lecturer and ask for a further explanation. I believe that you will get much input from the lecturer which can help you to master the course in a flash.

Okay matey, those are the cloaks-and-daggers for you to cope with syntax course. They are really worthy and believe it or not, I have proved it myself. Last words, just try them at home and from starting now! In God we trust and have a fun trying!

*as published on Access ED Magz, SWCU, Wrong Three District, Central Java, Indonesia. #19 ISSUE

*originally typed on 28-01-2010.