You read the rule. You understand it. Next week, it is gone. This is normal. Rules are not remembered by reading. They are remembered by using.
One rule at a time
Do not learn five rules today. Learn one, and use it all week.
This week: the past simple.
Write your own examples
Examples from your life are stronger than examples from a book.
I watched a film. I cooked noodles. I called my mother.
Say it out loud
Your mouth remembers what your eyes forget.
Find it in real English
Look for the rule in an article or a video. When you find it, say, "There it is."
Make a mistake on purpose
Say the wrong sentence, then the right one. The difference helps.
I goed... no, I went.
Review after three days
Come back to the rule on day three, and again on day ten. Short reviews.
Words to remember
- rule — a guide for how to do something
- example — one case that shows the rule
- review — to look again
- difference — how two things are not the same
Questions & answers
Q: Should I memorise grammar tables?
Tables help some students. But use each form in a sentence, or it stays a table.
Q: How many rules should I learn a month?
Two or three. More than that, and none of them stick.
Q: Is it bad to forget a rule?
No. Forgetting is normal. Use it again, and it returns.
Q: Do I need to know the names of tenses?
It helps for study, but you can use the tense without the name.
Q: What is the fastest way to remember?
Use the rule in your own sentences, out loud, three days in a row.