How to make grammar memorable: Teaching parts of speech with visual codes
Students often forget grammar rules shortly after learning them. But when you bring nouns, verbs, or adverbs to life with colors and interactive visuals, the knowledge sticks much longer.
In a previous blog, Teaching hack: How to beat the forgetting curve, we explored how strategies like spaced repetition and active recall can help students retain information rather than lose it.
This new article takes a different but complementary angle: we don’t just want students to remember, we want them to understand grammar in a visual, meaningful way. While the earlier post focused on memory reinforcement, here we dive into how to make grammar both memorable and comprehensible through tools like color-coding and visual charts.
Both approaches share the same goal: helping your students learn English more effectively, confidently, and for the long term.
Why visual strategies work
- Color-coding boosts retention: Research shows that assigning colors to vocabulary and grammar categories improves accuracy and long-term memory.
Visual aids make grammar accessible: Diagrams, posters, and color-marked sentences make lessons more active and engaging for learners.
How to use this infographic in class
- Introduce the parts of speech with simple color codes (nouns-blue, verbs-red, adjectives-green).
- Create fun activities, have students build sentences, and highlight each word by its part of speech.
- Use sample sentences, like “Well, we like to visit old friends now and then”, marking each word by category.
- Encourage students to create their own posters, flashcards, or mini projects using the color system.
Benefits for teachers
Visual strategies like color-coding don’t just simplify grammar; they change the classroom dynamic. Abstract rules become concrete, visible, and easier to grasp. Students feel more engaged when theory is linked to something visual and interactive, turning what could be a dry grammar drill into a hands-on activity. These strategies also support learners who struggle with reading or attention, since visuals reduce cognitive load and make content more approachable. In short, visuals turn grammar into something inclusive, creative, and memorable, instead of just another list of rules students forget by the next week.
Teaching parts of speech isn’t only about grammar; it’s about creating meaningful, lasting connections through visuals and interaction. With the right tools, a grammar lesson becomes an experience students will actually remember.
Explore more teaching strategies on our blog and make grammar unforgettable for your students.
References:
- Beeland, W. D. Jr. (2005). Student engagement, visual learning and technology: Can interactive whiteboards help? Wiley Online Library.
- Pam, & Karimi. (2016). Color-Coding in Language Classrooms. International Journal of English Language Education.
- Oldfield et al. (2023). Color-coding intervention: Enhancing mastery of parts of speech.
- The importance of visual aids in teaching English grammar. ElevatEd blog (2024).
- Agun et al. (1977). Impact of visual aids in enhancing the learning process. ERIC.
